Well then, right there. They need to cut corners to recreate the magic of Halo 1. Haha.
I specifically remember playing through the second half of Halo and thinking "This is so cool, going back through these areas". To me, it made logical sense. I'd never played a game that went full circle like that. I know it's why many people hated Halo, but it's why I loved it.
Lol count me in too. I never actually even realized that it was recycled content at the time. Like you said, it just seemed logical.