Thel 'Vadam: Difference between revisions

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==Production notes==
==Production notes==
[[File:ChiefArbiterConcept.jpg|thumb|250px|Concept art of Thel 'Vadam and [[John-117]] inside a [[Forerunner]] facility.]]
[[File:ChiefArbiterConcept.jpg|thumb|250px|Concept art of the Arbiter and the Master Chief inside a Forerunner facility]]
Voiced by [[Keith David]], the Arbiter was introduced as a secondary playable character in ''[[Halo 2]]''; this was part of [[Bungie]]'s creative decision to broaden the scope of the story from what [[Jaime Griesemer]] referred to as an "alien war movie with a space marine". According to [[Joseph Staten]], the character's genesis was heavily tied to the idea of creating a figure who suffered the consequences of the Master Chief's success in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''.<ref>'''[[Remaking The Legend]]'''</ref> Reception to his inclusion was mixed; Bungie community lead [[Brian Jarrard]] attributed some of the fan backlash to a discord between the game's marketing and the actual gameplay; whereas the marketing presented the game's focus as being the defense of Earth from the Covenant, this aspect constitutes only the first missions of the game.<ref>[http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/better-than-halo-the-making-of-halo-2-article '''Eurogamer.net:''' ''Better Than Halo: The Making of Halo 2'']</ref> In ''[[Halo 3]]'', the Arbiter was relegated into a supporting character and there are no levels designed solely from his perspective; he remains a playable character in the [[Cooperative play|co-op]] [[campaign]].
Voiced by [[Keith David]], the Arbiter was introduced as a secondary playable character in ''[[Halo 2]]''; this was part of [[Bungie]]'s creative decision to broaden the scope of the story from what [[Jaime Griesemer]] referred to as an "alien war movie with a space marine". According to [[Joseph Staten]], the character's genesis was heavily tied to the idea of creating a figure who suffered the consequences of the Master Chief's success in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''.<ref>'''[[Remaking The Legend]]'''</ref> Reception to his inclusion was mixed; Bungie community lead [[Brian Jarrard]] attributed some of the fan backlash to a discord between the game's marketing and the actual gameplay; whereas the marketing presented the game's focus as being the defense of Earth from the Covenant, this aspect constitutes only the first missions of the game.<ref>[http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/better-than-halo-the-making-of-halo-2-article '''Eurogamer.net:''' ''Better Than Halo: The Making of Halo 2'']</ref> In ''[[Halo 3]]'', the Arbiter was relegated into a supporting character and there are no levels designed solely from his perspective; he remains a playable character in the [[Cooperative play|co-op]] [[campaign]].


The original title for the character was "the Dervish", a title from the Sufi sect of Islam, but was changed to avoid overt parallels with the Muslim world. Ultimately, it was decided that "Arbiter" was more thematically suitable for his character arc.<ref>[http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=17985 '''Gamasutra''': ''Q&A: Englobe's Edwards Talks Gaming's "Geocultural Risks"'']</ref> In the Spanish versions of ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'', the Arbiter is translated as ''Inquisidor'', which means Inquisitor. This is because the cognate of Arbiter in Spanish, "''árbitro''", means "referee".
The original title for the character was "the Dervish", a title from the Sufi sect of Islam, but was changed to avoid overt parallels with the Muslim world. Ultimately, it was decided that "Arbiter" was more thematically suitable for his character arc.<ref>[http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=17985 '''Gamasutra''': ''Q&A: Englobe's Edwards Talks Gaming's "Geocultural Risks"'']</ref> In the Spanish versions of ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'', the Arbiter is translated as ''Inquisidor'', which means Inquisitor. This is because the cognate of Arbiter in Spanish, "''árbitro''", means "referee".


His name, Thel 'Vadam, was first established in the novel ''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''. While the narrative does not explicitly connect the character with that of the Arbiter from the games, in the very end of the story a reference is made to him being assigned in command of the Fleet of Particular Justice. It was not until later videos on ''Halo Waypoint'' that the Arbiter was explicitly identified as Thel 'Vadam.
The name Thel 'Vadam was established in the novel ''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''. While the narrative does not explicitly connect the character with the Arbiter introduced in ''Halo 2'', his assignment to the Fleet of Particular Justice is referenced near the end of the novel. Much later, Halo Waypoint confirmed that Thel 'Vadamee was indeed the future Arbiter.{{Citation needed}}


In ''Halo 2'' and ''[[Halo 2 Anniversary]]'', the Arbiter has no mandible guards, but he does in ''Halo 3''. Notably, the armor of the last known Arbiter, [[Ripa 'Moramee]], did possess mandible guards. In ''[[Halo: Escalation]]'', 'Vadam wears a more ornamental, gold-colored suit and overall more closely resembles the Sangheili seen in ''Halo 4''. Unlike in previous media, his now-ashen gray skin has sparse scales instead of being smooth and leathery. He is also depicted with the ''Halo 4''-style mouth structure, such that the bases of his upper mandibles are nearly parallel to his eyes. While his new armor is simply a different suit in-universe, it is unclear whether the changes to his physiology represent a retcon or are simply a case of artistic license. This is particularly notable since ''Halo 3''-style Elites are depicted in Issues 1 and 6.
The Arbiter wears mandible guards in ''Halo 3'' despite lacking them in ''Halo 2'' and ''[[Halo 2 Anniversary]]'' yet he wears them in ''Halo 3''. ''[[Halo: Escalation]]'' depicts 'Vadam in the likeness of ''Halo 4''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Elites, most notably through the light tone and sparse texture of his skin. ''Halo 2 Anniversary'' ignores this overhaul, though he does wear his armor from the comic series in the "bookend" cutscenes.


==Trivia==
==Trivia==