There are only three factors I can think of that give any form of qualification to Olympia Vale as to joining the Spartan ranks.
Trained in martial arts as it was required to become a diplomat
Spartan Kodiak was impressed with her
Intelligence and extensive knowledge on the Sangheli culture
Does this really warrant being invited into the Spartan program? Presumably the primary reason they would want her would be #3, but c,mon she doesn’t even have any known combat experience. I guess if nothing else, this really shows us how large the Spartan branch must be getting if they’re not necessarily too concerned with having only the best soldiers.
Madsen wasn’t very qualified either. It sounds to me like he was inducted into the Spartan program mostly because of politics.
> Despite the length of his service in the Marine Corps, Madsen’s wartime career was rather undistinguished. Many members of his family were members of the Corps, including his father and grandfather, both of whom were generals. This led to several acts of nepotism, and after the war, ultimately earned Madsen a place in theSPARTAN-IV Program, despite a lack of notable actions.[2]
> Source
I just wonder how much more happens between Hunters in the Dark and her becoming a Spartan. Guess we will find out in time. I think she will make a fine Spartan
Did you know the voice actress that voices Vale is married to the voice actor that voices Fred and Jul Mdama? Also that she voiced Katrina in HTT? Pretty cool facts.
> 2533274803493024;2:
> I just wonder how much more happens between Hunters in the Dark and her becoming a Spartan. Guess we will find out in time. I think she will make a fine Spartan
>
> Did you know the voice actress that voices Vale is married to the voice actor that voices Fred and Jul Mdama? Also that she voiced Katrina in HTT? Pretty cool facts.
How much could happen though? It’s only a few years between Hunters in the Dark and Halo 5, and I would think a substantial amount of that would consist of her Spartan training.
I agree that she doesn’t seem to be the most martial of people but I don’t think that necessary makes her less qualified to be a spartan. Let’s face facts being a spartan isn’t what it used to be, it’s not am honor and most importantly it’s cheaper. She speaks Elite, I’m willing to bet that’s an incredibly rare and useful asset for the unsc to have and it most likely takes her to dangerous places. Why not since spartans are now so much cheaper make her one and reduce the risk of losing a valuable asset in the field. Add to that that all spartans get extra training and as buck said in new blood at now he’s a spartan he literally thinks quicker and it’s a good idea to make her a spartan. And like halsey said spartans are humanities next step in evolution, it doesn’t just have to mean being a super mega killing machine it’s a chance to be better in every way.
Outstanding service record with the UNSC, then hand picked for the program - Buck, Palmer etc.
Average record, but then went on to do something noteworthy + good word put in by a superior - Tanaka
Character with interesting trait that survived an ordeal - Vale. …Waiting for Spartans Glassman and Evan Phillips to show up.
Vale’s character is handled quite well, but the word “shoehorned” comes to mind with her becoming a Spartan 4. I think a supporting role to Osiris might have been more appropriate for her rather than becoming a full blown Spartan.
Generally when fans consider if a SPARTAN-IV deserves to carry on the name of the Spartans, they always end up using the same qualities as previous generations with the Two’s in particular. That kinda needs to stop being a thing. Don’t get me wrong, the SPARTAN-II’s are great warfighters, but they lack competencies in many aspects of fighting a war that have nothing to do with close combat. I’m talking about aviators, human and signals intelligence specialists, forward observers, civil affairs specialists, and security officers. All roles, among many others, that are as necessary to completing a mission as a trigger puller is.
You can teach pretty much anyone to close with the enemy, pull a trigger, and put rounds on target. It takes a special kind of person to carry the extra burden of electronic warfare, explosive ordnance disposal, or, in the case of Olympia Vale, cultural liaison. Special operations forces today rely upon people just like Vale who know the intricacies of the society, culture, customs, and language of their hosts or whatever indigenous group they come into contact with.
So let’s do a run down of what Spartan Olympia Vale can do:
Operate in an austere environment with little to no supporting elements and complete the assigned tasks. - She is extremely adaptable to any situation she finds herself in. - Superior knowledge of alien culture and language interfaced seamlessly with Sangheili partners. Fostered a partnership with Usze 'Taham, an officer with the Swords of Sanghelios, cementing ties between the two nation’s special operations communities. Embedded within a Sangheili civilian host party on a cultural exchange without conflict. - Is proficient in forms of combative martial arts. - Currently serves in the Navy. Fulfills basic fitness and military proficiencies. - Is an adult over the age of 18 who has volunteered for candidacy for the SPARTAN-IV program and has consented to Spartan indoctrination, training, augmentation, evaluation, and upon graduation, conducting operations free from coercion and/or mental or physical duress.Give this girl some MJOLNIR!
> 2533274803493024;2:
> Madsen wasn’t very qualified either. It sounds to me like he was inducted into the Spartan program mostly because of politics.
>
>
> > Despite the length of his service in the Marine Corps, Madsen’s wartime career was rather undistinguished. Many members of his family were members of the Corps, including his father and grandfather, both of whom were generals. This led to several acts of nepotism, and after the war, ultimately earned Madsen a place in theSPARTAN-IV Program, despite a lack of notable actions.[2]
> > Source
>
>
> I just wonder how much more happens between Hunters in the Dark and her becoming a Spartan. Guess we will find out in time. I think she will make a fine Spartan
>
> Did you know the voice actress that voices Vale is married to the voice actor that voices Fred and Jul Mdama? Also that she voiced Katrina in HTT? Pretty cool facts.
How much could happen? Remember that only a few years pass throughout Halo CE through 3. Quite a bit can happen I’d say. Also, the Spartan Branch would need specialized people, particularly ON I operative teams, so it’s not all that surprising.
All anyone needs to become a Spartan is promise, the skill part can be taken care of afterwards.
Think of it like becoming a Navy Seal. Pretty much anyone can become a candidate (there are, of course, certain requirements, but none of them have much to do with experience, I would probably qualify if I could score high enough on the test), what makes them elite is the training they get after being accepted. While the standards are a bit higher for a Spartan, since augmentations are expensive and permanent, all they’re really looking for is that the person in question have potential. This is how Tanaka got in as well, she showed potential to become a great solider and was recommended for the program.
As others have pointed out, Vale definitely has potential.
> 2533274820192853;9:
> > 2533274803493024;2:
> > Madsen wasn’t very qualified either. It sounds to me like he was inducted into the Spartan program mostly because of politics.
> >
> >
> > > Despite the length of his service in the Marine Corps, Madsen’s wartime career was rather undistinguished. Many members of his family were members of the Corps, including his father and grandfather, both of whom were generals. This led to several acts of nepotism, and after the war, ultimately earned Madsen a place in theSPARTAN-IV Program, despite a lack of notable actions.[2]
> > > Source
> >
> >
> > I just wonder how much more happens between Hunters in the Dark and her becoming a Spartan. Guess we will find out in time. I think she will make a fine Spartan
> >
> > Did you know the voice actress that voices Vale is married to the voice actor that voices Fred and Jul Mdama? Also that she voiced Katrina in HTT? Pretty cool facts.
>
>
> How much could happen? Remember that only a few years pass throughout Halo CE through 3. Quite a bit can happen I’d say. Also, the Spartan Branch would need specialized people, particularly ON I operative teams, so it’s not all that surprising.
Halos Reach-3 take place in 2552, so those games encompass a grand total of about 8 months if we include the memorial scene from Halo 3 in Voi. Just wanted to correct that mistake, but yeah considering how condensed the Halo story was in the games I wouldn’t be surprised if a whole new class of Spartan-IVs has been trained, put into service and had their exploits shown off to the public as pr between Halo 4 and Halo 5.
Hey, if Vale can clear the same training that veteran ODSTs like Buck found challenging, I’d say she is qualified enough to be a Spartan. And surviving against a crazy, blade-adorned cyborg hellbent on her death sure was no easy feat either. He Sangheili language mastery is just icing on the cake.
Her impressive thighs? o_o man have you seen the render of Osiris? They are inhuman, even Buck was impressed, so he started training thighs in the cutscene where he’s sitting on nothing, so this wasn’t an early build but Buck being jealous on Vale.
Dude she’s a specialist, with Sangheili! That’s -Yoinking!- amazing she’s a great asset to utilize especially after what she went through in Hunters in the dark she proved she’s good under the stress of saving the entire galaxy to you know so double points?
> 2533274791742477;6:
> Generally when fans consider if a SPARTAN-IV deserves to carry on the name of the Spartans, they always end up using the same qualities as previous generations with the Two’s in particular. That kinda needs to stop being a thing. Don’t get me wrong, the SPARTAN-II’s are great warfighters, but they lack competencies in many aspects of fighting a war that have nothing to do with close combat. I’m talking about aviators, human and signals intelligence specialists, forward observers, civil affairs specialists, and security officers. All roles, among many others, that are as necessary to completing a mission as a trigger puller is.
>
> You can teach pretty much anyone to close with the enemy, pull a trigger, and put rounds on target. It takes a special kind of person to carry the extra burden of electronic warfare, explosive ordnance disposal, or, in the case of Olympia Vale, cultural liaison. Special operations forces today rely upon people just like Vale who know the intricacies of the society, culture, customs, and language of their hosts or whatever indigenous group they come into contact with.
>
> So let’s do a run down of what Spartan Olympia Vale can do:
>
> - Operate in an austere environment with little to no supporting elements and complete the assigned tasks.
> - She is extremely adaptable to any situation she finds herself in.
> - Superior knowledge of alien culture and language interfaced seamlessly with Sangheili partners. Fostered a partnership with Usze 'Taham, an officer with the Swords of Sanghelios, cementing ties between the two nation’s special operations communities. Embedded within a Sangheili civilian host party on a cultural exchange without conflict.
> - Is proficient in forms of combative martial arts.
> - Currently serves in the Navy. Fulfills basic fitness and military proficiencies.
> - Is an adult over the age of 18 who has volunteered for candidacy for the SPARTAN-IV program and has consented to Spartan indoctrination, training, augmentation, evaluation, and upon graduation, conducting operations free from coercion and/or mental or physical duress.
> Give this girl some MJOLNIR!
> 2533274832989191;1:
> There are only three factors I can think of that give any form of qualification to Olympia Vale as to joining the Spartan ranks.
> 1) Trained in martial arts as it was required to become a diplomat
> 2) Spartan Kodiak was impressed with her
> 3) Intelligence and extensive knowledge on the Sangheli culture
>
> Does this really warrant being invited into the Spartan program? Presumably the primary reason they would want her would be #3, but c,mon she doesn’t even have any known combat experience. I guess if nothing else, this really shows us how large the Spartan branch must be getting if they’re not necessarily too concerned with having only the best soldiers.
i’d say it’s point 3 plus her experience on the ark.
can’t wait to see her as a spartan, she’s a kinda interesting woman
and i’ve been positively surprised about her.
> 2533274886490718;17:
> > 2533274832989191;1:
> > There are only three factors I can think of that give any form of qualification to Olympia Vale as to joining the Spartan ranks.
> > 1) Trained in martial arts as it was required to become a diplomat
> > 2) Spartan Kodiak was impressed with her
> > 3) Intelligence and extensive knowledge on the Sangheli culture
> >
> > Does this really warrant being invited into the Spartan program? Presumably the primary reason they would want her would be #3, but c,mon she doesn’t even have any known combat experience. I guess if nothing else, this really shows us how large the Spartan branch must be getting if they’re not necessarily too concerned with having only the best soldiers.
>
>
> i’d say it’s point 3 plus her experience on the ark.
> can’t wait to see her as a spartan, she’s a kinda interesting woman
> and i’ve been positively surprised about her.
Point 3 would not be enough to qualify someone for becoming a Spartan, that’s like saying that Halsey should be made into a Spartan simply because she’s one of the, if not the, smartest scientific minds around, or making Evan Phillips a Spartan because of his extensive knowledge on the Sangheili. It’d just be a waste of resources. You make someone a Spartan because of what they can offer in terms of combat capability. If they can fulfill and serve a combat role, then that’s someone who should be made into a Spartan. What kind of intelligence or data or knowledge they can offer is not enough reason to make someone into a Spartan, the above abilities simply makes one an important asset. Now obviously Vale is more than just an academic and has more to offer than just what was listed in that third point, otherwise she wouldn’t have been made into a Spartan at all.
> 2533274863266427;15:
> Dude she’s a specialist, with Sangheili! That’s -Yoinking!- amazing she’s a great asset to utilize especially after what she went through in Hunters in the dark she proved she’s good under the stress of saving the entire galaxy to you know so double points?
That alone wouldn’t be reason to make someone a Spartan or why they’d be deserving of consideration. All that does is make Olympia Vale an important asset to the UNSC, without any sort of combat capabilities or ability to serve as a soldier as well, augmenting Vale as a Spartan would just be a waste of resources…but given that the UNSC is now apparently giving people augmentations and just having them act as nothing more than a glorified taxi service and having augmented Spartans who just sit around acting as mission control, it would not surprise me at all if they chose someone just off of the sort of intel they could offer >_> However, Vale seems like she’s more than just the kind of intel she can offer on the Sangheili and more than just her smarts though, so nothing wrong with making her a Spartan since she can obviously serve perfectly well in active combat. She seems more like Kat before (IE, a tech specialist on top of all her combat capabilities) than the likes of Miller in Spartan Ops.
> 2533274877334037;18:
> Point 3 would not be enough to qualify someone for becoming a Spartan, that’s like saying that Halsey should be made into a Spartan simply because she’s one of the, if not the, smartest scientific minds around, or making Evan Phillips a Spartan because of his extensive knowledge on the Sangheili. It’d just be a waste of resources. You make someone a Spartan because of what they can offer in terms of combat capability. If they can fulfill and serve a combat role, then that’s someone who should be made into a Spartan. What kind of intelligence or data or knowledge they can offer is not enough reason to make someone into a Spartan, the above abilities simply makes one an important asset. Now obviously Vale is more than just an academic and has more to offer than just what was listed in that third point, otherwise she wouldn’t have been made into a Spartan at all.
>
> That alone wouldn’t be reason to make someone a Spartan or why they’d be deserving of consideration. All that does is make Olympia Vale an important asset to the UNSC, without any sort of combat capabilities or ability to serve as a soldier as well, augmenting Vale as a Spartan would just be a waste of resources…but given that the UNSC is now apparently giving people augmentations and just having them act as nothing more than a glorified taxi service and having augmented Spartans who just sit around acting as mission control, it would not surprise me at all if they chose someone just off of the sort of intel they could offer >_> However, Vale seems like she’s more than just the kind of intel she can offer on the Sangheili and more than just her smarts though, so nothing wrong with making her a Spartan since she can obviously serve perfectly well in active combat. She seems more like Kat before (IE, a tech specialist on top of all her combat capabilities) than the likes of Miller in Spartan Ops.
Olympia Vale volunteering for Spartan service is far from a waste of money. Special operations forces need more than shooters. Otherwise you can take anyone from the infantry and tell them to go out and eat snakes for a living. The best units are comprised not only of different specialities within themselves, but also from diverse backgrounds before their career in the special operations community both military and civilian. From the jungles of Vietnam to the mountains of Afghanistan the military has relied on cultural liaisons to be able to hump long distances into remote and often dangerous lands to interface with the local populace. That means being able to be a consummate warfighter.
I’d hate to break it to you, but most people in the special operations forces who are in staff (operations, planning, intelligence, etc.) are seasoned warfighters themselves, as is the case with any combat branch. Miller is more than likely no stranger to the rigors of combat. We shouldn’t assume anything less from Vale as well. Yes, all we know about her skills is that she’s a Navy cultural liaison to Sanghelios, but since we know that she was deployed to a Sangheili keep on her lonesome should tell you a great deal about who she is and what she’s capable of. For all we know she got where she is because of a career in Naval Special Warfare like Buck or Romeo.
It’s pointless to question who is or isn’t worthy of wearing MJOLNIR armor just because they may or may not be well versed in direct action or special reconnaissance. Special operations is a whole lot more than shooting a gun. Sure, that’s an essential skill to have, but like I said, that’s a piece of cake compared to everything else a consummate warfighter should pack along.
> Dude she’s a specialist, with Sangheili! That’s -Yoinking!- amazing she’s a great asset to utilize especially after what she went through in Hunters in the dark she proved she’s good under the stress of saving the entire galaxy to you know so double points?
>
>
> > 2533274877334037;18:
> > That alone wouldn’t be reason to make someone a Spartan or why they’d be deserving of consideration. All that does is make Olympia Vale an important asset to the UNSC, without any sort of combat capabilities or ability to serve as a soldier as well, augmenting Vale as a Spartan would just be a waste of resources…but given that the UNSC is now apparently giving people augmentations and just having them act as nothing more than a glorified taxi service and having augmented Spartans who just sit around acting as mission control, it would not surprise me at all if they chose someone just off of the sort of intel they could offer >_> However, Vale seems like she’s more than just the kind of intel she can offer on the Sangheili and more than just her smarts though, so nothing wrong with making her a Spartan since she can obviously serve perfectly well in active combat. She seems more like Kat before (IE, a tech specialist on top of all her combat capabilities) than the likes of Miller in Spartan Ops.
She does have combat experience though.
And it’s definitely not a waste of resources to send specialists out in the field if they’re augmented. Do you know how much trouble it would save the UNSC if a Forerunner tech expert/scientist was a Spartan? You wouldn’t have to send in a security battalion just to protect the science team, risking the scientists and the soldiers. Just send in the Spartan who can take care of themself and work through Forerunner things efficiently.
Vale being a Sangheili specialist would be extremely valuable in Sangheili territory. Get the Sangheili to back down on a personal level, rather than just blasting warnings back and forth. Understand the culture and what to do to avoid conflict and be efficient. Work alliances and partnerships in the field. Especially in diplomatic missions.
