The trailer for the Halo TV series landed over the weekend, showing Master Chief in all his live-action glory. While the reception towards the trailer seemed to be mostly positive, one thing that’s been dividing fans is Cortana’s design choices.
On the one hand, the fantastic Jen Taylor is reprising her role for the TV series which is a huge plus. However, many lamented the chosen design for Cortana, with comparisons being made to Sonic’s terrifying initial design reveal for the 2020 movie (thanks, GamesRadar). “Can we Sonic movie them into changing Cortana please,” one Twitter user asked, while another threw some comparison images of the two characters together, saying: “This is the vibe I get from Cortana.”
Things my Halo trailer would and wouldn’t have: classic theme and monk chant sense of wonder and awe Steve Downes flesh cortana in the air tonight “epic version” discovering halo on a computerJanuary 30, 2022
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This is the vibe I get from Cortana #Halo #HaloTheSeries #HaloInfinite #ParamountPlus #cortana pic.twitter.com/GT3baanAFJJanuary 31, 2022
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Most people seem to take issue with her lack of blue tinge and hologram vibes. Journalist Paul Tassi tweeted, “I think it was def the right call to just have Jen Taylor be Cortana, but she needs to be like, more fully blue and hologram-y?” Streamer Suzi Hunter gave the redesign a simple think emoji, while Chris Ray Gun said: “This is NOT Cortana what the f**k why??”
Not everyone had such a visceral reaction to her fleshier, distinctly non-hologram design. One Twitter user said “I think this Cortana will grow on people pretty fast,” while another said, “absolutely adore this look for Cortana.”
I’m still a little on the fence. While it’s nice to see characters get a design refresh, there is something slightly unsettling about her appearance. I think it’s the eyes specifically. Hopefully, it won’t stifle any hype for the series, which will hit the Paramount+ streaming service on March 24.
