As of right now, for all intents and purposes, Cortana is dead and/or gone.
During the Halo 4 campaign, she mentions being replaced by a new Cortana model. Though such a thing would be like Cortana, it obviously wouldn't be the same. This has given me speculation into the story of Halo 5. While this is just my own idea, I could see it happening.
Obviously, the main plot of the new trilogy would be unchanged, but I see an opportunity to introduce an interesting secondary plot, one that would progress the character of Master Chief.
Here's my idea: The UNSC does in fact pair Master Chief with a new Cortana model. Immediately, Chief despises this change, but muscles through it because he has to. As the story would progress, Chief would feel increasingly upset about Cortana, one of the few people to mean so much to him, simply being replaced. While the new Cortana would be an AI just like the original, she would not have the same memories or experiences - something that would serve as a constant reminder to Chief, that this Cortana isn't the same.
Now, here's where I can see the story having many possible directions in which to go. One of which that I think would be really interesting is as follows:
Feeling betrayed on an incredibly personal level - being treated as just a number, or a machine, with no thought about his feelings - Chief would remove Cortana from his armor and abandon her, along with the UNSC, essentially becoming a rogue Spartan. He would seek his own path along the story of the Reclaimer trilogy, essentially fighting for the same reasons as before, but without the UNSC's support. The UNSC would actually be trying to recapture Chief, sending Marines and other Spartans to either capture or kill him.
I can see this change to the story being a really powerful move, as it would change Master Chief's character quite dynamically. While he'd still have the same personality, it would undoubtedly show a lot of emotion and character growth - something we saw a bit of in Halo 4, and it would also offer different gameplay opportunities, as well as many possible branches to the story. Maybe, at some point, Chief would have to steal a Pelican, or kill a fellow Spartan. It could also open up a few doors regarding some of the shadier business happening within the UNSC. These are just a few ideas, but I think that they offer a lot of possiblities for changes in the story; changes that have never been done before in the series, but ones from which it could still benefit.
As of right now, for all intents and purposes, Cortana is dead and/or gone. During the Halo 4 campaign, she mentions being replaced by a new Cortana model. Though such a thing would be like Cortana, it obviously wouldn't be the same. This has given me speculation into the story of Halo 5. While this is just my own idea, I could see it happening. Obviously, the main plot of the new trilogy would be unchanged, but I see an opportunity to introduce an interesting secondary plot, one that would progress the character of Master Chief. Here's my idea: The UNSC does in fact pair Master Chief with a new Cortana model. Immediately, Chief despises this change, but muscles through it because he has to. As the story would progress, Chief would feel increasingly upset about Cortana, one of the few people to mean so much to him, simply being replaced. While the new Cortana would be an AI just like the original, she would not have the same memories or experiences - something that would serve as a constant reminder to Chief, that this Cortana isn't the same. Now, here's where I can see the story having many possible directions in which to go. One of which that I think would be really interesting is as follows: Feeling betrayed on an incredibly personal level - being treated as just a number, or a machine, with no thought about his feelings - Chief would remove Cortana from his armor and abandon her, along with the UNSC, essentially becoming a rogue Spartan. He would seek his own path along the story of the Reclaimer trilogy, essentially fighting for the same reasons as before, but without the UNSC's support. The UNSC would actually be trying to recapture Chief, sending Marines and other Spartans to either capture or kill him. I can see this change to the story being a really powerful move, as it would change Master Chief's character quite dynamically. While he'd still have the same personality, it would undoubtedly show a lot of emotion and character growth - something we saw a bit of in Halo 4, and it would also offer different gameplay opportunities, as well as many possible branches to the story. Maybe, at some point, Chief would have to steal a Pelican, or kill a fellow Spartan. It could also open up a few doors regarding some of the shadier business happening within the UNSC. These are just a few ideas, but I think that they offer a lot of possiblities for changes in the story; changes that have never been done before in the series, but ones from which it could still benefit.