Sandra Tillson
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
| Sandra Katherine Tillson | |
|---|---|
| |
| Biographical information | |
|
Homeworld: |
|
|
Born: |
|
|
Died: |
July 24, 2557[2] (aged 51) |
|
Cause of death: |
|
| Personal details | |
|
Species: |
|
|
Gender: |
Female |
|
Height: |
175.3 centimeters (5 ft 9.0 in)[1] |
|
Weight: |
59 kilograms (131 lb)[1] |
|
Hair color: |
Gray |
| Political and military information | |
|
Affiliation: |
|
|
CC-728304 | |
Dr. Sandra "Sandy" Katherine Tillson[3] (Civilian Consultant Number: CC-728304)[1] was an xenoarchaeologist in the employ of the Office of Naval Intelligence. In 2557, she was involved in the study of a Forerunner artefact known as the Composer at Ivanoff Station. She was killed in July 2557 when Ivanoff Station was attacked by the reawakened Didact, who used the Composer against the station and its crew.[2]
Although she was killed by the Composer, her essence was extracted and implanted in the shell of a Promethean Knight designated TDS-009. TDS-009 served as part of the army under Jul 'Mdama throughout 2558, though thanks to her forced assimilation, experienced glitches and errors in her programming that ultimately resulted in her being pulled from combat duty and imprisoned for study on Genesis.[3]
Biography[edit]
Early life and career[edit]
Sandra Katherine Tillson was born on May 14, 2506, on Coral.[1] At some point in her life, Tillson studied and earned her doctorate in archaeology in the Pegasi Institute, eventually becoming one of only a handful of experts in the field of Xenoarchaeology. During the Human-Covenant War, Coral would be attacked, forcing Sandra to evacuate to Lodestone[3], where she was then hired by the Office of Naval Intelligence to conduct research on a number of sites later deemed to be of Forerunner origin. When Installation 03 was initially discovered, she was one of the first people to be introduced to the research team. This led her to be the one responsible for the discovery of the Composer.[1]
Death[edit]
During the Raid on Ivanoff Station in July 24, 2557, she assisted in evacuating the station, while Master Chief John-117 cleared the station of Covenant attackers. Tillson volunteered to stay behind to detonate the HAVOK nukes the Chief and Cortana planned to destroy the Composer with. However, she was killed when the Didact activated the Composer, digitizing her and everyone aboard Ivanoff Station save the Master Chief.[2]
TDS-009[edit]
- "A Knight... Kind of making me feel sad for him."
- — Edward Buck commenting on the Promethean Knight TDS-009, formerly Sandra Tilson's, imprisonment on Genesis.[4]
Tillson's composed mind was used for the artificial intelligence of TDS-009, a Promethean Knight in service to Jul 'Mdama and his Covenant as part of the Third Dignitary Schema. Throughout service in Jul's Covenant, TDS-009 began to encounter strange visions which would later be theorised by Doctor Catherine Halsey in her journal to be hallucinations caused by the conflict of Tilson's unwilling mind working against the programming of the Promethean Knight. The first of these visions manifested during the Battle of Oban during an assault against a UNSC communications bunker. During the fighting, TDS-009 encountered a vision of a human child devoid of facial features or flesh, the sight of which filled the automaton with dread and fear. Believing the vision to be a real child, TDS-009 requested a directive from the Strategos commanding the mission on how to proceed, only to recieve nothing. At the battle's conclusion the Third Dignitary Schema were ordered to leave the bodies of the human defenders to be found, and TDS-009 attempted to find the strange child it had seen as it wondered why it had not received a directive on it. The Knight was unable to find the child.[3]
Weeks later, TDS-009 was one of the Knights involved in the Battle of Aktis IV, accompanying Jul 'Mdama alongside TDS-002 as traitors allied with Sali 'Nyon were rounded up for execution. After 'Mdama departed aboard a Phantom for his carrier Song of Retribution at the recommendation of one of his Zealot commanders, TDS-009 was assigned to another Zealot where they quickly run into a Spartan.[3][5] During the fight, TDS-009 once again saw the same vision as before, now in the form of a young girl with golden hair tucked in a messy bun-a young Sandra Tilson-again not reacting to what was happening around her. Despite knowing it should attack the Spartan, TDS-009 instead attempted to contact the Strategos to again ask for directives regarding the girl but stopped. Instead, the Promethean kicked the Zealot in its chest, allowing the confused Spartan to escape. In response, the Zealot impaled TDS-009 with his energy sword. As it disintegrated, TDS-009 locked eyes with the girl, who it saw as screaming as she was reduced layer-by-layer into dust.
After this incident and an analysis by Halsey, TDS-009 was deemed to be too great a risk for future operations and placed into quarantine. While Halsey surmised that the glitches being experienced by TDS-009 (and by many other Knights) were likely due to the composed human mind rebelling against the Knight, she secretly hoped to encourage this behaviour in order to sabotage Jul's war effort. An official analysis by the Strategos commander determined that interference by a rogue ancilla was to blame.[3]
Sometime later, TDS-009 awoke in a Forerunner holding facility on Genesis with no memory of how it got there, now under the charge of 031 Exuberant Witness. After attempting and failing to connect to the Strategos command pattern to obtain operational context, directives, and network with the rest of the Third Dignitary Schema, TDS-009 again saw the girl, now fully grown and dressed in thin grey overalls and a white-blue coat, staring at it from the corner of its cell. TDS-009 attempted to reconnect to the Promethean network again and again, but the woman stared at it throughout. Eventually, TDS-009 attempted to disable its optical sensors and shut down, forcing itself into hibernation to wait for it to be detected by the Strategos and be reconnected to the Promethean network, and to avoid looking at the woman. However, it felt a phantom sensation of a hand lowering its main weapon and then turning its head to the woman, allowing it to take in every detail of her face. Old data and suppressed memories flooded into its mind, taking the place of expunged combat directives and strategies, overwhelming the Knight as it recognized the girl's face and name.[3]
On October 28, 2558, the now-imprisoned TDS-009 was encountered by Fireteam Osiris during the conflict on Genesis, unaware of the Knight's status or identity.[4] To an external observer, TDS-009 appeared depressed as it sifted through fragments and memories from its old life as Sandra Tilson.[3] At the conflict's conclusion, several of the Covenant prisoners alongside Tilson were freed from their holding and, at Exuberant Witness' suggestion, decided to take TDS-009 through the Gateway into the Domain, which the monitor reckoned was the best chance for both Tilson and TDS-009 to find peace. However, Exuberant was unsure of how successful the mission could be, with the Domain having been out of commission for so long and currently under Cortana's control.[6]
In-game information[edit]
Halo: The Master Chief Collection[edit]
An avatar of Doctor Tilson is available for unlock in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
| Image | Name | Unlock Requirements |
|---|---|---|
|
Tilson | Halo 4: Complete Composer. (Composer) |
Production notes[edit]
- Sandra Tillson was voiced by actress Adrienne Barbeau,[7] who is best known for portraying Catwoman in Batman: The Animated Series.
- According to a Twitter post by Halo Waypoint, Tillson was born on Lodestone.[8] Her birthplace was changed to Coral in Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide. Halo: The Machine Breaks rectifies this inconsistency by stating Tillson was born on Coral, but moved to Lodestone after the Covenant glassed her homeworld.
Gallery[edit]
|
Browse more images in this article's gallery page. |
Profile of Sandra Tillson.
Portrait of Doctor Sandra Tillson carrying a Data pad.
Renders of Doctor Tillson's face before, during and after being Composed.
Dr. Tillson undergoing the effects of the Composer.
TDS-009 attacks one of Jul 'Mdama's Sangheili Zealots during the Battle of Aktis IV.
TDS-009 trapped in a cell on Genesis.
Sandra Tillson remembers who she is.
List of appearances[edit]
- Halo 4 (First appearance)
- Halo: Escalation
- Halo 5: Guardians
- Halo: The Machine Breaks
- Halo: Fifth Canticle
Sources[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 15
- ^ a b c Halo 4, campaign level Composer
- ^ a b c d e f g h Halo: The Machine Breaks
- ^ a b Halo 5: Guardians, campaign level Guardians
- ^ Halo: Escalation, issue 15
- ^ Halo: Fifth Canticle
- ^ Halo 4, credits
- ^ Twitter, Halo (@HaloWaypoint): "#TodayInHalo 05/14/2506 - Doctor Sandra Tillson is born on the colony of Lodestone." (Retrieved on Oct 13, 2014) [archive]
