Robert Douglas was born to parents Scott and Cynthia Douglas in a field hospital on the newly formed colony world of Verent in early 2521. He grew up with two siblings, his older brother David and his younger sister Racheal, both of which would also later serve in the UNSC military. He was discovered by Colonel Frederick van Zyl in mid 2527 and was chosen to be among the candidates of Colonel James Ackerson's Spartan Project. He was replaced with Flash Clone and sent to a military traiing complex on the planet of Ballast.