Ellen Anders

Were you looking for Ensign Ellen Dowski, or Ellen Marcus?

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

- Ellen Anders

Professor Ellen Anders is a civilian researcher. Intelligent (with an IQ of 180) and fiercely opposed to the Covenant, she focused more on assisting mankind's survival than gaining a sense of grandeur. She was the type of person who hated disorder and was clean and organized. By extension, she also had the habit of solving unfinished jigsaw puzzles.

Biography
Stationed aboard the during the Third Battle of Harvest, Anders was granted the Observation Deck as her lab, claiming the view of surrounding space "adding perspective to her work." Sergeant John Forge being assigned as a bodyguard was not as agreeable to her however, due to his excessive foul language and gruff demenour. She apparently studied under Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, though their relationship is tense, neither holding the other in a fond regard.

After getting some unexpected readings on an EM band in Harvest's north pole, Anders requested that a Hornet squadron en route to Rally Point Baker divert to investigate. A large force of Elites was also found, and Forge was dispatched to investigate. In the process, an unknown relic on the surface was detected along with numerous Covenant forces in the vicinity. Anders resolved to head down to investigate, despite protests from Forge. Captain Cutter agreed to the mission, but ordered that Anders be extracted should there be any sign of danger. After entering the Relic she found a map of the Galaxy, which "wasn't what [she] expected". However, in the end, after she, Forge, and their UNSC Marine bodyguards were ambushed, she had to be rescued from the artifact. 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 speed.

Before departing Harvest, Anders sent her father an analysis of Homer's Odyssey that slipped past ONI censors, informing him on what the UNSC had discovered.

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.

On Arcadia, Anders used plasma-firing Rhino tanks to blow through a shield dome, revealing a half-built Scarab underneath. The UNSC Marine force on the surface destroyed the Scarab, but during an investigation of the site, Anders was taken hostage by the Arbiter, who intended to use her to activate The Apex. Forge and Jerome-092 persuaded Cutter to mount a rescue mission. The Spirit of Fire followed Anders' signal to the Shield World, where Forge killed the Arbiter and was eventually able to rescue her. She was aboard the Spirit when it escaped the Shield World, and entered cryostasis approximately two weeks later.

Abilities

 * "Leader Power": CryoBomb —freezes enemies in place.
 * "Unique Unit": Gremlin uses an EMP to momentarily paralyze enemy units.

Upgrades

 * "Super Upgrade": Hawk — a laser beam upgrade to the Hornet.
 * "Economy Bonus": cost and research time for unit upgrades reduced by half.

Trivia

 * Ellen Anders is one of the Hero Units for the UNSC in Halo Wars.
 * She is one of the first main characters in the games to be dressed in civilian clothing.
 * Ellen Anders was born in the UNSC colony of Arcadia.
 * It is mentioned in Halo Wars: Genesis that Anders is "recently engaged". With the destruction of Arcadia, however, this may no longer be the case.
 * She is voiced by Kim Mai Guest, who voiced Mei Ling in the Metal Gear Solid franchise.
 * Anders doesn't appear to be bothered by Freezer burn as she goes in to Cryo-chamber wearing clothes, although this may be due to Ensemble Studios wanting the game to have a lower age rating.
 * Apparently she seems to hate Doctor Catherine Halsey. In the Halo Wars booklet, Anders has made a personal note under her own description: "Why mention Halsey here? She hated me and I hated her." It also says she was her student.
 * She doesnt seem to get along with Serina, the Spirit of Fire A.I.
 * It has also been mentioned that Anders has always dreamed of being an AI.