Among the things it does it make it clear what Bungie original intent was with the human/Forerunner relationship. Joe also made it quite clear in Contact Harvest as well, as if the games didn't drop enough clues. I still try to regard 343i-era Halo as existing in a different continuity as the original trilogy, perhaps a bad dream Chief is having in cryo following the events of Halo 3, because of the Forerunners being a separate alien species and just the starkly differently look of the newer games as well (and Reach is still to me a non-canon gaiden game).