Ellen Anders
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
| Ellen Anders | |
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Female[3] |
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Dark brown[1] |
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Brown[1] |
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Office of Naval Intelligence (civilian consultant)[2] |
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Ph. D |
- "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
- — Anders before interacting with Forerunner technology for the first time.[4]
Professor Ellen Anders (SN: CC-500493[3][2]) is a human civilian researcher with a background in ecophysiology, exobiology, and theoretical xenobiology.[2] She was recruited by Section Three of the Office of Naval Intelligence as a consultant in early 2531, and was part of the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire at the time of the ship's disappearance in that year.
Biography[edit]
Early life and career[edit]
Ellen Anders was born on the colony of Arcadia. She had a difficult relationship with her mother, seemingly an individual with connections to the Office of Naval Intelligence, who tried to push Anders to use her doctorate to advance her professional career.[5] She apparently studied under Dr. Catherine Halsey (though their relationship was tense) with neither holding the other in a fond regard.[6] Later on in 2550, Halsey would write in her journal that Anders was always "so difficult", but that the professor would be useful for Halsey and Laszlo Sorvad's archaeology of Forerunner sites around the Visegrád region on Reach.[7]
At some point prior to 2531 Anders became engaged to an unknown person. In 2531, she was lecturing on Theoretical Xenobiology at Rishard University. When stopped on the street by a nondescript stranger, she was told that Dr. Halsey had recommended her as a "consultant". Anders told the man that there was some mistake, as she was not on speaking terms with "that woman". Despite her refusal, a car pulled up and the man dragged her in before speeding off. The man and his accomplices - agents for the Office of Naval Intelligence - brought her to an undisclosed location. Anders was furious and demanded to know why she was kidnapped. They showed her classified images of the Covenant on Harvest and snippets of intercepted communications, which referred to the planet as a "Treasure World". This piqued Anders' interest, and she agreed to assist ONI in deciphering the Covenant's motives and nature. She was given "unrestricted" (presumably broad, but limited to her field of study) access to ONI equipment and resources. She then traveled to the Epsilon Indi system aboard an ONI prowler UNSC Last Gleaming, where she reviewed the data on the Covenant. While on board, she determined that, while the Covenant was looking for something, they were also trying to hide something as well.[8] While aboard Last Gleaming Anders complained of the use of the "Doctor" title on her quarters, suspecting that due to it her abduction had likely been done at her mother's behest.[5]
Upon reaching Spirit of Fire, Anders initially mistook the warship for UNSC Prophecy, a Marathon-class heavy cruiser that had been destroyed in a previous battle.[8] While transferring from Last Gleaming to Spirit of Fire, Anders attempted to talk with her Pelican's pilot about Spirit, and was relieved to hear that the ship boasted the best mess hall in the fleet (after being told what a mess was). The Pelican's pilot did not respond much in order to get Anders to stop talking, letting Anders fool herself into believing that military food would be better than it actually was.[9]
Before arriving on the Spirit of Fire, she put in a request for better quarters once aboard and an audience with the captain.
Liberation of Harvest[edit]
- Main article: Harvest campaign
- Cutter: "What made you choose my observation deck as your lab, Professor?"
- Anders: "I like the view. It adds... perspective to my work."
- — Cpt. Cutter and Anders aboard Spirit of Fire
Aboard the Spirit of Fire, Anders was loaned the Observation Deck for a workspace, claiming the view of surrounding space "added perspective to her work". Her assigned minder, Sergeant John Forge, was somewhat less agreeable with her, as the two were basically polar opposites and bickered constantly.[10]
After getting some unexpected readings on an electromagnetic band in Harvest's north pole, Anders requested that a Hornet squadron en route to Rally Point Baker be diverted to investigate. A large Covenant ground force was subsequently discovered, and Sgt. Forge was dispatched to observe further.[11] A structure of unknown origin on the surface, the target of Covenant excavation, drew her attention, and Anders resolved to investigate further in person, despite protests from Forge.[12] Spirit of Fire's Captain James Cutter supported Anders, but ordered that she be extracted should there be any sign of danger. Upon entering the Relic, she uncovered only a holographic map of the galaxy, not quite "what [she] expected". A Covenant ambush interrupted her examination of the structure, but was successfully repelled by Forge and Anders' Marine personal security detail.[4] After examining the artifact, she realized that the map had led the Covenant to Arcadia, and upon her recommendation, the Spirit of Fire set course to the planet with all due speed.[13]
On February 6, Anders sent her father an analysis of Homer's Odyssey, actually a coded report of her discoveries, that slipped past ONI censors, leaving the analysis unchanged to her father.[14]
Arcadia[edit]
- Main article: Battle for Arcadia
- "There's something there, Captain, and I think it's important we get to it before the Covenant do."
- — Anders persuading Cpt. Cutter to go to Arcadia
Over the course of the Spirit of Fire's travels, Anders softened towards Forge, especially after noticing how much he cared for those around him.[10] During the Battle for Arcadia, Anders used modified M145D "plasma" Rhino self-propelled artillery to blow through a Covenant shield dome, revealing a half-built Super Scarab, and a complex of ruins underneath. The UNSC Marine force on the surface destroyed the Scarab,[15][16] but during an investigation of the site, Anders and Forge were attacked by the Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee. When Forge was about to be killed, Anders gave herself up as a hostage to save the Sergeant's life. Forge persuaded Cutter to mount a rescue mission.[17]
The shield world[edit]
- Main article: Battle of Trove
- "I know it's been a tough call, Captain, but it's the right one."
- — Anders about Cutter's decision
The Spirit of Fire followed Anders' signal to a previously unknown shield world. Meanwhile, she was imprisoned on top of the Apex Site, where the High Prophet of Regret intended to use her status as a potential Reclaimer to activate the Sojourner-class dreadnoughts.[18] Anders used a teleportation pad to escape to the surface while the Arbiter and the Sangheili Honor Guardsmen were distracted by the majesty of the ships which had been activated by Anders' touch to the control console as a Reclaimer. Shortly after she teleported, she was threatened by a number of Flood infection forms, and only narrowly rescued by Forge. The latter's Pelican was shot down immediately after, but both were successfully evacuated by Pelican after a brief overland trek.[19]
Anders devised a plan to use the Spirit of Fire's Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine to cause the artificial sun inside the Shield World to go supernova, thus destroying the ships (and any other Forerunner technology) before the Covenant could make use of them.[20] Forge and Red Team encountered complications, in the form of Sangheili intervention, and Forge stayed behind to manually overload the reactor. After narrowly escaping the exploding Shield World, the Spirit of Fire set a course for the nearest UNSC forces under conventional power. Two weeks later, Cutter forced Anders into cryostasis, stating that she got them all out of there alive. As the pod closed, Anders reminded the Captain that not all of them had survived.[21]
On January 1, 2537, six years after the events on the Etran Harborage, one of the ship's technicians, who had been awakened by Serina in order to conduct routine maintenance aboard the ship, was attacked and infected by a Pod infector, which had been nesting out of sight aboard the ship since the escape from the shield world. In response, Serina imposed a quarantine on the ship's cryo bays, inadvertently allowing the Flood to mature further and breed new infection forms that proceeded to attack other crewmen still in cryo-sleep. As the Flood threatened to breach quarantine, Serina awoke Anders and Jerome-092, who, with her aid, was forced to exterminate all infected crew members, ensuring the survival of the Spirit and its remaining crew. After all traces of the Flood parasite aboard the Spirit of Fire were erased, Anders returned to cryo-sleep.[22]
Installation 00[edit]
- Main article: Second Ark Conflict
In 2559, after 28 years of being in cryo sleep, Ellen Anders and the rest of the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire were awakened in orbit above the Forerunner Installation 00. There, Anders and the crew encountered the Banished, led by the Jiralhanae Atriox.[23]
Anders participated in the battle by studying the Ark's teleportation network. She was able to gain access to the elevator that led her to the Cartographer, enabling her to find more information about the Ark itself.[24] When UNSC Spirit of Fire was attacked by the Enduring Conviction, Anders formulated a plan with Captain Cutter and Isabel to use Installation 09, which was stored inside the Foundry of the Ark, as a distress beacon. They planned to send it to the original site of Installation 04, which is in range of Reach comms. Due to their current situation, however, Cutter couldn't approve the plan until they found a way to defeat the Enduring Conviction. Isabel, at that moment, formulated a plan to do just that.[25]
Once the plan had been set, Anders went to one of the Forerunner Particle Cannons to disable the Banished's carrier, while Douglas-042 and UNSC protected her from the Banished's attack. After a short period, she managed to immobilize Enduring Conviction and disable its shields once the cannon gathered enough power to fire.[25] When the job was done, Anders did not return to Spirit of Fire; instead, she went to the Foundry to take control of Installation 09. En route to Installation 09's control room, the UNSC spotted a Retriever Sentinel. Anders managed to temporarily seize control of it, allowing her to disable the shields around control room, giving her, Red Team, and the UNSC enough time to set up defensive perimeter.[26] While the UNSC fended off the assault from the Banished, Anders disarmed the firing system and began to set up the beacon. While setting the beacon up, Anders found the controls for the installation's gravity anchors. Utilizing this newfound advantage, the UNSC began to go on offensive and managed to surround the remaining Banished on Installation 09, trapping them. Once the Banished were trapped, Anders activated a shield barrier around the section they were on and ejected it into space, disintegrating the section and destroying all Banished forces on it. As UNSC were exfiltrating to the Spirit of Fire, Anders realized that the installation had already begun to enter slipspace, making it impossible for her to evacuate in time. The installation then entered slipspace, taking Anders with it.[27]
En route to the original site of Installation 04, the ring prematurely and unexpectedly dropped out of slipspace, piquing Anders' concern. Heading back to the surface to see what had happened, she was quickly confronted by a Guardian construct.[27]
Personality and traits[edit]
Anders is highly intelligent, with a recorded IQ of 180.[6] She somewhat personifies the 'absentminded professor' stereotype, with a characteristic disregard for personal safety, in particular during potentially dangerous scientific endeavors. She appears to hold a particular grudge against the Covenant, and like many involved in the war effort considers her work to be for the good of humanity as a whole.[28] However, despite this she does not use the "Doctor" title in everyday life, owing to her difficult relationship with her mother, who wished her to use it in her professional career.[5]
According to Personnel_profile #21_873_B1_, Anders buries herself so deeply in her work that she forgets the people around her. Despite this, she was one of the few humans with any information that something larger was happening.[29] She is singularly organized, to the point of compulsion. By extension, she also has the habit of solving unfinished jigsaw puzzles.[30]
Anders showed herself to be brave, offering herself up to Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee to save the life of Sergeant John Forge. Anders' appeared to believe in the motto "nothing ventured, nothing gained" as she said it before she activated the relic on Harvest[4] and on a gambit, activated a teleporter pad on the Apex Site of Trove to escape 'Moramee's clutches.[19]
Anders started off having a rocky relationship with Sergeant John Forge, the man assigned to protect her. Anders appeared to take some amusement from Forge's forced assignment, giving him a smirk when he complained about "babysitting duty again."[15] However, she was willing to sacrifice herself to Ripa 'Moramee to save Forge's life.[17] When Forge rescued Anders from three pod infectors, while she didn't react to Forge's sarcastic comments and request for a thanks, Anders called Forge by his first name for the first time.[19] After Forge sacrificed himself to destroy Etran Harborage, Anders expressed grief to Captain Cutter before entering cryostasis.[21]
Production notes[edit]
Anders is a central character in both Halo Wars and its sequel. In the first game she is voiced by Kim Mai Guest. In Halo Wars 2 she was instead played by and modelled after Faye Kingslee due to a scheduling conflict with Guest. Due to this Anders' visual appearance was changed to match the updated actress, as Blur Studio's VFX creation process in Halo Wars 2 relied on modern photoscanning and motion capture, whereas the first game did not.[31] Kate Pippinger voices Anders in Halo Wars 2's multiplayer.[32]
In addition to official materials published for Halo Wars, Lead Designer Graeme Devine also wrote a number of non-canon stories about life aboard Spirit of Fire. In these stories, Anders is revealed to have always dreamt of being an artificial intelligence during a conversation between her and Spirit of Fire's smart AI Serina.[33]
Trivia[edit]
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See our gameplay information related to Ellen Anders on its gameplay page. |
A popular fan theory when Halo Wars released posited that Anders was the daughter of Doctor Catherine Halsey. This was later confirmed to be false by Halo Wars developers on the halowars.com forums.[34]
- The orange and black outfit which Anders wears during the events of Halo Wars is Arcadian clothing.[3]
Gallery[edit]
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Browse more images in this article's gallery page. |
Early studies of Anders' clothing for the production of Halo Wars.
More finalised concept art of Anders.
Full-body portrait of Professor Ellen Anders wearing her Arcadian clothing for Halo Wars.
Portrait render of Anders in her lab clothing.
Portrait render of Anders in her Harvest winter clothing.
Close up of Anders.
Ellen Anders wearing a coat.
Anders on the bridge of the Spirit of Fire.
Anders without her lab coat.
Anders' Personnel profile.
Anders and Cutter watching the Shield World's sun before its explosion.
Anders in cryostasis.
Anders' in-game model in Halo Wars.
Ellen Anders with John Forge in Halo Mythos.
Ellen Anders in Something has Happened.
Concept art of Anders in Halo Wars 2.
Concept art of Ellen Anders at a terminal on Installation 00 for Halo Wars 2.
Unused artwork of Anders instructing a group of Marines.
Anders in Halo Wars 2.
Anders interacting with a hologram of Installation 00.
Anders meeting a Guardian on Installation 09.
List of appearances[edit]
- Halo Wars: Genesis (First appearance)
- Halo Wars
- Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide
- Halo: Reach
- Dr. Halsey's personal journal (Mentioned only)
- Halo Mythos
- Halo: Tales from Slipspace
- Halo: Smoke and Shadow (Mentioned only)
- Halo Wars 2
- Halo: Fireside
Sources[edit]
- ^ a b c Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide
- ^ a b c d e f g h Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 94
- ^ a b c d e f g h Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 8
- ^ a b c Halo Wars, campaign level Relic Interior
- ^ a b c Halo Wars, Timeline Events: Professor Anders' Log, 30 January 2531
- ^ a b Halo Wars manual, page 3
- ^ Dr. Halsey's personal journal, page November 23, 2550
- ^ a b Halo Wars: Genesis
- ^ Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide - Sit down and strap in.
- ^ a b GameDaily, Eventually, Forge grew on her: Defunct (Retrieved on Jan 23, 2009)
- ^ Halo Wars Launch Site, UNSC Side (Retrieved on Feb 2, 2009) [local archive] [external archive]
- ^ Halo Wars, campaign level Alpha Base
- ^ Halo Wars, campaign level Arcadia City
- ^ Halo Wars, Timeline Events: 6 February 2531
- ^ a b Halo Wars, campaign level Dome of Light
- ^ Halo Wars, campaign level Scarab
- ^ a b Halo Wars, campaign level Anders' Signal
- ^ Halo Wars, campaign level Shield World
- ^ a b c Halo Wars, campaign level Beachhead
- ^ Halo Wars, campaign level Reactor
- ^ a b Halo Wars, campaign level Escape
- ^ Halo: Tales from Slipspace - Something Has Happened
- ^ Halo Wars 2, campaign level The Signal
- ^ Halo Wars 2, campaign level The Cartographer
- ^ a b Halo Wars 2, campaign level Hold the Line
- ^ Halo Wars 2, campaign level The Halo
- ^ a b Halo Wars 2, campaign level Last Stand
- ^ GameDaily, Anders is more than just a pretty face: Defunct (Retrieved on Jan 23, 2009)
- ^ Halo Wars, Personnel profile: Professor Anders
- ^ Game Daily, She'll solve your Rubik's Cube: Defunct (Retrieved on Jan 23, 2009)
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Warzone Firefight Sneak Peek (Retrieved on Aug 6, 2016) [archive]
- ^ Halo Wars 2, credits
- ^ Spirit of Fire Archives - Serina and Anders Talk
- ^ Official Halo Wars Community Site, Is Prof. Anders the Daughter of Dr. Halsey?: "Sorry for the late response to this thread - we're just getting online here at Robot - but I'm happy to answer this question definitively for you guys. Anders is not Halsey's daughter. :)" (Retrieved on Feb 10, 2012) [archive]
