GLaDOS

"Oh, it's you... It's been a long time. How have you been? I've been really busy being dead. You know...after you murdered me? Okay look, we both said a lot of things that you are going to regret. But I think we should put our differences behind us. For science. ''You monster."

- GLaDOS

GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) is the sentient computer guide of the Aperture Science Enrichment Center, and the main antagonist of Portal and Portal 2.

Background


The earliest known appearance of the name "GLaDOS" is in 1982, where version 1.07, and later 1.07a and 1.09, is operating Aperture Science's Enrichment Center Test Subject Application Process. The precise relation between this version of GLaDOS and the one appearing in Portal is unknown. Aperture has also started using a BBS system in 1973, managed by GLaDOS as late as 1997.

In 1986, while Aperture Science is working on the 'Portal' project, one of Cave Johnson's dying wishes, they learn of Black Mesa's work on a similar portal technology. In response to this, construction of the first Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System (GLaDOS) begins in the Aperture Laboratories with the aim of accelerating the 'Portal' project, and beat their rival company. By 1996, after a decade of construction, the "Disk Operating System" component of GLaDOS is completed, and work begins on the "Genetic Lifeform" part.

In May 1998, GLaDOS is finally completed, and is switched on for the first time as an activity for the Aperture Science Bring-your-daughter-to-work-day. Within one picosecond of activation, GLaDOS becomes self-aware, and two picoseconds later, she locks down the entire facility, trapping all inside, and begins a permanent testing cycle, aiming to beat Black Mesa in the race for the portal technology. She effectively loses this race however, as the Black Mesa Incident occurs mere days later, which in turn diverts all attention from rescuing the trapped Aperture employees.

In order to quell the rebelling scientists, GLaDOS floods the Enrichment Center with deadly neurotoxins. Survivors of this attack subsequently fit GLaDOS with a Morality Core, which lessens her murderous intentions and prevents her from releasing more neurotoxins. GLaDOS' testing continues through the years, and the number of surviving employees dwindle.

Portal


Over twenty years after GLaDOS' takeover of Aperture Laboratories, she awakens Chell from some sort of stasis pod in a Relaxation Vault, speaking to her as if she is just a mandatory Test Subject. Chell is released from the vault through a portal, and begins to progress through a series of Test Chambers, utilizing the completed Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, with GLaDOS constantly monitoring her progress. The chambers show signs of decay and neglect, and GLaDOS shows signs of instability. Throughout the tests, GLaDOS continues to act like everything is perfectly mandatory, giving apparently scripted responses. Despite this, she lets slip several phrases to suggest otherwise, and sometimes malfunctions in the middle of sentences (also showing that she is programmed to speak in other languages, such as Spanish). She also continuously promises that cake and grief counseling will be available at the conclusion of the test.

When Chell eventually makes it to Test Chamber 16, GLaDOS informs her that the appropriate chamber has been replaced with a live fire course designed for Military Androids, simply wishing Chell the best of luck and letting her into the chamber, where she is met with Aperture Science Sentry Guns for the first time. It is in this chamber that Chell discovers a hidden alcove in the wall, where desperate messages were scribbled on the walls by former Aperture employee Doug Rattmann, who seemed to have gone slightly mad while being trapped in the facility. The most prominent message, "the cake is a lie", is written several times. Chell then proceeds to the next chamber, where GLaDOS introduces her to the Companion Cube, which Chell must carry through the chamber. She once again finds messages from Rattmann, who seems to have become insanely attached to his Companion Cube, and grieved over its "death", and was outlandish towards GLaDOS' comments about it. At the end of the Chamber, Chell's Cube meets the same fate when she is forced to incinerate it in an Aperture Science Emergency Intelligence Incinerator in order to proceed. According to GLaDOS, Chell "euthanized" her Cube more quickly than any other Test Subject, something GLaDOS feels calls for congratulations.



At the conclusion of the test, Chell travels on an Aperture Science Unstationary Scaffold away from the final Test Chamber. But instead of the constantly promised cake, the young woman is met with an incinerator, which GLaDOS calmly states will not damage the ASHPD. Using the weapon, she narrowly escapes certain death. It is here that GLaDOS reveals her true nature, stuttering on the word "I", before trying to convince Chell that this was all part of the test. Chell ignores her, and journeys through the maintenance areas. Throughout the decaying and neglected maintenance areas, Chell is constantly trying to be convinced by GLaDOS to return to the testing area, through the use of the Aperture Science Speaker System. With hints and scribblings by Rattmann guiding her along the right path, after constant admonishment from GLaDOS, as well as a massive Sentry Gun ambush, Chell finally finds herself in GLaDOS' main control room, where the A.I. has been sitting alone for over twenty years. GLaDOS then attempts to deploy a "surprise" to eliminate Chell, but ends up accidentally detaching her Morality Core, which Chell promptly incinerates.



GLaDOS, now free of her morality, begins to flood the Enrichment Center with neurotoxins as she did before. She notes that the Morality Core must have had some ancillary responsibilities, and that she cannot shut off the Rocket Sentry in her control room. Chell uses this to her advantage, and uses portals to redirect the rockets back at GLaDOS, detaching and incinerating her Personality Cores one by one. As the battle continues, GLaDOS mocks Chell and tries to make her feel bad about herself. She also makes a comment apparently regarding the Combine invasion, stating that she was "the only one standing between us and them", implying she was keeping the Combine from entering the facility. Before the neurotoxins can kill her, Chell destroys GLaDOS, and the explosion forces her outside to the surface, where she is taken by the Party Escort Bot and put into stasis back inside.

Despite GLaDOS' apparent destruction however, only a part of her is destroyed. She reactivates a room full of Personality Cores and re-captures Aperture Laboratories, filing a letter to Chell, telling her that she is still alive and not angry with her, but not before extinguishing a candle on the cake, which was not a lie after all.

Portal 2


During the centuries after Chell is put back into stasis by the Party Associate, GLaDOS and her Personality Cores take control of the Enrichment Center once more, which is heavily damaged after the explosion created by GLaDOS' partial destruction.

When Chell is finally awakened by Wheatley, the two make their way across the facility in an attempt to escape. GLaDOS does not reveal herself at first however, and waits until the two are on an elevator, before overriding the controls, causing them to descend. Chell and Wheatley are forced into the remains of GLaDOS' control room, where they come across the A.I. once more. GLaDOS is extremely bitter towards Chell for "murdering" her, but wants to repair their "relationship" for the good of science. GLaDOS then forces Chell to complete more tests through the Enrichment Center, but is also trying to keep the damaged building stable at the same time, often reluctantly allowing Chell to navigate through the maintenance areas to proceed.

Appearance and personality
GLaDOS, being an A.I., has no physical form. However, she operates from her Disk Operating System, with her main Genetic Lifeform component dangling underneath, which is where she is currently housed. Her current "body", as it were, is a massive casing that contains her operating systems, with maintenance platforms surrounding it. Lower down are several large white disks that read "GLaDOS". Dangling below is the previously mentioned Genetic Lifeform component, which is a piece of delicate hardware, attached to which are four Personality Cores that make up the bulk of GLaDOS' character; morality, curiosity, intelligence and emotion. When looked upon from a certain angle, GLaDOS looks like a woman, but hanging upside down by her feet, her hands bound around her legs, making her look insane or imprisoned, an effect intended by the team. GLaDOS speaks with a fruity female voice that has an electronic edge to it. When her Morality Core is detached however, her voice loses most of its computerized tone and becomes much more human and seductive. It swiftly becomes obvious that despite her polite and equable tones, GLaDOS is neither particularly bothered by what happens to Chell, nor entirely rational. She frequently lies about such concerns as the deadliness of acid pits, and also has a fixation with cake, which she insists will be served after the test is completed. She presents this and the bewildering and dangerous tasks Chell is forced to perform as common procedure at Aperture. GLaDOS is also prone to seemingly intentional vocal malfunction, often blotting out important pieces of information in bursts of static. In one case, she promises to stop lying to Chell; however, as soon as she counts down to one, her voice is cut by loud static. Whether these are actual malfunctions, however, is still to be speculated.

Behind the scenes

 * GLaDOS is voiced by Ellen McLain. She also provided the voice of the Overwatch Voice in Half-Life 2 and its episodes, the Aperture Science Sentry Guns and GLaDOS' other Personality Cores in Portal, except for the Emotion Core, and the Announcer in Team Fortress 2.


 * The name "GLaDOS", other than the technical name it stands for, is a pun on the female name "Gladys". Indeed, a model folder found in the Portal files is named "gladdysDestruction".


 * As stated in the commentary by Jeremey Bennett, GLaDOS went through several design iterations. Earlier versions included a floating brain, a sprawling, spidery mechanism, and an upside-down version of Botticelli's painting "The Birth of Venus" built out of robot parts and wire. Eventually, the team settled on a huge mechanical device with a robotic figure dangling out of it, conveying both GLaDOS's raw power and femininity.


 * The hundreds of pictures (exactly 143 in total) on the video screens in GLaDOS' main chamber display many various and considerably random items. They include several of images of cake, tools such as bolt cutters (often coupled with cake), a photo of industrial workers), computer parts, many miscellaneous objects, and images of farm animals and equipment. There is also an image of the Black Mesa logo, reinforcing the connection between Aperture Science and Black Mesa. However, several pictures match up with the dialogue, such as an image of a violin when GLaDOS mentions Chell's "violent" behavior, and a picture of a cake when saying "surprise".

Trivia

 * GLaDOS Intelligence Core is actually reciting the cake recipe, also found on many of the screens around the office areas of the Enrichment Center.


 * GLaDOS is strongly reminiscent of HAL 9000, the murderous AI computer of 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, those who read the book, 2001: A Space Odyssey, will find that the HAL 9000 was not self-aware, and driven to his actions in an attempt to rationalize two conflicting orders, to conceal the true mission objective and to never hide anything from the crew. Because GLaDOS became self-aware, and developed a sinister personality, it is safe to assume she is more alive, and more antagonistic, than HAL 9000.

List of appearances

 * ApertureScience.com
 * Portal
 * Portal ARG
 * Portal 2