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| “ | Okay, look: We both said a lot of things that you're going to regret, but I think we can put our differences behind us; for science... you monster.
— GLaDOS
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GLaDOS, known in full as the Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System, is the computer system designed to control and oversee Aperture Laboratories, as well as the guide of the Aperture Science computer-aided Enrichment Center. She has the ability to shift and move the facilities and the chambers, making for seamless and almost infinite testing design.
Biography
GlaDOS was a creation of Aperture Science, which began under the oversight of Cave Johnson over the company. It was an attempt to create a fully functional, advanced artificial intelligence which was originally intended to be occupied by Johnson. After it became apparent to Johnson that he may die before GlaDOS is officially activated, Johnson motioned for Caroline to inhabit GlaDOS' mind instead.
GlaDOS was activated in 1998, which coincided with the company's "Bring Your Daughter to Work" day. GlaDOS was able to take control of the entire building, supposedly killing most of its inhabitants with exceptions such as Doug Rattmann. The destruction of the company also coincided with an invasion of Earth, two days afterwards at Aperture Science's rival company, Black Mesa.
GlaDOS continued to operate the company, and at some time-frame awakened Chell and used her as a test subject. (Whose data was manipulated by Rattman so that she becomes the first test subject to be used.) After putting Chell through a number of tests with the Handheld Portal Device, Chell was able to confront GlaDOS in her chamber, a conflict which Chell won. During the conflict, GlaDOS was heavily damaged, and remained in a dormant status for an unspecified period of time, during which the facility degraded. She was eventually reactivated through the accidental efforts of Wheatley and Chell, the latter of whom was also trapped in the building following GlaDOS' defeat. As revenge, GlaDOS returned Chell to the facility's science experiments, and makes various taunts in hopes to crush her morale. With the help of Wheatley, Chell was able to escape from GlaDOS' test and went through the facility to disable major components, such as the production of neurotoxin. They were then able to defeat GlaDOS together, replacing her with Wheatley as the facility's overseer, and her essence trapped in a potato and thrown into the depths of the facility.
After Wheatley became corrupted by his position and power, GlaDOS and Chell worked together, initially as unwilling partners, to restore control over the facility. (which further degraded and corrupted under the influence of Wheatley, to the point where it may self-destruct.) Their attempts were eventually successful, resulting in the exile of Wheatley to outer space and the reconciliation between Chell and GlaDOS. GlaDOS then expelled Chell from the facility in order to avoid further trouble to her control.
Abilities and Traits
As the overseer and operator of the facility, GlaDOS is seemingly omnipotent, able to reconfigure rooms and carry out actions at her will. She monitors the facility and its test chambers through cameras mounted on walls. She also cannot resist thinking of paradoxes when mentioned. GLaDOS displays almost no emotion in the beginning of Portal, but but becomes increasingly more agitated near the end of the game. In Portal 2, she is very bitter for the events in the original game, frequently insulting her until the very end, where she realizes that Chell was "all along [her] best friend".
GlaDOS' personality and emotions are controlled by personality cores. If the cores are removed, the traits and morals which the cores contain would be removed from GlaDOS as well, causing her to become more mechanical.
Development and Acting
GLaDOS is voiced by Ellen McLain.
Gallery
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Trivia
- Ellen McLain, the actress that provides the voice of GLaDOS, also provides the voice for the Administrator in Team Fortress 2 and the Combine Overwatch in the Half-Life series. This makes Ellen McLain the only voice present in every game included in the The Orange Box.
- During the development of Portal 2, playtesters complained that GLaDOS was "too mean", and it was concluded that some of her dialogue was too extreme. Due to this, elements of her dialogue were reworked, which resulted in the creation of a more amicable, passive-aggressive personality for GLaDOS.
See also