Genetically enhanced soldiers, the SPARTANS were the first and last line of defence before the Covenant. Master Chief is a SPARTAN. They are named after the ferocious warriors of the same name.
Overview
In 2517 the SPARTAN II program was started by Dr. Catherine Halsey and Chief Petty Officer Mendez. A total of 75 children, age six, were selected for their superior physical traits and genetic makeup. All of the children were replaced by flash clones to preserve the program's secrecy and trained, primarily on the surface of Reach, by Mendez.
On Reach they had to go through a grueling physical routine and a comprehensive academic education.
In March of 2525, on the orbital ONI Medical Facility above Reach, the then 14-year-old candidates underwent a series of biological augmentation to enhance their skeletal, muscular, optical, and nervous systems. Of the original 75 children, only 33 survived.
Some months after the augmentation, the SPARTAN’s first mission was against rebels in the asteroid belt of the Eridanus System, to capture a rebel leader, Colonel Robert Watts. In the year 2525, the SPARTAN II were fitted with the MJOLNIR Mark IV Powered Assault Armor.
The story of the SPARTAN III is never mentioned in the games. In Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, Colonel James Ackerson convinces the UNSC to establish a new SPARTAN program, that would be cheaper to arm, train, and produce than the full SPARTAN II soldiers. These SPARTAN III’s would be sent on suicide missions that the UNSC could not accomplish. They would be trained in companies of 300 at a time and rely on superior teamwork and stealth to accomplish their missions.
The SPI armor (Semi-Powered Infiltration Armor) was designed to use stealth and speed rather than raw power. The SPI armor used photo-reactive panels that mimic the surrounding textures and was cheaper to produce than the MJOLNIR armor.
With the SPARTAN III project, the UNSC hoped that within ten to twenty years, a hundred thousand SPARTAN III would be able to fight at the front line. Out of the 930 SPARTAN III it is believed that only 5 are still alive.
References
The name spartan is an allusion to the warriors of the Greek city-state of Sparta. They were renowned amongst the Greeks for their elite warriors. In addition their heavily war-focused behavior and culture, which defined their society and made them notable amongst the Greeks, mirrors the Halo Spartans' complete focus on warfare.
| Name | Platforms | Developer | ||
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Halo: Reach released on Sept. 1, 2010 |
X360 | Bungie Studios |
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Halo 3: ODST released on Sept. 22, 2009 |
X360 | Bungie Studios |
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Halo Wars released on March 3, 2009 |
X360 | Ensemble Studios |
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Halo 3 released on Sept. 25, 2007 |
X360 | Bungie Studios |
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Dead or Alive 4 released on Dec. 29, 2005 |
X360 | Team Ninja |
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Halo Triple Pack released on Oct. 6, 2005 |
XBOX | Bungie Studios |
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Halo 2: Multiplayer Map Pack released on July 5, 2005 |
XBOX | Bungie Studios |
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Halo 2 released on Nov. 9, 2004 |
PC, XBOX | Bungie Studios |
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Halo: Custom Edition released on May 4, 2004 |
PC | Gearbox Software LLC, Bungie Studios, Microsoft Game Studios |
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Halo: Combat Evolved released on Nov. 15, 2001 |
MAC, PC, XBLM, XBOX | Westlake Interactive, Bungie Studios, MacSoft, Gearbox Software LLC |
| Concept Name: | Spartan |
| Appears in: | 11 games |
| First appearance: | Halo: Combat Evolved |
| Aliases |
