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During the game's production, the various characters of Halo: Combat Evolved went through significant iteration. This article predominantly focuses on the creation of the named characters and human allies in Combat Evolved. For a breakdown of the evolution of the Covenant, Flood and ambient life in Halo, see here.

Cortana
The character of Cortana was another concept originating well before the acquisition of Bungie by Microsoft. Early ideas for Cortana were considered in reference to Marathon, with her name originating from a famous literary trio of French swords. Marathon had used Durandal, and the third alternative Joyeuse sounded "lame". As such, Cortana was chosen, named after the legendary sword.

In early storyboards, Cortana was depicted as having shoulder-length hair and minimal clothing - as opposed to her final game's naked appearance with fairly short hair. In the final game, Cortana was modelled in 3D by artist Chris Hughes, with her design based on the ancient Egyptian queen Nefertiti. An early model showcased by Hughes depicts Cortana with a face tattoo and green eyes - both features that were removed for final release.

Pilots
One design concepted and built in 3D by Paul Russel depicts a pressurised vacuum suit intended for use by the pilots of the 's GA-TL1 Longsword complement. The designs were not intended for much use in-game, as they were instead meant to be mainly seen in cutscenes. The pilots were ultimately wholly unused in Combat Evolved, though later restored by the Digsite team at 343 Industries for use within the Master Chief Collection.