: I personally think that the concept of core characters to a franchise like
: Halo is a Bad Idea. The weight of some stories are borne entirely by a
: main character, granted, and characters like the Stainless Steel Rat or
: Harry Dresden are absolutely fun to read about. But really, there's only
: so many stories that can be told with them at the helm. Push it too far
: and you end up with characters like Luke Skywalker and Superman, who get
: dragged into conflict after conflict because A) By this time he's been
: reduced to a bland slice of toast that can be inserted into any story and
: B) Fan recognition.

: I think that a good character should have an arc. They undertake a journey,
: they change, they grow, and maybe they travel another one. Eventually, in
: a sprawling universe like Halo or Star Wars, other characters should step
: up to the plate.

: I don't know how much exposure a character should get, but I think it's
: better for a character to get a good sendoff while there's a few stories
: they still appear in, as opposed to a character who overstays their
: welcome and slowly looses that spark that made us love them in the first
: place.

Considering the numbered Halo video games have all been John+Cortana centered, I stand by my statement. The greater EU? Sure, lots of primary characters. But we're talking about Halo 5 and 6, following 1-4. It's always been Chief & Cortana. She will not be gone forever after #4. :P