Arbiter (Halo)

In the Halo science fiction universe, an Arbiter is a ceremonial, religious, and political rank bestowed upon Covenant Elites. In the 2004 video game Halo 2, the rank is given to a disgraced commander as a way to atone for his failures. Although the Arbiter is intended to die serving the Covenant leadership, the High Prophets, he survives his missions and the Prophets' subsequent betrayal of his kind. When he learns that the Prophets' plans would doom all sentient life in the galaxy, the Arbiter allies with the Covenant's enemies (humans) and stops the ringworld Halo from being activated. The Arbiter is a playable character in Halo 2 and its 2007 sequel Halo 3; a different Arbiter appears in the 2009 real-time strategy game Halo Wars, which takes place 20 years before the events of the main trilogy.

Arbiter
Halo character
Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee, as he appears in Halo Wars (2009)
First appearanceHalo 2 (2004)
(Thel 'Vadamee/Thel 'Vadam)
Voiced by
In-universe information
AffiliationThe Covenant

The appearance of the Arbiter in Halo 2 and the change in perspective from the main human protagonist Master Chief to a former enemy was a plot twist Halo developer Bungie kept highly secret. The character's name was changed from "Dervish" after concerns that the name reinforced a perceived United States-versus-Islam allegory in the game's plot. Actor Keith David lends his voice to the character in Halo 2, 3, and 5, while David Sobolov voices the Arbiter of Halo Wars.

The Arbiter has appeared in four series of action figures and other collectibles and marketing in addition to appearances in the games. Bungie intended the sudden point of view switch to a member of the Covenant as a plot twist that no one would have seen coming, but the character in particular and the humanization of the Covenant in general was not evenly received by critics and fans. Computer and Video Games derided the Arbiter's missions as "crap bits" in Halo 2. Conversely, IGN lamented the loss of the Arbiter's story in Halo 3 and missed the added dimension the character provided to the story.

Character design
Keith David voiced Thel 'Vadamee, the Arbiter of Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 5: Guardians

The concept of the Arbiter came from early story discussions for Halo 2. Bungie designer Jaime Griesemer and story director Joseph Staten discussed playing from the perspective of an alien soldier to see the other side of the war between the human United Nations Space Command and alien Covenant. "What if you were the guy whose butt was on the line for protecting the most valuable religious object in the entire world, and you blew it?" said Staten. "That seems like a pretty interesting story, and one we should tell."[1] Halo developer Bungie's former content manager Frank O'Connor said that the inclusion of the Arbiter as a playable character in Halo 2 was supposed to be a "secret on the scale of a Shyamalan plot twist" and that Bungie kept the public uninformed until the game's release; O'Connor never included it in the weekly development updates posted at Bungie's website, and insisted story details about the Arbiter's past would remain mysterious.[2] Staten said that the purpose of introducing the Arbiter was "to offer another, compelling point of view on a war where telling friend from foe wasn't always clear-cut. We knew we had a trilogy on our hands, so we were looking past the shock of playing as the enemy [to the events of Halo 3]".[3] While there were those in Bungie who were against the Arbiter as a player character, Staten chalked its inclusion in the game to a combination of wearing down his opponents and the gameplay sandbox opportunities that came from having Covenant allies.[1]

The Arbiter changed very little during development, as the overall appearance of the alien Covenant Elites (Sangheili) had been designed and developed for the previous game, 2001's Halo: Combat Evolved. The only substantial difference between the Arbiter and other Elites is special ceremonial armor, which appeared in early concept sketches and appeared as part of the character's final design.[4] During Halo 2's early developmental stages the character's name was "Dervish",[5] a name from the Sufi sect of Islam.[6] Bungie picked the name because of its evocation of an otherworldly holy warrior.[1] Out of context, Microsoft Game Studios' "geocultural review" consultants found nothing wrong with the name. However, as Tom Edwards, a consultant who worked with Microsoft during the review noted, "within the game's context this Islamic-related name of 'Dervish' set up a potentially problematic allegory related to Halo 2's plot—the [United States]-like forces (Master Chief/Sarge) versus Islam (the religious Covenant, which already had a 'Prophet of Truth' which is one title for Muhammad)".[6] In the geopolitical reality after the September 11 attacks, sensitivity to the name remained high, and the character's name was changed.[6] The switch came so late that the game's voice lines had to be re-recorded, and some game manuals were printed with the wrong name.[1]

For Halo 5, the Arbiter's armor was redesigned, explained in-universe as a tribute to previous Arbiters and as a symbol of transition for the Elites.[7] 343 Industries designed the armor to look "medieval" and antiquated, and incorporated brass and leather accents instead of something more futuristic.[8]

The Arbiter in the main video games is voiced by American actor Keith David. David noted that he enjoys voicing complicated characters who have a past. To make an impact with voice acting, he said, is difficult—"it's either good acting or it's bad acting".[9] David is not a frequent video game player, but stated in 2008 that he had become more known for his work as the Arbiter than for his other roles.[10]

Major appearances

Presented in Halo 2, the rank of "Arbiter" is bestowed upon a Covenant Elite by the Covenant leadership—the High Prophets—during a time of crisis. Although it was originally a rank of great honor, it later became a rank assigned to disgraced or shamed Elites that nevertheless possessed great martial skill, both as a means to have them serve the Covenant, and as a convenient means of disposal after their assigned suicidal missions.[11] The Arbiter in the main Halo games is named Thel 'Vadamee;[12] previously a commander in the Covenant fleet, he is stripped of his rank for failing to stop the human soldier Master Chief from destroying the Forerunner ringworld Halo; the Covenant revere the Forerunners as gods and believe the rings are the key to the salvation central to their religion. 'Vadamee is spared execution by the High Prophets and becomes the newest Arbiter. His first mission is to silence a renegade Elite who has been preaching that the Prophets have lied to the Covenant.[13] The Arbiter is then sent to the newly-discovered Delta Halo to retrieve the "Sacred Icon" necessary to activate the ring. Though he retrieves the Icon, the Arbiter is betrayed by the Chieftain of the Brutes, Tartarus; Tartarus reveals that the Prophets have ordered the replacement of the Elites in the Covenant power structure. Though the Arbiter is believed dead, he and Master Chief are rescued by the parasitic Flood intelligence Gravemind. Gravemind reveals that the activation Halos are weapons of destruction, not salvation, and sends the Arbiter to stop Tartarus from activating the ring as the Covenant falls into civil war. In the process, the Arbiter and his Elites forge an alliance with the humans Miranda Keyes and Avery Johnson,[12] and together they kill Tartarus and stop the activation of Delta Halo, triggering a failsafe; the remaining Halo installations are put on standby from remote activation from a Forerunner installation known as the Ark.

While the Arbiter remains a playable character in Halo 3 during cooperative gameplay (the second player in a game lobby controls him), the game's story never switches to the point of view of the Arbiter, as in Halo 2.[14] For much of Halo 3, the Arbiter assists human forces in their fight against hostile Covenant forces alongside Master Chief. They follow Covenant forces through a portal to the Ark, where the Arbiter kills the final surviving High prophet. The Master Chief decides to activate the Halo under construction at the Ark to destroy the local Flood while sparing the galaxy at large. During the escape, the ship Arbiter and Master Chief are on is split in two; the Arbiter crashes safely to Earth while Master Chief is presumed lost. After attending a ceremony honoring the dead, the Arbiter and the rest of the Elites return to their homeworld. A series of novels set after the war, the Kilo-Five trilogy, detail the Arbiter's efforts in the civil war that breaks out among the Sangheili.

The Arbiter reappears in Halo 5: Guardians, where his forces, the Swords of Sangheilios, remain locked in combat with a faction of Covenant. The human fireteam Osiris travels to Sanghelios and rescues the Arbiter from attack, later making plans for an assault on the final Covenant stronghold of Sunaion. The Arbiter's forces and the humans fight together to defeat the Covenant. After the human artificial intelligence Cortana begins subjugating the galaxy, Fireteam Osiris and Blue Team return to Sangheilios where the Arbiter and the Master Chief are reunited.

Taking place 20 years before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved,[15] Ensemble Studio's Halo Wars (2009) features a different Arbiter from the character seen in the trilogy.[16] Lead designer David Pottinger described Ensemble's Arbiter as a "mean guy. He's Darth Vader times ten." The characterization stemmed from a desire to make the Covenant more basically "evil" in order to provide a good guy-bad guy conflict.[17] Parts of the Arbiter's backstory before the game's events are explained in a tie-in graphic novel, Halo Wars: Genesis.[18] The Elite, Ripa 'Moramee, was given the rank after he fought and lost a campaign against his own clan.[11] The Arbiter acts as the primary enemy of the game, charged with the destruction of humanity by the Prophet of Regret. Under the Prophet's orders, the Arbiter kidnaps Professor Ellen Anders and takes her to a Forerunner shield world in uncharted space where he uses Anders to activate a massive fleet of Forerunner dreadnoughts with the plan to use the fleet to destroy humanity. The Arbiter engages in combat with protagonist Sergeant John Forge twice: once when the Arbiter kidnaps Anders and once when Forge attempts to use the Spirit of Fire's FTL reactor to destroy the shield world. Both times the Arbiter proves to be more than a match for Forge. The first time, the Arbiter spares Forge's life after Anders agrees to go with him quietly in exchange. The second time, Forge tricks the Arbiter before stabbing him in the neck with his combat knife "Lucy". Forge is then able to kill the Arbiter with his own energy sword.

Other appearances

An Arbiter is available as a playable character in Killer Instinct: Season Three, voiced by Ray Chase. He uses several weapons from the Halo series in combat, and fights in the Arena of Judgment, a stage set in the midst of a battle on Sanghelios. According to franchise development director Frank O'Connor, this character is an "amalgam" of historical characters.[19] The character also appears in several Halo novels, including The Cole Protocol, which details his rise in the Covenant.

Cultural impact

Merchandise

Following the release of Halo 2, Joyride Studios released an Arbiter action figure. This particular model was reviewed by Armchair Empire's Aaron Simmer as a "great translation of the source material into plastic".[20] Simmer described the figure's dimensions were in proportion with other figures released by the studio, and praised the level of detail in the armor and weapons, but found fault with the neck articulation and design.[20] Other aspects mentioned were its compatibility with the Master Chief's action figure and its durability.[20] Several models of the Arbiter are featured in the Halo ActionClix collectible game, produced as promotional material prior to the release of Halo 3.[21] McFarlane Toys was given the task of developing a Halo 3 line of action figures, and a sculpt of the Arbiter was released in the second series of figures after the game's release in July 2008.[22] A large-scale, non-articulated Arbiter figure was produced by McFarlane as part of the "Legendary Collection".[23]

Critical reception

The reception of the Arbiter as a playable character in Halo 2 was mixed; O'Connor described the Arbiter as the most controversial character Bungie had ever created.[24] The character was described as a "brilliant stroke of a game design" because it provided an unexpected story line but also offered the player new options by allowing stealth gameplay.[25] Several publications enjoyed the added dimension to the Covenant by having the Arbiter as a playable character;[3][26] The Artifice questioned why Master Chief was considered the standout character of the series, when only the Arbiter had a satisfying arc to his story, and whose active participation made the ending of the game richer.[27]

Alternatively, publications like GameSpot thought that while the Arbiter and Covenant side added "newfound complexity to the story", it distracted the player from Earth's fate;[28] a panel of Halo 2 reviewers argued that though the decision to humanize the Covenant by the introduction of the Arbiter was welcome, the execution in-game was lacking.[29] The missions where the player controls the Arbiter were described as "anything but easy" and occasionally "boring", due to the lack of human weapons to balance the gameplay.[29] A review performed by Computer and Video Games described the time that the player controls the character as "[those] crap bits when you play as an alien Arbiter" and listed this as one of Halo 2's flaws.[30] Reviewer Jarno Kokko said that while he did not personally dislike playing as the character, the idea of "people disliking the concept of playing on the other side in a game that is supposed to be the 'Master Chief blows up some alien scum' show" was a plausible complaint.[31] Among some fans, the character was reviled.[3]

The reception of the Arbiter's elimination as a main playable character in Halo 3 was similarly mixed. Hilary Goldstein of IGN decided the change took away the "intriguing side-story of the Arbiter and his Elites", in the process reducing the character's role to that of "a dude with a weird mandible and a cool sword".[32] Likewise, Steve West of Cinemablend.com stated that the one important event in the game for the Arbiter would be lost on anyone for whom Halo 3 was their first game in the series.[33] Goldstein took issue with the poor artificial intelligence (AI) of allies in the game, and singled out the Arbiter in particular; "The Arbiter makes me question why the Elites were ever feared in the original Halo," and describing the character as useless.[34][35] The New York Times' Charles Herold found that in comparison to Halo 2, where the character played a central role, the Arbiter in Halo 3 was "extraneous".[36] On the opposite end of the spectrum were reviewers like G4tv, who argued that the Arbiter was more likeable, not to mention more useful, as an AI sidekick instead of the main player.[37] In a list of the top alien characters in video games, MSNBC placed the Arbiter at the number two ranking.[38]

Halo Wars's cinematics and voice acting were widely lauded,[39][40][41][42] although one reviewer wrote that the characters were stereotypical and unlikeable.[43] Dakota Grabowski of PlanetXbox360 considered the Arbiter the most confusing character in the game's story.[44] Conversely, GamePro listed the Arbiter as one of the best things about the game, saying that while it was a different character than the Arbiter seen in Halo 2 and Halo 3, he was "like an alien Jack Bauer amped up on drugs".[45]

Despite the resistance to the character, Bungie staff defended the character's introduction. "I'd much rather experiment and do something surprising, and not have everybody appreciate it, than just turn the crank and do another alien war movie with a space marine," said Halo 2 design lead Jaime Griesemer. Community lead Brian Jarrard attributed some of the fan backlash to a discord between the game's marketing and the actual gameplay. "I think, even more so than playing as the Arbiter, the thing that people were disappointed with and angry about is that they were promised this experience, through the marketing, of being really backs against the wall, Earth's under siege, we're going to do all we can to save our home planet... In reality, the game only had two missions that actually did that." Referring to Halo 2's cliffhanger ending, Griesemer said, "I think if we'd been able to finish that last couple of missions and get you properly back on Earth, a lot of the reaction would have been placated."[3]

References
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