The Systematic Erasure of Blue Team...

I just watched the footage of IGN's preview of the 'Halo Channel', and in the video they pan over a feature that will be akin to a Halo "encyclopedia" that offers biographical information about certain characters.

Specifically, they showed the entry for the Master Chief.

And I am seriously beside myself with disappointment right now.

Nowhere in his biography do they mention anything about his work with his fellow Spartan-IIs before and during the Human-Covenant War. It's barely even noted that there are other Spartan-IIs besides him.

His first lesson in training being about how to work as part of a team? Not important. The loss of his best friend, Sam-034, during his first encounter with the Covenant? Not important either. His daring return to Reach in order to rescue his teammates after the events of 'Combat Evolved'? Nope, no important character relationships worth mentioning there apparently.

Just because these events happened outside of the games does not make them unimportant - the Chief as a character has been developed largely outside of the games for the last 10 years. Why is all that suddenly being treated like it's nothing? I am so sick and tired of them trying to erase such a huge part of his history and his character.

Anyone whose seen me on the forums knows I'm probably the most vocal advocate for the Spartan-IIs of Blue Team finally being included in the games' story line...but with absolutely no acknowledgment of their existence even being given in a biographical document like this, I am at a loss.

Is there even any hope that we'll get any closure for the Chief's relationship with his teammates now? What are your guys' thoughts on this?

Don't forget the removal of the S-IIIs adopted into Blue Team. Saber's dead and Tom and Lucy are somewhere floating in the ether, probably dead too. I'm sure it is more of a keeping the numbers manageable kind of issue if Blue is going to be playable to an extent in Halo 5, but it still disappoints me.

I know your mostly referring to the core group of Blue, but I just wanted to add on.

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Well, we have reason to believe that Fred at least will be in Halo 5. I imagine 343 will give Blue Team their own dedicated encyclopedia entry as more info is revealed.

That weird Fred-cameo in that Gamescom footage is partly why I'm so confused and upset.

Why keep dropping tiny little hints that the other Spartan-IIs might get to play a role in the future, but then completely omit them from a basic biography about the Chief and his exploits? It makes no sense.

I'm just tired of being strung around like this - it wears away at my confidence in 343 and any positive anticipation I could possibly have over the future of the franchise is buried under uncertainty.

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But yeah, mostly I am referring to the core group of Blue Team and how they've been continuously tossed aside as a non-factor to John-117's character, when the exact opposite is the truth as we've seen in canon via the EU for the last 10 years. I just don't understand what 343 is trying to do. They say they're "incredibly fond of these characters", but then they do things that communicate the exact opposite.

Their reunion with John in Escalation was not done well.

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I wouldn't like too much information on it. I prefer it as a small summary rather than a full on-screen novel. Few people read large texts.

And I don't like toasting my eyes reading on a screen for long time, also.

Would it really be so hard to include at least 3 sentences about the Chief's work with his team, the main thing that defined his character right up until the events of the games? I don't think so.

My point was that excessive info is bad, not that Blue Team should be left out.

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My point was that excessive info is bad, not that Blue Team should be left out.

I wasn't trying to imply that you thought they should be excluded. I was just trying to emphasize that it would not be difficult or excessive at all to just mention them.

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My point was that excessive info is bad, not that Blue Team should be left out.

I wasn't trying to imply that you thought they should be excluded. I was just trying to emphasize that it would not be difficult or excessive at all to just mention them.

Ok, just clearing things up. I was just saying including a full biography of John would be too much.

Addressing his relationship with the rest of Blue is indeed necessary.

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Ok, just clearing things up. I was just saying including a full biography of John would be too much.

Addressing his relationship with the rest of Blue is indeed necessary.

My point exactly. But apparently the devs don't think so. Why else would they not utilize such an easy way to introduce and familiarize people with these characters and their relation to the Chief?

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I have the feeling they will give Kelly and Fred their own biography. If they don't link them all somehow... That would be some bad negelcting...

They're already neglected now. You can't find anything about them here on Waypoint, and it looks like the Halo Channel is going to follow suit in the worst way. My worry is that they're just going to slowly and surely erase them from the franchise, in spite of all the potential they offer as individual characters and what they offer in terms of exploring the Chief's character as well.

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I blame bungie for the lack of Blue team. Since bungie proclaimed John was the last spartan II on numerous occasions.

Can't really blame Bungie for 343 not capitalizing on Bungie's mishaps. 343 has had plenty of opportunities to make up for lost time and haven't exactly done the best between a rather poor reunion in Escalation to outright death with Black Team.