OPINION: Why Cortana Was A Good Thing

[Meta Knight]

In a way i agree i would rather her not come back, just for the fact that her and john and unstoppable together, it is time for change, if they bring her back it might seem like they are repeating themselves

[RisingPho3nix]

In a way i agree i would rather her not come back, just for the fact that her and john and unstoppable together, it is time for change, if they bring her back it might seem like they are repeating themselves

 

Whether she comes back or not, I'm honestly fine. If she doesn't come back, I can easily see the series ending with Master Chief taking over the training of the SPARTAN-IV's, teaching them what it truly means to be Spartans.

[Meta Knight]

That would be the way I would like to see it end, personally if they do bring her back it won't be as good, it won't be orginal

[Nick Schlabach]

Bring her back as an enemy something that has been corrupted by the rampancy combined with halo 5 bad guys plans. Then somehow you save her and she becomes human or something. That would be awesome provided you arnt forced to kill her. Like she is in pain because of the emotions of fighting chief and hurting him and eventually that's what helps bring her back. Something I think about. Nobody would see it coming

 

That would grow chiefs character as well because he would have to search his soul to appeal to her humanity and therefor find his own without any heavy cliche. Any good? Or am I just crazy?

[RisingPho3nix]

Bring her back as an enemy something that has been corrupted by the rampancy combined with halo 5 bad guys plans. Then somehow you save her and she becomes human or something. That would be awesome provided you arnt forced to kill her. Like she is in pain because of the emotions of fighting chief and hurting him and eventually that's what helps bring her back. Something I think about. Nobody would see it coming

 

That would grow chiefs character as well because he would have to search his soul to appeal to her humanity and therefor find his own without any heavy cliche. Any good? Or am I just crazy?

 

This approach could work in a novel, movie, or RPG, but given the length and pacing of Halo 4's campaign and assuming Halos 5 and 6 have similar lengths and pacings, this would simply require too much buildup and development than they'd be able to deliver in the game.

[Metalunatic]

I'm going to have to agree with you OP for reasons you stated, but also because I fear if 343 did bring her back it would too cliched or cheesy.

 

People, and AIs die. We just have to accept it that Cortana most likely won't return.

[ThePreacher1031]

I could honestly see the story branching off either way: she returns in some form or fashion, or she doesn't as a lesson to humanize Chief. Some folks mentioned the possibility of her return as an organic/human woman. Others mentioned the possibility of some fragment of her existing in full on rampancy (thus making her an enemy and possible servant to the Didact--who, for some reason I don't think it truly perma-dead yet). Those are cool ideas. I have to say I hope she does make a return in some way--well handled ofcourse. But no matter what, since this series is mostly about the development of John's character, and since Cortana is basically the key to his humanity, she'll play an important role in future games (whether she's alive or dead).

 

I don't really agree that Cortana returning to the series would definitively be detrimental, cheesy, or unoriginal. I think it could be a very good thing (if handled well....and I think the folks at 343 are up to it). There's certainly enough reason to believe it's possible so it's not like we'd be invoking space magic to make it happen. It's not a necessity to the future happiness we all hope John to have someday--but it'd definitely be a super awesome plus! Personally, I'd be really, really happy to see her return in the series (though hopefully their relationship would undergo some kind of dynamic change--I agree that things shouldn't go back to being the way they always were.) I think her being a temporary enemy then eventually becoming metastable or even human/organic would be pretty cool! And if I'm allowed a small miniscle moment of shameless shipping, it would make my heart smile to see a happy ending with John and Cortana alive and well.

 

My personal opinion is that a happy ending is the new original. Everybody's pulling out these bittersweet, emo-drenched, kinda-depressing, slightly pessimitic, "nobody-gets-what-they-want-because-lifes-just-not-like-that" sacraficial endings......so, it'd be a refreshing change of pace to get a relatively happy one where the lovers/best friends/partners/ or-whatever-else-they-pass-for are reunited and...well...happy. I endured Mass Effect 3 with dignity, appreciation, and respect....but to be honest, I've filled my artistic integrity quota for the next 5 years. Now I just want happy.

 

But no matter what, I have to say I greatly appreciated the dedication to character development this game brought. While I appreciated Chief and Cortana's relationship, I never gave it as much thought until I played Halo 4. I viewed Chief as more of an impersonal force who occasionally acted like that man prior to this. A really awesome, yet kind of tragic impersonal force. Chief's had to deal with the death of soldiers all his life: Johnson, Miranda Keyes, etc. That's totally within his comfort zone. But to lose Cortana--that's worldview shattering. 343 did a good job--there really is a man under there afterall. I loved it!! I'll love it more if Cortana isn't perma-dead....but I'll silence the shipper inside if she is.

[RisingPho3nix]

I could honestly see the story branching off either way: she returns in some form or fashion, or she doesn't as a lesson to humanize Chief. Some folks mentioned the possibility of her return as an organic/human woman. Others mentioned the possibility of some fragment of her existing in full on rampancy (thus making her an enemy and possible servant to the Didact--who, for some reason I don't think it truly perma-dead yet). Those are cool ideas. I have to say I hope she does make a return in some way--well handled ofcourse. But no matter what, since this series is mostly about the development of John's character, and since Cortana is basically the key to his humanity, she'll play an important role in future games (whether she's alive or dead).

 

I don't really agree that Cortana returning to the series would definitively be detrimental, cheesy, or unoriginal. I think it could be a very good thing (if handled well....and I think the folks at 343 are up to it). There's certainly enough reason to believe it's possible so it's not like we'd be invoking space magic to make it happen. It's not a necessity to the future happiness we all hope John to have someday--but it'd definitely be a super awesome plus! Personally, I'd be really, really happy to see her return in the series (though hopefully their relationship would undergo some kind of dynamic change--I agree that things shouldn't go back to being the way they always were.) I think her being a temporary enemy then eventually becoming metastable or even human/organic would be pretty cool! And if I'm allowed a small miniscle moment of shameless shipping, it would make my heart smile to see a happy ending with John and Cortana alive and well.

 

My personal opinion is that a happy ending is the new original. Everybody's pulling out these bittersweet, emo-drenched, kinda-depressing, slightly pessimitic, "nobody-gets-what-they-want-because-lifes-just-not-like-that" sacraficial endings......so, it'd be a refreshing change of pace to get a relatively happy one where the lovers/best friends/partners/ or-whatever-else-they-pass-for are reunited and...well...happy. I endured Mass Effect 3 with dignity, appreciation, and respect....but to be honest, I've filled my artistic integrity quota for the next 5 years. Now I just want happy.

 

 

Oh God, speak not the name! There was no excuse for that ending, none whatsoever. The extended cut made the ending of ME3 tolerable, but that's it, and the fact that it was necessary in the first place is unforgivable. It kills me to say, but the Mass Effect series is pretty much dead to me, and Mass Effect 3 was the last BioWare game I will buy until I have assurances they won't pull the same **** twice.

 

Now, with that out of my system...

 

IF Cortana returns, I would want her to return as a human and become a legitimate love interest for John, so that he finally can have a true and fully human life. I also think that it would be a good way to round out the humanizing thing if both of them are learning how to be truly human together. Plus, it would just be plain sweet.

[abantug]

To those saying cortana won't come back because she says she can't in the conversation after the nuke, think about this. IF we assume she is metastable (basically a person from what I've read on these forums) she is now capable of telling a lie. maybe she figured if she told him a way to get her back, she knew he'd at least try, and maybe she figured she didn't want him to take that risk. Does that make sense to anyone?

[Danny Prudhoe]

The only reason I think she'll return is because the game kinda drops a few hints that she will.....

[RisingPho3nix]

To those saying cortana won't come back because she says she can't in the conversation after the nuke, think about this. IF we assume she is metastable (basically a person from what I've read on these forums) she is now capable of telling a lie. maybe she figured if she told him a way to get her back, she knew he'd at least try, and maybe she figured she didn't want him to take that risk. Does that make sense to anyone?

 

Makes perfect sense.

[smitty49]

The problem with using characters like Johnson and Miranda is that they are fellow soldiers, and the Master Chief is used to losing fellow soldiers. Their deaths fell well within his comfort zone. In order to initiate the character change required, the Master Chief has to be taken dramatically out of his comfort zone. He has to be forced into situations he doesn't know how to deal with. The deaths of Miranda and Johnson were the deaths of fellow soldiers, something the Master Chief has dealt with dozens, if not hundreds of times before.

The death of Cortana however, was the death of the closest thing he's had to a romantic, love based relationship. This is something that the Master Chief has never dealt with before, and has never even thought of before. That is why it had to be Cortana who died, and why it simply couldn't be anyone else.

 

 

NO, lol, the cheif took the deaths of keys, and jhonson hard, i mean, looking back at jhonsons death, he almost fell apart right their if cortana hadnt gotten him back up,

 

it dosnt bother me that the cheif lost cortana(its been done before in halo 2) but 343 did it in their first game, also they made such a dark and driry atmosphere for their halo games,... remindes me of the **** on the life time channel....

 

I could honestly see the story branching off either way: she returns in some form or fashion, or she doesn't as a lesson to humanize Chief. Some folks mentioned the possibility of her return as an organic/human woman. Others mentioned the possibility of some fragment of her existing in full on rampancy (thus making her an enemy and possible servant to the Didact--who, for some reason I don't think it truly perma-dead yet). Those are cool ideas. I have to say I hope she does make a return in some way--well handled ofcourse. But no matter what, since this series is mostly about the development of John's character, and since Cortana is basically the key to his humanity, she'll play an important role in future games (whether she's alive or dead).

 

I don't really agree that Cortana returning to the series would definitively be detrimental, cheesy, or unoriginal. I think it could be a very good thing (if handled well....and I think the folks at 343 are up to it). There's certainly enough reason to believe it's possible so it's not like we'd be invoking space magic to make it happen. It's not a necessity to the future happiness we all hope John to have someday--but it'd definitely be a super awesome plus! Personally, I'd be really, really happy to see her return in the series (though hopefully their relationship would undergo some kind of dynamic change--I agree that things shouldn't go back to being the way they always were.) I think her being a temporary enemy then eventually becoming metastable or even human/organic would be pretty cool! And if I'm allowed a small miniscle moment of shameless shipping, it would make my heart smile to see a happy ending with John and Cortana alive and well.

 

My personal opinion is that a happy ending is the new original. Everybody's pulling out these bittersweet, emo-drenched, kinda-depressing, slightly pessimitic, "nobody-gets-what-they-want-because-lifes-just-not-like-that" sacraficial endings......so, it'd be a refreshing change of pace to get a relatively happy one where the lovers/best friends/partners/ or-whatever-else-they-pass-for are reunited and...well...happy. I endured Mass Effect 3 with dignity, appreciation, and respect....but to be honest, I've filled my artistic integrity quota for the next 5 years. Now I just want happy.

 

But no matter what, I have to say I greatly appreciated the dedication to character development this game brought. While I appreciated Chief and Cortana's relationship, I never gave it as much thought until I played Halo 4. I viewed Chief as more of an impersonal force who occasionally acted like that man prior to this. A really awesome, yet kind of tragic impersonal force. Chief's had to deal with the death of soldiers all his life: Johnson, Miranda Keyes, etc. That's totally within his comfort zone. But to lose Cortana--that's worldview shattering. 343 did a good job--there really is a man under there afterall. I loved it!! I'll love it more if Cortana isn't perma-dead....but I'll silence the shipper inside if she is.

 

wtf no No NO, the chief almost lost it when jhonson died!, your could tell in his movements, if cortana hadent been their if halo wasnt about to fire then the would of been about to express more but no he had to get moving.

 

and yes, **** me3 worst ending ever made the whole series crap.

[Danny Prudhoe]

I just think for John to finally have a happy ending, he needs to be reunited with Cortana. Unless 343 are planning a sad ending.......

[SpartanX22]

I just think for John to finally have a happy ending, he needs to be reunited with Cortana. Unless 343 are planning a sad ending.......

 

Yea all humanity is wiped out, and the flood consumes all lifeforms

[calm]

I just think for John to finally have a happy ending, he needs to be reunited with Cortana. Unless 343 are planning a sad ending.......

 

^^^This.

 

Plus, Chief promised Cortana that he would get her to Dr. Halsey. A backstory of the first 3 halo games was how Chief always kept his promises to Cortana. She even said the line "don't make a girl a promise..." so it's basically heresy on 343's part if they leave the Cortana story this way.

 

To all the people saying that it would be cheesy if they brought Cortana back, I would suggest looking into the halo lore. Off the top of my head, I can probably think of 10-15 ways to bring Cortana back that would be in perfect accordance with the halo story.

 

Either way, it'll be interesting to see what they do with halo 5. Huge decision for sure...

[RisingPho3nix]

NO, lol, the cheif took the deaths of keys, and jhonson hard, i mean, looking back at jhonsons death, he almost fell apart right their if cortana hadnt gotten him back up,

 

it dosnt bother me that the cheif lost cortana(its been done before in halo 2) but 343 did it in their first game, also they made such a dark and driry atmosphere for their halo games,... remindes me of the **** on the life time channel....

 

 

 

wtf no No NO, the chief almost lost it when jhonson died!, your could tell in his movements, if cortana hadent been their if halo wasnt about to fire then the would of been about to express more but no he had to get moving.

 

and yes, **** me3 worst ending ever made the whole series crap.

 

The death of Johnson was doubtlessly hard on the Master Chief. The deaths of his fellow Spartans is hard on the Master Chief. But my point is that as hard as they are, John knows how to deal with the loss of fellow soldiers. The "death" of Cortana was much different, as I've stated before, because his relationship with her is the closest thing he's had to a relationship based on mutual affection and love. So losing her would be even harder on him than losing Johnson.

[Romeosierra616]

For all but 2 levels in Halo 3 there is no Cortana, but it was just as much Halo as Halo 1 and 2 was.

 

and from the chronological point of view, John and Cortana only knew each other for a few months, not counting the time in Cryo Sleep. They met eachother DAYS before reach was attacked, and the events on halo 1, 2 and 3 all take place in mid-late 2552, less than year. my point is: I'm sure he'll be able to recover and keep going.

 

and I fully agree that he needed to be taken out of his comfort zone.

[ElijahP]

My opinion...

 

 

I hope 343 does NOT bring Cortana back, especially not as a human. When I learned of the human-digitization business in the campaign, the very first thing I thought of was how they might try to save Cortana from rampancy by turning her into a human. It's just too predictable to bring her back that way, and it robs the game of its dramatic integrity. In 99% of stories, when characters come back from the dead, I just want to shoot myself. People die. That's reality. Bringing a character back from the dead is painfully boring.

 

[RisingPho3nix]

My opinion...

 

 

I hope 343 does NOT bring Cortana back, especially not as a human. When I learned of the human-digitization business in the campaign, the very first thing I thought of was how they might try to save Cortana from rampancy by turning her into a human. It's just too predictable to bring her back that way, and it robs the game of its dramatic integrity. In 99% of stories, when characters come back from the dead, I just want to shoot myself. People die. That's reality. Bringing a character back from the dead is painfully boring.

 

 

If I wanted reality, I'd live it. At least half the point of all fiction is to pull us out of reality for a moment, make us forget our troubles and have fun visiting worlds and times where the impossible becomes possible.

 

That said, I understand where you're coming from and while strict realism is obviously not a requirement of mine, I do require the story to be believable within it's own context. So long as a story follows its own rules, I generally don't have a problem when something seemingly outlandish happens. This is why I wouldn't have a problem with Cortana coming back as a human through the digitization process. Because the theory has already been established.

 

I'm honestly split 50/50 on whether or not she should come back. One way or the other though, I don't think it robs the story of it's dramatic integrity. I would go so far as to say that robbing any story of it's dramatic integrity is truthfully hard to do, provided the story follows its own rules. Again, since the possibility of her human return has been established, I wouldn't say it robs the story of it's dramatic integrity.

 

However, if she comes back immediately in Halo 5, that would rob the ending of Halo 4 its dramatic integrity. Because that's the writer essentially saying the ending of Halo 4 didn't matter. Much as I want her to come back, especially as a human, that version of her return would piss me off.

[hanzo]

My opinion, keep cortana dead till one of the said theories is used on her revival is shown say 2/5 or 3/5 through halo 5 and the game continues from there with the ending showing her return and we move on to halo 6 or rather keep halo 5 cortana free and in the ending show some form of her appearance in the ending and have halo 6 focused on getting her back which in the end he does. Sounds about right to me. Just a rough general plot line, nth too in depth with whatever enemies needed to be made and introduce done as usual. Dont see what new enemy he can face now besides the didact returning in some fashion or betrayal (highly doubtful).

[ElijahP]

My opinion, keep cortana dead till one of the said theories is used on her revival is shown say 2/5 or 3/5 through halo 5 and the game continues from there with the ending showing her return and we move on to halo 6 or rather keep halo 5 cortana free and in the ending show some form of her appearance in the ending and have halo 6 focused on getting her back which in the end he does. Sounds about right to me. Just a rough general plot line, nth too in depth with whatever enemies needed to be made and introduce done as usual. Dont see what new enemy he can face now besides the didact returning in some fashion or betrayal (highly doubtful).

 

If they bring her back at all, I agree with RisingPho3nix that it shouldn't be in Halo 5. As far as enemies go, I'm sure the covenant will always be around, for one reason or another.

[john007]

So I posted this in a different thread, but given all the different threads about Cortana and the ending, I thought I'd post my thoughts in their own thread so I don't wind up repeating myself in a dozen and one threads. So without further ado, here are my thoughts on the ending.

 

 

I actually hope Cortana doesn't come back. As much as I loved her character and the Master Chief being the invincible, unstoppable super-soldier, the time has come for things to change. Otherwise the story gets stale, gets repetitive, gets boring. For this trilogy to top the original trilogy in terms of story, the threat can't just be to humanity generally this time. It has to be a threat to the Master Chief personally. There has to be not just the chance, but the very real possibility that he can fail. What better way to set that up than by having him fail to protect the person closest to him?

 

On another level, I want this trilogy to end with the Master Chief finally getting some measure of personal peace. He's been fighting (or training to fight) for almost literally his entire life. It's time he gets to see the other side of life. But in order for that to happen, he has to come face to face with his own humanity. He has to feel things he's never felt before, he has to think things he's never thought before. He has to start questioning both who he is and, almost more importantly, what he is. And the best way to do that is what 343 actually did.

 

For the Master Chief to evolve and become something more than the perfect soldier, things cannot go back to the way they were. At the very least, Cortana cannot come back in Halo 5 and if/when she does come back in Halo 6, she absolutely cannot come back exactly the way she was before. She needs to change as well, although not to quite the same degree John does.

 

 

I understand it if you don't like, or flat out hate, the ending of Halo 4. My only real hope and aim here was to give a different perspective on it.

Like I said in another forum, many possibilities now exist. My most out-there theory is this:

Worst case scenario, an alternate Cortana is created. Those who read the books know that TWO cloned Halsey brains were able to be turned into AIs, but Cortana's was the only one used. Best case scenario, the spare brain could be fried to complete a partial AI matrix that the old Cortana could latch onto...yet there would be unforeseen issues; (Murphy's Law or) the very essence of Cortana could change.

 

Also, the Diadact is NOT dead. Prometheans are prepared to survive ANYTHING! Technically, we fought Bornstellar from Halo: Cryptum, rather than the true Diadact. For all we know, the TRUE Diadact could be very much an AI enemy, since that is what his war sphinxes were- the last 6 hours of his Sons' minds in operation.

 

For all we know, Cortana could eventually figure out forerunner tech such that she could extend her life, and even create a corpeal body for herself (A.K.A., one of the Promethean knights/monitor "lightbulb"- 5 points for anyone who gets this Halo reference...)

 

Oh God, speak not the name! There was no excuse for that ending, none whatsoever. The extended cut made the ending of ME3 tolerable, but that's it, and the fact that it was necessary in the first place is unforgivable. It kills me to say, but the Mass Effect series is pretty much dead to me, and Mass Effect 3 was the last BioWare game I will buy until I have assurances they won't pull the same **** twice.

 

Now, with that out of my system...

 

IF Cortana returns, I would want her to return as a human and become a legitimate love interest for John, so that he finally can have a true and fully human life. I also think that it would be a good way to round out the humanizing thing if both of them are learning how to be truly human together. Plus, it would just be plain sweet.

true...

to quote Tucker from Red Vs. Blue, "BOW-CHICKA-BOW-WOW!"

 

She is gone, she said herself she can't come with chief , which means 343 are going to have to find a cliched way to bring her back , dead AIs don't normally return especially ones who are nearing the end of theier life cycle

read my first response to this.

[walrus munchies]

For all but 2 levels in Halo 3 there is no Cortana, but it was just as much Halo as Halo 1 and 2 was.

 

Cortana still does her ghost-like messages to the chief in ever level (correct me if i'm wrong) in halo 3.

 

I believe she will return. She is essential to the series and, for her to be saved at the end of Halo 3, and then for 343 to take over and permanently kill her would be complete mistake due to Halo's massive fan base. Not to mention the whole "you don't make a girl a promise if you know cam't keep it" bit. If they ended the series leaving that promise the chief made broken... well 343 you successfully the MC and Cortana that Bungie created. Halo 4 is a great game, and i'm happy with it as a sequel to the first Halo trilogy. It seemed like the game was made by group of very smart men and women, I can't imagine they'd screw up this one thing when everything else is so pristine.

[xenfire13]

I agree that cortana shouldn't be brought back in the beginning of halo 5 but if she is gone for good I will be pissed. cortana's company is what shows you the human and emotional side of master chief and so it would be stupid to kill her because that is the side of chief that we all want to see more of. also they would lose a huge amount of their fan base.

[diogenes]

I'm confused about the title of this thread. "Why Cortana Was A Good Thing" is imho incorrect, because Cortana IS a good thing. Cortana is created by Dr. Halsey of her own personality, so Cortana is like a digitalized human. The composer digitalize lifeforms and can recreate them, but this proccess is buggy. We know these recreated lifeforms as "Prometheans"

Cortana was with her mad copies in this whole forerunner system where the composer was a part of it. So Cortana, as a digital lifeform, could be recreated as a promethean-style lifeform Cortana.