I loved the recent E3 2021 Halo reveal. The story looks great and the multiplayer looks like fun. But the lore-lover in me was a little irked. I love new characters and I love how 343 is doing plenty of call backs to older ones. However, I dislike them not using lore to their advantage. The Academy looks damn good. And it’s named after Sergeant Major Johnson. But Spartan Commander Laurette is what irks me. It’s not her as a character necessarily, or her dialogue, or her actress, or anything. It’s the fact that it is not instructed by Jun-A266. Or better yet he never made an appearance there. Also, given the first mp season is based off of Reach, then where’s the only living member of Noble at? “What’s wrong with that?” you may ask. Well, if it’s the premiere Spartan training grounds then wouldn’t it had been infinitely cooler to have Jun, the trainer and instructor of the program, the person running the show? It’s a Reach character after all. It’s a huge inspiration for Infinite. Noble 6’s helmet is in the Academy logo. So why not have the player intro sequence be a grizzled, retired Jun introduce himself and show off the Academy? I think Reach fans would die. I think lore fans would transcend.
I’m not saying Spartan Commander Laurette won’t be cool or a welcome addition. I’m saying from a story and even marketing standpoint, Jun should have been the one. If it’s one thing I dislike it is disregard of lore or not taking advantage of what is already established. Thus, a missed opportunity.
What I’m saying overall is, just solely based on current info, the developers adding an entirely new character when they could’ve brought back an old one is a missed opportunity. Jun has more history so far in Halo than any of the newest characters. He knows the art of war. He’s arguably one of the best marksmen. He survived the Fall of Reach. He was the recruiter and instructor for the newest Spartan generations. There’s a lot of history in the Academy as you can tell. Jun is a living part of that history. And clearly the best person for it’s Spartan training…
Note: I’m not trying to call the game bad or hate on it. I’m very impressed by it actually! I just think good ideas shouldn’t be trashed or not even considered. Hopefully he makes an appearance as a announcer at least.