What Has the Arbiter Done...?

Games Halo 5: Guardians
1

So, in the RTX terminal trailer, we saw our favorite Sangheli get all cryptic going ‘whatcha gonna do when ya learn the truth?!’ (more or less).

Also, at the beginning of the video, ONI classifies the Arbiter’s ‘target value’ as ‘alpha’. And the transmission is labeled as a ‘Target Profile’.
That’s right, target.

So whatever ol’ Arby did, it had to pretty out there to get under ONI’s skin.
Unless I missed something in Escalation, Arby’s a war criminal now. Which makes me think, what’s he doing with Locke in the MCC reveal trailer?

While I preach that nothing should be confirmed from CGI trailers, this seems pretty big to go under radar. Those theories about Locke and Thel working together may not be correct after all.

So what are your guys’ thoughts…?

2

I think that he was Alpha back in the past, as it labels him “Thel 'Vadamee”, the name he went by when he served the Covenant. It also calls him the Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice, something he doesn’t lead when he’s friends with humanity. He’s probably not a traitor.

If I had to guess, what he’s done was either leading the Fall of Reach or something much worse to humans in the past. Something he thinks John will find unforgivable.

3

He was shipmaster of the fleet of particular justice, responsible for the fall of reach (the most tragic event in the war), killing billions of humans, mainly civilians, and also the majority of the spartan-II, and glassing part of the planet.

This and there is some speculation about an alliance with the prophets because of an image in the trailer, but I’m sceptic about it.

@Varmah52
But what is worse than destroying chief’s home and humanity’s last defense, and killing chief’s spartan companions?

4

> If I had to guess, what he’s done was either leading the Fall of Reach or something much worse to humans in the past. Something he thinks John will find unforgivable.

Considering Thel was at Reach at the time I’m going to say this is his massive crime against humanity. The slaughter of everyone on that planet was immense so it wouldn’t be surprising if ONI branded him a war criminal.

Don’t forget that one line from Halo 2:
“They called it the Pillar of Autumn. It fled as we set fire to their planet, but I followed with all the ships in my command.”

5

> > If I had to guess, what he’s done was either leading the Fall of Reach or something much worse to humans in the past. Something he thinks John will find unforgivable.
>
> Considering Thel was at Reach at the time I’m going to say this is his massive crime against humanity. The slaughter of everyone on that planet was immense so it wouldn’t be surprising if ONI branded him a war criminal.
>
> Don’t forget that one line from Halo 2:
> “They called it the Pillar of Autumn. It fled as we set fire to their planet, but I followed with all the ships in my command.”

That’s true. But there could be more to this.

Fun fact about Sangheili ranking: Your rank is measured by the amount of humans you kill. A single Ultra has most likely killed dozens of humans to earn his place. Now imagine how many humans you need to kill to start being called Supreme Commander. Arbiter definitely has more blood on his hands than Reach.

6

What ever he did I hope he can be forgiven…anyone who can take it upon themselves to turn against all you know because of the in-justice he saw needs forgiveness…He saved us…this one time we should just let it go.

He will not turn his back on us unless we turn ours first.

7

> > > If I had to guess, what he’s done was either leading the Fall of Reach or something much worse to humans in the past. Something he thinks John will find unforgivable.
> >
> > Considering Thel was at Reach at the time I’m going to say this is his massive crime against humanity. The slaughter of everyone on that planet was immense so it wouldn’t be surprising if ONI branded him a war criminal.
> >
> > Don’t forget that one line from Halo 2:
> > “They called it the Pillar of Autumn. It fled as we set fire to their planet, but I followed with all the ships in my command.”
>
> That’s true. But there could be more to this.
>
> Fun fact about Sangheili ranking: Your rank is measured by the amount of humans you kill. A single Ultra has most likely killed dozens of humans to earn his place. Now imagine how many humans you need to kill to start being called Supreme Commander. Arbiter definitely has more blood on his hands than Reach.

This is true. This just gets more and more juicy by the minute. :open_mouth:

8

The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) are the ‘black ops science division’ of the United Earth Government (UEG)… and so their role is to foresee every possible outcome… even the worst possible ones… like a galactic-wide Flood Invasion.

Also the reason that the Arbiter, Kaidon Thel’Vadam, is an Alpha-priority target is due to his status and influence he holds… not just over the Sangheili but also the forces he could marshal.

The Elites are a destructive force when united and quite cunning… and so ONI have potentially got the highest priority leaders under surveillance… Didact’s Hand, Supreme Commander Jul ‘Mdama… The Bishop, Avu Med’ Telcam… Arbiter, Kaidon Thel 'Vadam… heck even Eldar Chieftain Lydus… each Alpha target would hold the potential to unite the Covenant forces, and re-create the devastating Empire.

In short, ONI will not assassinate one as the other surviving members will gain more influence and power… and so they attempt to leave them splintered and weak… killing themselves without creating the vast threat that was the Covenant Empire.

However Jul 'Mdama having secured the ‘temporary’ alliance of the Ur-Didact and his Promethean army… he stands as the greatest threat to the United Nations Space Command (UNSC).

For what he has apparently done…

I’d have to say the Fall Of Reach is a key factor…

I don’t believe he is siding with the remaining San 'Shyuum… as it wouldn’t benefit the Sangheili… plus they would loath them.

9

> What ever he did I hope he can be forgiven…anyone who can take it upon themselves to turn against all you know because of the in-justice he saw needs forgiveness…He saved us…this one time we should just let it go.
>
> He will not turn his back on us unless we turn ours first.

“Well… I may have annihilated the most valuable men, planet, and resources your kind ever knew… so, no hard feelings, right?”

Well, I kinda agree with you. It is incredibly likely the thing Arbiter committed was staging the fall of Reach. He did, however, help humans and Master Chief save the galaxy and humanity a couple times.

But we have no idea how ONI is going react if they discover Thel’s the one who nearly brought the human species to extinction. ONI doesn’t care if they’re ‘even’. ONI is ruthless.

> I think that he was Alpha back in the past, as it labels him “Thel 'Vadamee”, the name he went by when he served the Covenant. It also calls him the Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice, something he doesn’t lead when he’s friends with humanity. He’s probably not a traitor.
>
> If I had to guess, what he’s done was either leading the Fall of Reach or something much worse to humans in the past. Something he thinks John will find unforgivable.

True… but in the very beginning of the video, the credentials entered are John’s, and the transmission review is completed by Locke. John would have no reason to be trying to learn about Arby before the Halo events.

Also, kudos to CorruptKnight7 for bring this up, and to LoneWolF138 for getting a shot of this… [thread here.]
Like Knight said, you have to slow your YouTube speed down to 0.25 in order to even have a chance to glimspe this. At the very end of the video, when is the Arbiter is done flickering, THIS can be seen. It goes so fast, even at 0.25 speed, I had to try 10 times to pause on the dime.

It looks like a marine’s helmet floating in a space wreck… but why have it the vid, and why try to hide it?

10

Humanity gains more from him being alive then dead.

If we let the past decide our actions we will forever be at war.

11

> Humanity gains more from him being alive then dead.
>
> If we let the past decide our actions we will forever be at war.

-

My god, that is the most beautiful quote I’ve ever seen.

12

Either way, it sounds like he has some serious skeletons up in his closet.

13

> Either way, it sounds like he has some serious skeletons up in his closet.

Technically, several million skeletons.

14

Difficult to say.

Killed Halsey?

If Jul and Thel doesn’t get along very well, we could very likely see fights between them where there’d be either collateral damage or Thel went hunting for Jul’s sudden found efficiency with Forerunner artifacts. He finds Halsey, gets in a lethal wound on her, but she manages to get out a drawn out death speech, recognizing him, telling him that he helped John/Master Chief, what her actual plan with Jul was and so forth.

I’d say it’s highly unlikely though.

Time will tell?

15

Whatever Thel did, I hope that there’s more to it than him being the one who glassed Reach.

As for the “priority alpha” thing, I’m pretty sure that that’s referring to the days during the Human-Covenant War given that it said “Thel 'VadamEE” instead of Thel 'Vadam.

16

I’m guessing you don’t get to be as kick -Yoink- as the Arbiter with out killing a few billion humans.

17

i tihnk the theories of mendicant bias being the one that sends MC to requiem by colapsing the slipspace rupture while thel is at the front and MC is in the back half is completly plausible even more so now that i believe that thel was also contacted by mendicant to aid bias by sending him away, i find it awkward now looking back at halo 3’s cinematic how quick the arbiter is to just leave john in the cargo hold. and now all of a sudden " what will we think of him when we fid out what he’s done" maybe im over thinking but i LOVE that halo makes me do that.

18

Leaked -Yoink!- tape between him and Serin Osman. Trust me, my dad works at Microsoft.

19

He killed a bunch of Humans.

20

> He killed a bunch of Humans.

Thel and Chief have each killed ludicrously high numbers of each other’s species. This is a well-known fact, it’s not some secret Arby is worried John will find out about. There has to be something else he’s has done, presumably in the postwar period where it would constitute a betrayal.