except he wasn't? lol

It is a stage in an A.I. it is when it becomes next to if not fully a human mind

<p>Actually, the Meta's namesake ties into and references the <i>Halo</i> canon and universe.  It's very briefly mentioned in the AI class in season 10 (I don't know which episode, because I watched the episodes as 1 movie): </p><p>AI's can suffer from a...for lack of a better phrase terminal "disease" called Rampancy.  When Rampancy occurs, an AI develops delusions of granduer and a god comples along with feelings of contempt and hatred for their (what they view) inferior creators.  There are 3 stages to AI Rampancy-- 1) Melancholia.  2) Anger.  3) Jealousy.  After the third stage, there's a theoretical fourth stage called "Metastability," where an AI can be considered fully "human." (I don't quite understand what that means myself). </p><p>In one of the few tie-ins to the Halo universe, it can be assumed that Sigma-- Agent Maine's AI Fragment-- was suffering from Rampancy and had possibly achieved Metastability...or he renamed himself (and Maine) the Meta in relation to his plan-- to absorb the other AIs in hopes of becoming the Alpha. </p>

<div class="quote"><i>ManOfManyTales wrote:
<p>It can be assumed that Sigma-- Agent Maine's AI Fragment-- was suffering from Rampancy and had possibly achieved Metastability...or he renamed himself (and Maine) the Meta in relation to his plan-- to absorb the other AIs in hopes of becoming the Alpha. </p> </i></div>
<p>Actually, Sigma's desire was to BE HUMAN. He had not reached Metastability, he wanted it. </p><p>Price and the Director told him that it is only theoretical and that even if it was true, Sigma was a fragment and this was for full AIs. Sigma took a leap of faith and tried to assemble all the fragments in hopes that they can all combine to reach metastability or as Sigma would prefer it, Humanity. </p>