The Cole Protocol/YMMV


 * Crazy Awesome: Pretty much a requirement for being an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, but Major Faison takes it a little farther than most.
 * Moral Event Horizon: Peter Bonifacio has this repeatedly.
 * Straw Man Has a Point: Despite their Jerkass tendencies, Smug Snake demeanor and terroristic practices, the Insurrectionists do have at their core a few legitimate grievances with the UNSC. It tends to get lost, though, when you consider that the UNSC is actively trying to protect colonies that are neutral or even hostile towards Earth's influence (and getting the crap kicked out of them for their troubles), whereas the Insurrectionists care only about their own turf and place a higher priority on starting a civil war than on resisting genocide.
 * What an Idiot: The inhabitants of the Rubble make a deal with the Jackals for their survival. They assume they could make a deal with the Covenant and possibly even join. This despite the fact that the Covenant destroyed Madrigal, from whence most of the refugees came.
 * The Elites Honor Before Reason is taken to this level.
 * The Elites Honor Before Reason is taken to this level.