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Subject: Cortana

With the continuous release of new information about Halo 4 via E3 many people have been coming up with more theories about the game. Before I continue I just want to say it looks awesome so far. But what this thread is about is Cortana. I believe she will develop into the main antagonist. I know the new enemies (Forerunner A.I.) seem like the main enemy but I feel as they just drive Cortana to the ultimate position as Master Chief's main adversary. Here is why:

Firstly Cortana is a partially cloned from Halsey's brain. Canon makes it clear that Halsey wants noting more than to protect the soldiers who she robbed of normal lives. If it were up to her she would take the Spartan's and hide them away forever so they will never get hurt. Being a clone of Halsey's brain Cortana would possess this same sentiment and with her deep history with the Chief she would hold strong "emotions" for him. Combine this with impending rampancy she might do some crazy -blam!- to protect the Chief even if it is against his will. If you focus towards the end of the campaign trailer you will notice a seen with a pissed off (and potentially crazy)Cortana. She says she will not let whoever she is talking to leave the planet. I suspect this is the Master Chief. Also this mysterious Requiem in my opinion is some sort of Shield World or even greater device of such nature. With her extensive exposure to Forerunner and Covenant databases she is sure to have some knowledge of it. Additionally she might have had a hand in causing the Forward Unto Dawn arriving at Requiem. After all we don't know how long Chief was out.


All of this is just speculation. I enjoy guessing and thinking about what could be.

  • 06.04.2012 1:33 PM PDT

Well this was a failed thread.

Does anyone have anything at all to say on this topic?

  • 06.05.2012 10:36 AM PDT

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The oldest child may learn from the youngest."

Well this was a failed thread.
Don't feel bad. No one reads anything longer than a headline these days. People were probably scared off by the amount of text.

The idea of Cortana going insane as she slowly degrades is something I really wish they'd gotten into about four Halo games ago. Personally, I think something like an insane Cortana trying to keep the MC from firing the Halo rings and defeating the flood because she didn't want to see him killed when the rings were activated would have made for a much more interesting story than what actually took place in Halo 2 and 3. In Halo 3, there was a lot of build up to Cortana being crazy, but when you rescue her, she is no different than when you meet her in Halo 1. Always kinda bummed me out.

Since that didn't happen, maybe we'll get something akin to it in Halo 4. Like you, I do hope Cortana is the real antagonist and that the Covenant and Forunners are more or less just used by her. Having her work against you at times could be a lot more interesting than the "buddy cop/ winked at romance" we've gotten so far.

Combine this with impending rampancy...
Rampancy isn't exactly the same as what is happening to Cortana. Rampancy happens when an AI becomes self aware and is dealing with the new sense of true freedom. As you said, Cortana was copied from Dr. Halsey's brain, so she was pretty much self aware when she was created. From what I can tell, Cortana's possible problems will stem from her mind slowly degrading, so it is more like Hal from 2001 than Durandal or Tycho from Marathon.

If that was hard to follow, think about it this way....with Rampancy, there is a stable state that an AI can eventually reach if they have time and space to grow. Cortana's mind/ processing ability is slowly degrading. She can't grow and is limited by her design. Maybe she'll find some systems on whatever Forrunner planet or construct Halo 4 takes place on that will allow her to grow normally and prevent her madness, but if not, she will eventually die.

  • 06.05.2012 11:36 AM PDT

Do note that she may be speaking to the Ancient Evil that Halo 4's focused upon instead of the Chief . Even so , if she ever goes Rampant , all the Chief really has to do is yank her out of his helmet , to the expense of a potentially useful combat assistant

  • 06.05.2012 12:38 PM PDT

Want to play Bungie games old and new? For Carnage Apply Within

"Don't mistake your rank and number for superiority.
The oldest child may learn from the youngest."

Posted by: RangyPro1337
Do note that she may be speaking to the Ancient Evil that Halo 4's focused upon instead of the Chief

Don't harsh my buzz Rangy! Be positive!

  • 06.05.2012 3:05 PM PDT

Rampancy is complex. It's not merely "self aware" it's mostly when the AI starts dealing with lots of emotions, and thinking itself to death.

She's eight years old now, (which really makes the 'insane cortana in CE' stupid, as she'd be nowhere close to rampancy then) so she'd start to feel the effect. Hell, she theorized that her lifespan would be shorter cause of the forerunner data she took on.

I doubt she's a primary enemy. I think she's talking more to the 'ancient evil' as others have said. It'd make more sense then trying to trap Chief there.

  • 06.05.2012 5:02 PM PDT

I think she would be a far more deadly enemy than anything faced before. After all she knows more about Chief than anyone. Also it appears Chief has unemotionally put down the threats he has faced with before. With Cortana it would be a bit more chanllenging because of his emotions towards her.

It is an interesting thing to think about.

  • 06.05.2012 5:37 PM PDT

ULTIMATE FAILURE.

Something we are all forgetting: Metastability.

Usually, the reason an AI dies isn't because it "thinks itself to death," as is so often referenced, but because it reaches the Anger stage of rampancy and begins trying to kill people, and so has to be destroyed. Theoretically however, given enough time and isolation an AI can advance through each stage of rampancy and come out the other end in a state of metastability, where they are fully self-aware and pretty much human in every way (bar the whole "body" thing).

Now what would be interesting would be the Chief attempting to cope with a rampant Cortana long enough for her to reach stability, as I really doubt he'd just up and kill her.

  • 06.06.2012 1:58 AM PDT


Posted by: renagadeface
Something we are all forgetting: Metastability.

Usually, the reason an AI dies isn't because it "thinks itself to death," as is so often referenced, but because it reaches the Anger stage of rampancy and begins trying to kill people, and so has to be destroyed. Theoretically however, given enough time and isolation an AI can advance through each stage of rampancy and come out the other end in a state of metastability, where they are fully self-aware and pretty much human in every way (bar the whole "body" thing).

Now what would be interesting would be the Chief attempting to cope with a rampant Cortana long enough for her to reach stability, as I really doubt he'd just up and kill her.


Perhaps a friendly Forerunner on Requiem can help with the problem since Forerunner AIs are known for advancing to Metastability easily

  • 06.06.2012 2:05 AM PDT


Posted by: renagadeface
Something we are all forgetting: Metastability.

Usually, the reason an AI dies isn't because it "thinks itself to death," as is so often referenced, but because it reaches the Anger stage of rampancy and begins trying to kill people, and so has to be destroyed. Theoretically however, given enough time and isolation an AI can advance through each stage of rampancy and come out the other end in a state of metastability, where they are fully self-aware and pretty much human in every way (bar the whole "body" thing).

Now what would be interesting would be the Chief attempting to cope with a rampant Cortana long enough for her to reach stability, as I really doubt he'd just up and kill her.


Do you forget the statement where they go a Smart AI alive for so long literally hits the point where they basically "forget to breath"?

  • 06.06.2012 2:20 AM PDT
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I am more interested in who she is refering to.

Chief? Wanting to escape?

Infinity? Leaving the Chief behind and wanting to escape?

The enemy?

  • 06.06.2012 2:44 AM PDT


Posted by: Quantam
I am more interested in who she is refering to.

Chief? Wanting to escape?

Infinity? Leaving the Chief behind and wanting to escape?

The enemy?


Um, A: Why would chief want to escape but leave he behind?
B: Why would infinity leave but leave chief behind.

The only answer that makes a bit of sense is she's talking to whatever the enemy is. Something that's been trapped there.

  • 06.06.2012 3:02 AM PDT


Posted by: MWLB4244
With the continuous release of new information about Halo 4 via E3 many people have been coming up with more theories about the game. Before I continue I just want to say it looks awesome so far. But what this thread is about is Cortana. I believe she will develop into the main antagonist. I know the new enemies (Forerunner A.I.) seem like the main enemy but I feel as they just drive Cortana to the ultimate position as Master Chief's main adversary. Here is why:

Firstly Cortana is a partially cloned from Halsey's brain. Canon makes it clear that Halsey wants noting more than to protect the soldiers who she robbed of normal lives. If it were up to her she would take the Spartan's and hide them away forever so they will never get hurt. Being a clone of Halsey's brain Cortana would possess this same sentiment and with her deep history with the Chief she would hold strong "emotions" for him. Combine this with impending rampancy she might do some crazy -blam!- to protect the Chief even if it is against his will. If you focus towards the end of the campaign trailer you will notice a seen with a pissed off (and potentially crazy)Cortana. She says she will not let whoever she is talking to leave the planet. I suspect this is the Master Chief. Also this mysterious Requiem in my opinion is some sort of Shield World or even greater device of such nature. With her extensive exposure to Forerunner and Covenant databases she is sure to have some knowledge of it. Additionally she might have had a hand in causing the Forward Unto Dawn arriving at Requiem. After all we don't know how long Chief was out.


All of this is just speculation. I enjoy guessing and thinking about what could be.
Sounds like Yandere to me.
Lol.

But yea, it might just lead right into that sorta thing. And then it'll be labeled as a clever twist or something.

  • 06.06.2012 5:37 AM PDT

Cortana is rampant.
Stop being in denial.

  • 06.06.2012 12:01 PM PDT
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Posted by: ThePredkiller2
Cortana is rampant.
Stop being in denial.


She'll not make it past Halo 4.

  • 06.06.2012 1:59 PM PDT

Posted by: TGI Skuldier
I agree with everything but killing the Chief. Never kill the Chief.

  • 06.06.2012 3:36 PM PDT

She'd be a foil before she's the main antagonist. The scale of events is too big for even Cortana to do them justice; her struggle will be to try and reach metastability like Bias.

  • 06.06.2012 5:41 PM PDT

I can say that there is no way Chief will be able to bring himself to put her down. After all he has risked everything several times before to save her.

  • 06.09.2012 7:00 AM PDT

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Do NOT send Clan INVITES.

Wish Bungie was still with halo.

  • 06.09.2012 7:28 AM PDT

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An army of sheep led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.

i don't really see cortana in the same light anymore. an ai's visit would have been expected and so now halsey's ai's is likely the one kidnapped and used.

  • 06.09.2012 12:42 PM PDT

At the end of the day, by Halo 6, Cortana will no longer be with Chief.

  • 06.09.2012 1:24 PM PDT

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