Cortana, the AI intelligence created by Natascha McElhone\u2019s Dr Catherine Halsey, is voiced in the show by Jen Taylor \u2013 the same actress who voiced her in the games.<\/p>\n
However, in season 2 (which has had mixed reviews<\/a> so far) she has a completely new look which, so far, hasn\u2019t been addressed.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s everything we know about why Cortana\u2019s appearance is different in season 2!<\/p>\n Cortana\u2019s new look is largely down to there being a new showrunner in charge of Halo\u2019s second season \u2013 David Wiener.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n However, Cortana\u2019s appearance changing has also happened in the games \u2013\u00a0so it\u2019s certainly not unprecedented for the show.<\/p>\n Star Pablo Schreiber weighed in, telling RadioTimes.com<\/a>: \u201cThat does occur in the games. The difference in appearance I would also attribute to a new showrunner, a new vision for the look.\u201d<\/p>\n The last we saw of Cortana, she had been ordered to take control of John\u2019s mind in order for him to handle the artifact at the end of season 1.<\/p>\n Speaking about how their story continues in season 2, Schreiber added to RadioTimes.com<\/strong>: \u201cWhen we start the second season, she has been taken away and now he\u2019s wrestling with all the feelings of like, \u2018Well wait a second. I didn\u2019t really like this when it was done to me. But wow, it sure feels different now that she\u2019s gone.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cSo he\u2019s wrestling with the impact of that, of not having his second half almost. To take the metaphor further, when you find someone who\u2019s perfect for you, and they sort of complete you, what you\u2019re capable of doing is vastly improved. And I think he certainly found that in the first season.<\/p>\n \u201cSo in the second season, there\u2019s a there\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Cortana is still voiced by Jen Taylor in season 2, the voice actress who voiced her in the games.<\/p>\n Fans might also recognise Taylor\u2019s voice from Cortana, the Microsoft productivity assistant. She\u2019s also known for voicing various characters in the Mario franchise, including Princess Peach and Toad, from 1999 to 2007.<\/p>\n Taylor previously told Decider<\/a> of the show\u2019s incarnation of Cortana: \u201cShe\u2019s a little different than the Cortana we know. She\u2019s in a different part of the story, and she\u2019s in a different part of her journey individually.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s going to be a little different, but it\u2019s also going to be familiar. It\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Cortana plays a different role in the show compared to the games. In the series, she\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n In the games, she has a wider purpose \u2013 defending humanity against the Covenant threat.<\/p>\n Schreiber told us: \u201cIt\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd so those roles, they change and there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cSo 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.\u201d<\/p> Halo season 2 is available to stream now on Paramount Plus. Check out more of our Sci-Fi<\/a>\u00a0coverage or visit our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/a>\u00a0to find out what\u2019s on.<\/strong><\/p>\n Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only \u00a310 \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div> <\/body><\/html>\n The AI character has got a new look for a new season. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":45474,"template":"","categories":[6,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/02\/why-does-cortana-look-different-in-halo-season-2.jpg",1387,925,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/02\/why-does-cortana-look-different-in-halo-season-2-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/02\/why-does-cortana-look-different-in-halo-season-2-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/02\/why-does-cortana-look-different-in-halo-season-2-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/02\/why-does-cortana-look-different-in-halo-season-2-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/02\/why-does-cortana-look-different-in-halo-season-2.jpg",1387,925,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/02\/why-does-cortana-look-different-in-halo-season-2.jpg",1387,925,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The AI character has got a new look for a new season.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/45473"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Why does Cortana look different in Halo season 2?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Cortana](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/02\/Screenshot-2024-02-06-at-11.49.39-Cropped-d0a1a1f.png?quality=90&resize=619%2C413\" "\\"Cortana")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>Who plays Cortana in Halo season 2?<\/h2>\n
![\"Jen](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-1387403205-d6999e6.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Jen")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>How is Cortana different in the series?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"