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More beef to the historical feeding frenzy:
Charles George (georgec2@union.edu) writes:
Just to contribute to the thermopolye thread, the spartans were never "overwhelmed" at Thermopolye, instead they were betrayed, and the Persians were presented with a secret route around the pass. The Spartans ended up out flanked and outnumbered. The theme of betrayal seems to go along well with Halo.
Char
Indeed, it would seem that the Ten Thousand Immortals (so-called because whenever their numbers were depleted in battle, they would be replaced as soon as possible, thus forming an immortal army made of mortal men), Xerxes' own personal guard, were led through the mountains above Thermopylae by a Greek traitor, and they were able to assault the Spartans and their Theban allies from the rear, completely surrounding and killing all of the men from Lakedaimon.
The Covenant can be seen as the Persian army, and the Flood as the Ten Thousand Immortals; unstoppable, innumerable, building their armies from the bodies of their conquered. Here we have yet another metaphor for the ring shape of Halo; the Spartans were encircled, and that was their defeat. Only one of Reach's Spartan II's made it to Halo. But is the battle truly won? The Master Chief certainly feels that there is more fighting to be done.
-Ape Man
