*Potential Spoiler*

Last Saturday night, Microsoft and Bungie premiered a purportedly in-engine cinematic for 2010's Halo: Reach (which The Digital Foundry blog at Eurogamer more or less asserted to be trueearlier this week). While message boards hummed with speculations about what secrets the trailer might hold, the biggest piece of news may in fact have come from Microsoft PR's press release for the trailer the following morning, when TeamXbox and other sites including IGN made the trailer available to their audiences. 

The original text for the press release stated "Step into the boots of a Spartan III and prepare for the first look at “Halo: Reach,” the highly anticipated prequel to the “Halo” trilogy from acclaimed developer Bungie coming fall 2010." However, after posting this article, a number of readers cried foul, asserting that canon made the appearance of a Spartan III at "The Fall of Reach" unlikely (to put it mildly). For those of you who are less familiar with the much-more-complicated-than-you-think Halo lore, Spartan IIIs were a successor to the Spartan IIs (which include the Master Chief, whose official designation is John-117), which had a less stringent screening process, and whose SPI armor lacked the energy shields of their predecessors but featured a rudimentary form of optic camouflage. The Spartan III program was the subject of the novel Halo: The Ghosts of Onyx, which indicated that all but a few of the Spartan IIIs died during their missions, with the last known few stranded in a dimensional pocket known as a "Dyson Sphere." An image of the Spartan III SPI armor can be found below (image courtesy of Halopedia):

It's clear that this armor appears nowhere in the Halo: Reach cinema. Because of this, TeamXbox actually responded to comments on the posting and "fixed" the title and text of the announcement shortly after it was posted. However, we have since received requests from Microsoft PR to correct our adjustments to the original press release. When contacted for confirmation, Microsoft PR responded that the original press release didn't have any "typos," but declined further comment. All other requests for an explanation have been denied.

So, it would appear that Microsoft have confirmed the presence of Spartan IIIs in Halo: Reach. 

No shield, camo. Wonder how many changes they are making.

That's great, bringing out changes or new things.

I'm going to bed. I was too lazy to post the link, but the picture is hyperlinked to the site. So click that if there are any questions

Well, technically that's not an official picture or anything. That's just the illustrators idea of what they would look like. I think the fact that the trailer showed specialized armor configs (like the heavy gunner guy) could play well into the Spartan III rumor. After all, these were the mass produced, cheaper Spartans that were sent on suicide missions. Although, I don't know where Ghosts of Onyx fits in with the storyline of Reach, because I think the Spartan III's may have been after Reach.

Well its already confirmed that the "Lone Wolf" is a Spartan III in the trailer.

In the book Ghosts of Onyx Beta company was sent on a suicide misssion to Pegrassi Delta which was a Covenant held planet fairly close to our solar system. It was being used to build Covenant Fleets and invasion carriers. 300 Spartan III's were sent all of which were killed except for 2. Tom and Lucy. The mission was a success however. Tom and Lucy Returned to Onyx to create the next batch of Spartan III's also known as Gamma Company and couldn't have been on Reach however. Also Alpha was completly destroyed years earlier. It was impossible for Gamma to be on Reach since they weren't finished with training until late into the year 2552. Reach fell earlier in the year. So the big question is how the Hell a Spartan III is on Reach. Its answered in the dialouge of the trailer

When the "lone wolf" first enters the building with the other Spartans one of them asks the commander " I though no one survived Pegrassi sir?" The commander answers "Spartans never die. They just go missing in action" Thus the Lone Wolf must have been a survivor of Beta Company which Tom and Lucy never found amongst all the bodes. Also it appears that he was discovered by ONI and was hidden from the rest of the world and spartans and kept top secret. The commander tells the Lone Wolf in the trailer " I read all your files Liutenant, even the parts that ONI didn't want me too."

So yes you'll be playing as a Spartan III on Reach which brings up alot of new questions. Hope this answers some for you guys.

Awesome! Halo: Reach is gonna be just amazing.

I believe he says "Didn't think anyone survived Pegrassi, sir" but yeah close enough

I think if anything, this is guaranteed to be a separate group from any of the books. But Spartan III's are pretty much confirmed.

Also something that is VERY interesting is who the hell this Noble Team is. Theres several problems here.

First of all they are wearing modified versions of MARK IV armor which shouldn't be the case due the the Spartan II's all recieving their MARK V armor litteraly days before the invasion of Reach. There is no way that they can be Spartan III's due to the fact that there is no way that six Spartans could have survived Pegrassi without Tom and Lucy finding them. Also they don't recognize the "Lone Wolf" who obviously is a Spartan III.

Also at the time the trailer is taking place the Spartans II's shouldnt be on the ground yet, or at the very least should be making their way down planetside on Pelicans. Master Chief is in orbit and never actually takes part in the ground fighting on Reach. Finally we already have all the members of the only graduating Spartan II class accounted for. They are all confirmed as M.I.A., K.I.A., or on active duty such as Kurt (on Onyx), Chief (in Orbit), as well as Grey Team among others. So basically the appearance of Noble Team doesn't line up with the numbers released from the book The Fall of Reach.

So basically these guys have to all be top secret and either a second class of Spartan II's which were done in secret without Dr. Halseeys oversight or permission or they are something completly new. ONI is probably the ones behind this.

How is that possible?If anyone read Ghosts of Onyx you would know what I meen.