Orbital Drop Shock Trooper

Orbital Drop Shock Troopers are soldiers that feature in Halo.

History

Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST) were elite units of infantry that were deployed by the United Nations Space Command. The idea of inserting highly trained troops behind enemy lines from high altitudes has its roots in the paratroopers of 20th and 21st century fame, who dropped frequently behind enemy lines to capture strategically important targets in anticipation for a larger advance by more conventional and numerous military forces. Although they were only marginally successful, they proved the concept of paratroops as useful and effective in large-scale warfare. The United Nations created the first iterations of the ODST deployment concept in 2129. The Orbital Drop Shock Troopers in their current form saw their advent in 2163 with the formation of the UNSC Marine Corps and the UNSC itself from Earth's disparate national military forces.

For the years leading up to 2525, the ODST conducted high-risk operations against the Insurrectionists, to either stop the enemy before they could carry out attacks against supporters, and officials of the Unified Earth Government or to cut off major suppliers to the Insurrectionists.

Overview

In appearance, Orbital Drop Shock Troopers were an elite special operations component of the UNSC Marine Corps and the Corps' rapid reaction force specialized in transorbital support interdiction tactics. ODST were one of the primary special operations forces under the administrative and operational control of Naval Special Weapons. They served as the rapid reaction force of the UNSC Marine Corps. These troopers were dropped to the surface of a world aboard small, purpose-built deployment vehicles. This allowed them to conduct a variety of missions against targets that more conventional forces cannot approach undetected. ODST deployment via SOEIVs is often considered more effective than dropship deployment, as it allows for a spacecraft to make a quick pass over a world and deploy hundreds of ODSTs in SOEIVs in rapid succession. Additionally, since ODSTs are deployed separately, rather than together in one ship, the casualty rate of SOEIV deployment was lower than that of conventional dropship deployment.

Each ODST combat team specializes in a particular mission set, though they are expected to be flexible enough to adapt to any given situation. ODSTs were known for their unusual methods of insertion, dropping from orbit onto terrestrial environments. They also operated as the primary special forces raiding unit of the Marines, deployed to tip the scales in a close battle, raid enemy bases, capture strategically valuable points, and eliminate high-value targets. Similar to their infantry counterparts, the ODSTs maintain units of varying strength aboard many UNSC vessels and installations.

Their role on the battlefield is usually described as that of an aggressive shock infantry raid force. As their name implies, ODSTs are dropped from low-orbital positions onto the surface of planets (or in the case of both Halo rings, ancient artifacts), often directly into combat situations. They are deployed via SOEIVs (Single Occupant Exo-atmospheric Insertion Vehicle, also called HEVs, for 'Human Entry Vehicle'), one-man ceramic pods designed to carry soldiers to their drop point. This unique delivery method makes them collectively less susceptible to enemy ground-to-air defenses than conventional Marines, who have to be ferried to battle in large troop carrier dropships - the reasoning being that casualties are less with the destruction of a pod than that of a dropship. Once at their destination, the ODSTs have to move quickly in order to regroup, secure a perimeter, and treat the less fortunate of their ranks. Their drop pods are uncontrolled after release, and it's not uncommon for them to miss their target and/or land into unfortunate places, like against rocks, crushing the pod and the soldier inside or landing in a lake, drowning the soldier. Despite the risks, the ODST always seem to land either on target or very close by if not launched under emergency situations.

• 105th Shock Trooper Division
  • 3rd ODST Battalion
    • 105th Shock Trooper Platoon
  • NSWG2-Team 5 O.D.S.T. "Helljumpers"
• 305th ODST Battalion

Due to the huge risk of their job and the superiority of their training, the ODSTs are proud and have a very "gung-ho" attitude, usually welcoming combat and general danger.

ODSTs are also known for being extremely brutal, even to fellow Marines. The reasons may be many, but they may believe that other Marines are inferior for not signing up for their exclusive elite unit. Some of them also despise the SPARTAN project, calling the subjects "freaks," because many seem to believe that the bio-mechanically altered/enhanced SPARTANs are not truly human (or at least less human than the soldiers who fight alongside them). Some ODSTs view the SPARTANs' augmentations as an unfair advantage over themselves, seeing as they earned their status by their own physical prowess without any artificial enhancements. They do, however, respect the individuals as excellent soldiers.

The ODSTs wear a special uniform to distinguish them from other Marines. Instead of the normal armour, they are clad in black urban camouflage, with a helmet that includes a face shield (reminiscent of the Spartans' MJOLNIR Mark IV, V, and VI armor). Most ODST's carry a standard combat knife in a sheath located on the back of the waistline although this is never seen to be used in gameplay. Their chest armor includes pouches and they have additional leg armor compared to the standard Marine armor in the game. This makes them instantly recognizable as elite troops. In addition, their dress uniforms feature a distinctive silver comet insignia, further marking them as elite troops.

Soldiers from the ODST were equipped with the Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance (VISR) that was a collection of augmented reality and sensor fusion systems which selectively filtered and optimized visual information of the battlefield. It also made use of integrated smart-link targetingfeeds along with Identity Friend or Foe (IFF) synchronization with the UNSC battlenets.

The organization was headquartered in the Martian city of Kenosha, Tanais

Members

• Edward Buck :
• Taylor Miles :
• Kojo Agu :
• Michael Crespo :
• Rookie :

Notes

• The ODSTs were first introduced and described in the novels based on the Halo: Combat Evolved storyline. However, ODSTs did not make an actual in-game appearance until Halo 2. Although they have sometimes been described as a futuristic science fiction equivalent of WWII Paratroopers, the ODST's primary role is as shock infantry assault in deep enemy territory. Probably the best-known ODST unit is NSWG2-ODST team 5, nicknamed "Helljumpers" by the majority of other Marines.
• In the original Halo 2 demo, three ODSTs assist Master Chief at the beginning of the demo. Animations of them gearing up was later used for regular Marines when the game was released.
• The Helljumpers only appear in the level "Delta Halo," where three of them help Master Chief until the level is beaten or they are killed. Even if they do survive, they do not appear in the next level. The corpses of dead Marines clad in environment suits that match the ODST uniform can also be found in "Cairo Station."
• In the Halo 2: Multiplayer Map Pack, there is a short film called "A Day at the Beach," which deals with a group of Helljumpers led by Gunnery Sergeant Pete Stacker. This squad also appeared in Halo 2, however, they were normal Marines.

In other media

Video games

• In Halo Wars, Orbital Drop Shock Troopers appeared in the real-time strategy video game as a playable unit. They were available in a few missions of the Campaign but are only available as the final upgrade for the Marine unit in Skirmish Mode if the player chose Captain Cutter as their hero unit.

Appearances

• Halo: ODST:
• Halo Wars:

External Links

• Halopedia Entry

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