Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Halo episode 3, “Emergence”
At long last, during this week’s third Halo episode, producers Kyle Killen and Steven Kane treated fans to the arrival of the series’ deuteragonist, an A.I. we’ve all grown to know and love as one of the greatest side characters in the history of gaming.
Spoilers to follow.
With Master Chief surrendering himself to the UNSC at the end of last week’s outing, this episode starts with Dr. Halsey working to perfect her flash-cloned artificial intelligence, known to fans — and to casual viewers alike, now — as Cortana.
Played by Jen Taylor, who reprises her role from the video game series, Cortana finally comes to life as an extension of Master Chief’s neural interface, interacting with a protagonist who’s seemingly unimpressed with her capabilities and allegiance.
Hearing the iconic voice of Cortana will definitely make a lot of Halo fans emotional, and probably give many Microsoft Windows users a few moments of bemusement when they realize she’s voiced by their operating system’s virtual assistant.
Beyond that, though, Cortana has undergone certain changes for the live-action series, as previously showcased by the trailers. That’s why it might take some getting used to for diehard Halo fans when Taylor first appears, but we can assure you that her personality remains as chirpy and savvy as ever.
Master Chief eventually relents and begrudgingly accepts Cortana’s help, taking the first step towards forming a friendship with the artificial intelligence, who’s yet to find her independence from Halsey’s manipulations.
With Master Chief and Cortana united, Halo will continue to chronicle this spiraling sci-fi story next week on April 14.