Master Chief, You Mind Telling Me What You're Doing on That Ship?

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About

"Master Chief, You Mind Telling Me What You're Doing on This Ship?" is a memorable quote uttered by Halo 2 character Lord Terrence Hood. Online, the quote has been used as a setup for various jokes, with Hood asking Master Chief why he is doing something, followed by Master Chief explaining himself.

Origin

On November 9th, 2004, first-person shooter video game Halo 2 was released.^[1] During the final cutscene of the game, Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood, voiced by actor Ron Perlman, asks the main protagonist Master Chief about his reason for being on board of the keyship Anodyne Spirit, with Master Chief responding that he intends to "finish this fight" (shown below, left). On November 11, 2014, Halo 2: Anniversary, a remake of the game was released,^[2] featuring a remade version of the cutscene (shown below, right).

- Master Chief, you mind telling me what you're doing on that ship?
- Sir. Finishing this fight.

Spread

On January 8th, 2019, YouTube^[3] user RadZakpak posted the first known meme based on the dialogue, with the video gaining over 13,800 views in one year (shown below).

The meme did not see further spread until on June 5th, 2019, Instagram^[4] user arbychief posted a viral meme based on the scene (shown below, left), with Lord Terrence Hood asking Master Chief about what he is doing at McDonald's. The post received over 127,900 views and 16,700 likes on Instagram in one year, with a June 9th YouTube^[5] reupload gaining additional 237,500 views in the same period. On October 5th, 2019, arbychief^[6] posted another meme based on the format that received over 72,700 views and 13,100 likes in nine months (shown below, right).

Following the October 5th post by arbychief, the format gained a moderate spread on Twitter and YouTube in mid-October 2019. For example, on October 14th, 2019, YouTube^[7] user Hammy Sammy posted a Sans meme that received over 18,300 views in nine months. On December 19th, 2019, Twitter^[8] user @leftisthot420 combined the meme with a Cameo clip of Master Chief voice actor Steve Downes saying "trans rights are human rights," with the post gaining over 517,500 views, 12,500 retweets and comments and 36,400 likes in seven months.