Merlynn said:
I don't recall GLaDOS saying she had copies of the character. Just other test subjects.
At some point, I believe during the final battle, GLaDOS points out that it's a bad idea to kill her, because she has a copy of Chell's mind backed up, and she can remake her. Why kill your route to immortality? I think that's the point GLADoS was trying to make.
And Funk,if she killed all the scientists,where are the bodies? Where's the blood stains? Why doesn't she alter the incineration chamber to disallow escapes?
Why do you hold GLaDOS up as this all-powerful, all-knowing device, and then turn around and question her ability to eliminate all the scientists without leaving behind blood or bodies?
If the clues were left by previous Chelle's and GLaDOS really did want to kill her,why leave that chamber open to future escapes?
Look at the facts,man. GLaDOS had everything she needed to make the ultimate deathtrap. She could've just sealed the elevator and let Chelle starve. She could have just set up a firing line in any number of places where it'd have been impossible to pass. But she didn't. Why? Cause Chelle had to have a chance to succeed. If your goal is to kill someone,you don't give them a chance to do anything but die. I mean,you sit and watch someone do something to get out of your incinerator time and again,you fix that. It's an obvious flaw.
Sorry,the only way it makes sense is that GLaDOS was only testing Chelle.
While I am sympathetic to your thought that the obvious flaw was intentional, I think you're overlooking the possibility that GLaDOS is not infallible. She could've had a blind spot, or the fire room wasn't reconfigurable. From the audio pieces, it seems like her AI was a bit unstable to start with.
I'm with you about the last bit being more of a test than an attempt to kill. But I don't think your case is as foolproof as you seem to.
It would also seem that your story ignores a lot of the pre-provided back story, ie, the stuff available on Aperture Science, the clues that Chell is the daughter of the founder of the company, etc, etc. Unless your contention is that all of this is a ruse on the part of GLaDOS. At which point, I ask, why is GLaDOS trying to fool us?
@CantFakeTheFunk: The "them" that GLaDOS is protecting the facility from could easily be the scientists. If we assume she killed them, then why did she kill them? Maybe because she recognized that ultimately people are too weak to perform the truly necessary tests, so to maintain the pure science, she took out the people, and is actively keeping them out.
Edit: Mixed up the source of various claims, and fixed it.
