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Posted By: AfroRyan <afroryan@gmail.com> | Date: 12/6/09 3:37 a.m. |
In Response To: The Package on Saturday (Frankie) Now, I'm not going to complain about hair this time, seeing as you [Frankie] have clarified it as artistic license...which I interpret as "They drew big hair because they wanted to, but that doesn't make it canon." However, I have another small complaint that I would bet money is the same thing...or may simply be an oversight on whoever's in charge of overall continuity. Despite the hair in "The Babysitter," I was happy to see that Cal was ghost white; one couldn't be paler without being transparent. However, I was saddened to see a typical "multiculture pals" group of Spartans. Don't take that the wrong way; I don't mean to imply that Spartans aren't made up of a wide group of racial groups...however, the books describe the Spartans as being, without much exception, pale. I realize that a pale 'white' person in comparison to a pale 'black' person would still be considerably 'whiter' than the pale 'black' person...but this particular group of Spartans seems to have seen plenty of sun, since I couldn't describe a single one as being 'pale' compared to someone of whatever race they happen to be. This may seem nitpicky, but I have always thought of this trait (the pale factor) as a very important part of Spartan mythology. It shows that they hardly ever take off their armor; that they are 100% dedicated to their mission, their species, their creation. It sets them apart from the rest of humanity...in fact, Spartans are already so different from the average human, that you could argue that they are a separate, albeit artificial, ethnicity. They all live by the same code, morality, and culture. The differences between a Spartan (any Spartan) and any other human race/ethnicity should be immediately obvious...so obvious, in fact, that a Spartan would have a nearly impossible time blending into a crowd. Even ODSTs are indistinguishable from civilians when they are out of uniform...but the books have made it clear that the Spartans, even without armor, would have an almost impossible mission in blending in with society...except for Fred, apparently...which is funny, since "The Package" shows Fred as the only Spartan in the group to have any major scarring on his face; something that would make blending into a crowd significantly less easy. The only other small problem I see is that the Spartans seem pretty...incompetent. I don't mean that to sound damning, it's just that Spartans (both individually and as a group) have been depicted as a well oiled military machine. Why are they referring to each other by name? Why aren't they using their Spartan numbers, or like many examples in the novels, using team tactics combined with color/number designations? I already think I know the answer; it's hard to attach a face/character to a number...so to help the audience connect emotionally to the characters, they are always referenced by name (The Babysitter did this too...they introduce the Spartan as Cal right from the beginning). It's just that the books mention many times that their names are generally kept secret and only the Spartan's number/rank is given/used outside of Spartans themselves, and even then they only refer to each other by their first name outside of combat (which is rare). Overall, I've liked "The Package" a lot. I'm super pumped to see the ending, and I feel that I pretty much already have answers for all my little problems. It's unrealistic to view "Halo Legends" as anything but a cash-in (I don't mean that in a bad way). Although there are plenty of Halo fans that are also anime fans, it doesn't make much sense to think that Microsoft would commission something for that demographic. Those people and most Halo fans in general will buy it regardless. It's the anime fans who aren't Halo fans that Microsoft is trying to appeal to...and I doubt they would attract many new fans to the franchise by sticking strictly to the canon of the games/books. It's a little disappointing, but that's how it works. I'm still happy and eager to contribute to the franchise, even if it's being "dumbed down" (not to imply anime fans are dumb) for new fans so that they can process the new and exciting Halo universe...just don't expect us jaded old fans to accept everything (especially the 'little' things) presented as canon.
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