Spartan: Difference between revisions

{{Status|Canon}}

The basic concept for the SPARTAN programs has been around since the late 22nd century when the first bioengineering protocols were developed for the [[Interplanetary War]].<ref name="enc44">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''', ''page 44-45''</ref> Since the establishment of these protocols humans have been using performance-enhancing equipment and augmentations to make them stronger and faster than previously possible. Spartans have been deployed numerous times throughout human conflict, leading up to and during the [[Human-Covenant War]]. The notion of creating supersoldiers first arose as a plan to enhance normal human soldiers into powerfully augmented special operations commandos. Initially the three separate programs were humanity's various attempts to create the perfect soldiers, in order to patrol the colonies, protect civilian and government populations, crush uprisings in their infancy and ensure others don't rise up as a result.

The genesis of the SPARTAN programs occurred in [[2321]] with the activation of the [[ORION Project]].{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}} Launched by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], the project was named after the Greek mythological hero [[Wikipedia:Orion (mythology)|Orion]].<ref>'''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]''', ''June 19, 2513''</ref> The aim of ORION was to build on [[Human augmentation|bioengineering protocols]] established in [[2164]] and create stronger and better soldiers than any before them.

In [[2491]], the [[Colonial Military Authority]] relaunched ORION in secrecy, with the new goal of learning from the mistakes of the previous attempt, and creating a soldier unlike anything seen before - and to deploy these soldiers behind enemy lines and quell insurgencies in their infancy, or destroy established insurgencies by destroying their chain of command and expanding outward.  

The project was headquartered in one of the many orbital docks on the fortress world [[Reach]], and the candidates were, once again, selected volunteers from the [[UNSC Special Forces]]. This iteration of the project used more advanced indoctrination and biological augmentation techniques, and after a grueling series of physical and mental tests, the first batch of soldiers, 165 in total, successfully passed and moved on to the next phase. In [[2496]] the UNSC launched [[Operation: CHARLEMAGNE]] in response to [[Insurrectionist#Eridanus rebels|colonial secessionists]] who executed a series of attacks on [[Eridanus II]], which resulted in numerous deaths and the kidnappings of civilian and government officials in [[2494]]. This marked the first operational deployment of the ORION soldiers, who scored a decisive victory and emerged from the battle with only a single casualty. The ORION soldiers were able to complete the mission without even being ''seen'', thereby fueling a range of conspiracy theories and media speculation; this proved to be very helpful to ONI's [[propaganda]] efforts in the coming decades. Though the ORION soldiers were effective, their abilities fell short of the scientists' hopes, and they cost far too much to develop and field - in [[2506]] the project was deactivated and the soldiers were reassigned to various special operation units.{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}}

Designed to produce supersoldiers more quickly, at a lower cost, and with a lower life expectancy, the SPARTAN-III program was intended for extreme high risk operations conducted at the highest level of secrecy. The SPARTAN-III candidates were once again children; however, rather than actually stealing children from their beds, this time the "candidates" were recruited from orphanages after the loss of their homes and families from the Covenant invasion, given the opportunity to strike back at the Covenant. The S-III candidates were taken to the planet [[Onyx]] and were under the leadership of Spartan-II [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Kurt Ambrose]]. Most of the Spartan-IIIs were equipped with [[Semi-Powered Infiltration armor]], which is less advanced and cheaper to mass-produce than the MJOLNIR suits issued to the Spartan-IIs. Throughout the Human-Covenant War, three companies of Spartan-IIIs were trained and deployed, with exceedingly high casualty rates. The first company of S-IIIs, [[SPARTAN-III Alpha Company|Alpha Company]], was successful in destroying Covenant and rebel forces during the battles of [[Mamore]], [[New Constantinople]] and in the [[Bonanza asteroid belt]] - their last mission [[Operation: PROMETHEUS]] in [[2537]] was deemed a success, even though all of the Spartans of Alpha Company were killed in action. The second company, [[SPARTAN-III Beta Company|Beta]], was trained soon after the loss of Alpha. In [[2545]], the company participated in [[Operation: TORPEDO]], which was also deemed a success; however, only two Spartans, [[Tom-B292]] and [[Lucy-B091]], survived out of the three hundred soldiers that took part in the operation. Tom and Lucy became trainers for the third company of S-IIIs, [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]]. Gamma Company completed their augmentation and most were deployed on missions elsewhere in late 2552, when the [[Trevelyan|Shield World]] on Onyx was activated.<ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''', ''page 85''</ref> A fourth class, [[SPARTAN-III Delta Company|Delta Company]], was slated to begin training around late 2552,<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 121''</ref> until the SPARTAN-III program was discontinued after the destruction of [[Onyx]] and the creation of the [[SPARTAN-IV program]]. After the war, the surviving Spartan-IIIs were offered the chance to integrate into the fledgling [[Spartan Operations]].

Conceived by a SPARTAN-II "washout", [[Commander]] [[Musa-096]], the SPARTAN-IV program was activated in early [[2553]]. Like the original ORION Project, the SPARTAN-IV program uses only consenting adult volunteers, the augmentation of adults having been made possible by advancements in the technologies pioneered by the prior Spartan programs. Unlike the mainline SPARTAN-IIIs who were forced to use cheaper equipment due to budgetary constraints, all Spartan-IVs are equipped with MJOLNIR armor, now mass-produced by several private companies. The Spartan-IVs serve in a dedicated UNSC service branch known as [[Spartan Operations]], whereas their forebears operated within other chains of command.{{Ref/Reuse|H4 Story}} Unlike the other military branches, the Spartans lack a formal rank hierarchy altogether, instead employing a more malleable framework based on an individual Spartan's skills and specialization.<ref>'''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 33''</ref>

==List of Spartans{{Ref/Note|Four identified Spartans are currently unable to be confidently placed in a certain generation with a high degree of confidence. These three are [[SPARTAN NOLA]], [[SPARTAN NV66]], [[Yasmine Zaman]], and [[Nicole-458]]. Nicole has been identified as a [[Spartan-II]], but her number suggests she may in fact be a Spartan-III. Similarly, Yasmine's given date of conscription as a Spartan-II correlates with that of the launch of the Spartan-III program's Alpha Company: 2537.}}==

*At least 294 others.{{Ref/Note|There were 300 "Spartan-Is" at the height of the project. It is likely that [[John Forge]]'s father (died c. 2541 in [[Chicago]], [[URNA]].) was counted among this number. It is also possible that [[Nolan Byrne]] (KIA November 17, 2552 in [[Voi]], [[Kenya]]) was a Spartan-1 as well.}}

====="Spartan 1.1s"{{Ref/Note|It is likely that [[Sergeant]] [[John Forge]] (died [[2531]]) was a "Spartan 1.1".}}=====

===SPARTAN-IIs{{Ref/Note|Of the Spartans listed KIA on Reach on August 30, 2552, two were identified as "Beta Red Actual" and "Red-Fifteen".  Another unidentified spartan perished on Reach: likely Joseph-122.}}===

*[[Riz-028/Silver|Riz-028]] - Status unknown.

*[[Keiichi-047]] - MIA as of March 3, 2558.{{Ref/Note|Keiichi may be KIA but only represented as MIA due to [[ONI Directive 930]].}}

*[[Kai-125/Silver|Kai-125]] - Status unknown.

*[[Vannak-134/Silver|Vannak-134]] - Status unknown.

*[[Cal-141]] - KIA in [[2544]] on [[Heian]].

*[[Holly-G003]] - KIA on November 3, 2552 on Onyx.

*[[Dante-G188]] - KIA on November 3, 2552 on Onyx.

*[[Mark-G313]] - KIA on October 14, 2559 on installation 00

*[[Hideo Wakahisa]] - KIA March 29, 2554 onboard an [[Unidentified Spartan-IV training station|orbital station]] over a dwarf planet.

*[[Rudolf Schein]] - Defected to the United Rebel Front. Killed March 29, 2554 onboard an [[Unidentified Spartan-IV training station|orbital station]] over a dwarf planet.

**''[[Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)|Terminals]]''

**''[[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminals]]''

**''[[Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition dossiers|Limited Edition dossiers]]''

==Notes==

{{Ref/Notes}}