(POSSIBLE GLASSLANDS SPOILERS)
Not sure if this has been brought up before;
What do you all think regarding the possibility that the Forward Unto Dawn was equipped with the (to some extent) self-upgrading Mk. VII armour facilities. This would obviously lend itself well to solving the issue of Chief’s slightly different armour in the Halo 4 Announcement Trailer.
Sure, the armour differences could be purely aesthetic (as has been raised), but ignoring this possibility is simply the more interesting speculative path.
Also, let’s try and stay away from slight, continuity-based refutations, as ret-conning continuity has not really been a barrier to story elements in the Halo Universe.