Orbital Drop Shock Trooper

Orbital Drop Shock Troopers are a fictional group of elite soldiers in the Halo universe. They play a significant role in the events of the Halo series.

ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper)
The Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, or "ODST", are an elite special operations unit within the UNSC Marines. 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.

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.

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.

Known O.D.S.T Units

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

The 105th Division of the UNSC Marine Corps is an entirely volunteer outfit, and with good reason. The HEVs heat up immensely due to atmospheric friction following deployment, sometimes fatally so. Even if the ODST survives the heat, there's always the chance that his HEV won't. As experienced by Major Antonio Silva in The Flood, the pod's outer layers sometimes get stripped away, leaving the ODST to face the elements with nothing but his combat armor. The third and by far worst fate for a falling ODST is chute failure. The HEVs achieve such high velocities in descent that the ever-present threat of a parachute failure would almost certainly end in a fatal crash. The HEVs are armored, but not enough to protect an ODST from an impact of over 400 km/h.

ODST Bravado
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' attitude and bravado were introduced and developed in the novels, but does not appear in Halo 2, where the ODSTs have no unique dialogue and instead repeat the standard Marine combat dialogue. The ODSTs in the game (for their very limited appearance) have no problem fighting alongside the Master Chief.

Appearances in the Games
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.