More compelling if she doesn't. Don't get me wrong, there are many, many stories that kill off beloved characters only to bring them back shortly thereafter in sometimes absolutely fantastic and emotional ways. Sometimes people just know it's only a matter of time, but the journey getting there is still fantastic and the results are sometimes pretty surprising. But what if Cortana stayed gone?

This isn't a new trilogy anymore, right? They want more and more stories to come from this. I think they have room for more stories (potentially way better written and with more avenues to explore) without Cortana than with.