The AI character has got a new look for a new season.
Paramount Plus hit Halo is back with season 2, with Master Chief John-117 (played by Pablo Schreiber) back in action – but one character has had quite the makeover.
Cortana, the AI intelligence created by Natascha McElhone’s Dr Catherine Halsey, is voiced in the show by Jen Taylor – the same actress who voiced her in the games.
However, in season 2 (which has had mixed reviews so far) she has a completely new look which, so far, hasn’t been addressed.
Here’s everything we know about why Cortana’s appearance is different in season 2!
Why does Cortana look different in Halo season 2?
Cortana’s new look is largely down to there being a new showrunner in charge of Halo’s second season – David Wiener.
Kyle Killen and Steven Kane served as co-showrunners for Halo season 1 but departed before season 2. Wiener has now taken over, giving the show a new look and a new tone.
However, Cortana’s appearance changing has also happened in the games – so it’s certainly not unprecedented for the show.
Star Pablo Schreiber weighed in, telling RadioTimes.com: “That does occur in the games. The difference in appearance I would also attribute to a new showrunner, a new vision for the look.”
The last we saw of Cortana, she had been ordered to take control of John’s mind in order for him to handle the artifact at the end of season 1.
Speaking about how their story continues in season 2, Schreiber added to RadioTimes.com: “When we start the second season, she has been taken away and now he’s wrestling with all the feelings of like, ‘Well wait a second. I didn’t really like this when it was done to me. But wow, it sure feels different now that she’s gone.’
“So he’s wrestling with the impact of that, of not having his second half almost. To take the metaphor further, when you find someone who’s perfect for you, and they sort of complete you, what you’re capable of doing is vastly improved. And I think he certainly found that in the first season.
“So in the second season, there’s a there’s a journey back to each other, he has to find his way back to her. And I think when they do find each other again, the nature of the relationship will be quite different than it was in the first season.”
Who plays Cortana in Halo season 2?
Cortana is still voiced by Jen Taylor in season 2, the voice actress who voiced her in the games.
Fans might also recognise Taylor’s voice from Cortana, the Microsoft productivity assistant. She’s also known for voicing various characters in the Mario franchise, including Princess Peach and Toad, from 1999 to 2007.
Taylor previously told Decider of the show’s incarnation of Cortana: “She’s a little different than the Cortana we know. She’s in a different part of the story, and she’s in a different part of her journey individually.
“So it’s going to be a little different, but it’s also going to be familiar. It’s going to be, hopefully, exciting and different for new fans and old fans alike, but there is going to be some of that comfort for people who are looking for, you know, harkening back to the game.”
How is Cortana different in the series?
Cortana plays a different role in the show compared to the games. In the series, she’s created as a way to control the Spartans, although, by the end of season 1, she turns away from Halsey in favour of helping John.
In the games, she has a wider purpose – defending humanity against the Covenant threat.
Schreiber told us: “It’s interesting because, in the spirit of wanting long form TV shows, wanting to have places to go, the relationship in the video games is somewhat constant. [John is] you and [Cortana is] the tour guide through the game, basically.
“And so those roles, they change and there’s growth in the relationship for sure, through the video games, but they stay somewhat similar through most of it, and for TV, you kind of want to start somewhere and go somewhere different.
“So the choice in the first season was to start in a place where they were they were, you know, he was not happy to have her along for the ride. But by the end of the first season, he could see her value for sure.”