Halo
Spoilers are ahead for Halo season 2 , episode 6 , " Onyx . "
Summary
InHaloseason 2 , episode 6 , " Onyx , " The Arbiter ( Viktor Åkerblom ) — a.k.a . Var ' Gatanai , the high - ranking Elite who led the Covenant invasion of Reach — brands himself with a symbolisation . For long - fourth dimension fan , say symbolic representation will be immediately recognisable asa reference work toHalo 2 . However , the Paramount+ show does n’t proffer much of an account for the setting , get the brand more of an Easter egg . The sixth episode in the serial ' sophomore picnic does n’t heavily boast The Arbiter , but the Covenant - centric successiveness do reveal a lot about where Var ' Gatanai ’s story is headed .
Disillusioned with her higher - ups , theCovenant ’s " bless one " Makee(Charlie Murphy ) convince Var ' Gatanai to go rogue . Instead of following the Prophets ' order ( and being open to their punishments ) , Makee suggests they find Halo on their own . Eager to show himself , Var balks at the estimation . The battle inHaloseason 1 ’s endingis The Arbiter ’s " great shame , " and he ’s hoping to restore his award by abiding by the Prophets ' will . However , after Cortana ( Jen Taylor ; Christina Bennington ) shows them John ’s ( Pablo Schreiber ) imagination of Halo , Var changes his mind , set the stage for an acute inter - Covenant conflict .
One pointed argumentation in Halo season 2 , episode 6 , " Onyx , " teased the climax of the Flood — and , possibly , the Spartan - III soldier ' roles in the plotline .
The Arbiter’s Mark Of Shame Brand Appears In Halo Season 2, Episode 6
In the essence canyon , Thel ' Vadam takes on the title of Arbiter — a ceremonial , spiritual , and political rank and file . However , Haloseason 2 affirm Var ' Gatanai is The Arbiterin the Silver Timeline ’s interlingual rendition of effect . Eager to redeem himself by killing Master Chief ( Schreiber ) , who ’s referred to as " The Demon " by the Covenant , Var ' Gatanai comes into conflict with Makee when she stop him from ending John ’s lifeon Reach . Another " bless one , " John may be an instrumental part of site the Forerunner ’s Halo array , or so Makee claims during one of theFall of Reach episode ’s large moments .
Haloseason 2 ’s Arbiter is anotherHalo 2character — one who is n’t replace Thel ' Vadam …
In the backwash of their conflict , Var weigh turning Makee over to the Prophets . As they orbitHigh Charity , Makee enlists Cortana ’s help in convincing Var to bring outside the Prophets ' precepts . While Makee attempts to trigger off one of the two Forerunner keystones , The Arbiter reckons with his life - altering decision . In doing so , Var ' Gatanai brands himself with the Mark of Shame . This teases thatHaloseason 2 ’s Arbiter is anotherHalo2 character — one who is n’t replacing Thel ' Vadam , so much as serving as an influence on his eventualHalo 2story .
Custom Image by Kate Bove
In Halo season 2 , the Office of Naval Intelligence ’s Admiral Parangosky ( Shabana Azmi ) lives up to being Halo core canyon ’s most dangerous ONI officer .
The Mark Of Shame Is A Key Symbol In Halo 2
A once - covet rank , the meaning of " Arbiter " changed about 400 years before the onset of the Human - Covenant War , when the bearer of the title renounced theCovenant ’s smashing Journey . As a consequence , the championship of Arbiter became associated with great shame , and subsequent Arbiters were expected to become martyrs in orderliness to redeem themselves . In the coreHalocanon , Thel ' Vadam is the commander who fails to stop Master Chief ’s end of Installation-04 inHalo : Combat develop , hence why he takes on the mantle of Arbiter inHalo 2 .
… becoming an Arbiter is its own sort of death sentence .
After his corking shame , Thel ' Vadam acquire the Mark of Shame . A brand that ’s burned into one ’s flesh , the Mark of Shame is bestowed upon those who have been take down or turned to unorthodoxy . Usually , those who are branded with the Mark of Shame are promptly run . In the case of Thel , he chooses to take on the blanket of Arbiter ; although this economize him the humiliation of a public murder , becoming an Arbiter is its own sort of death sentence . Still , Thel believes that he can redeem himself by serving the Covenant one last time .
Halo season 2 , episode 6 finally deliver on a squad - up that fans of the video biz enfranchisement have been waiting for since the show was announced .
The Meaning Of The Mark Of Shame Changes Over Time
Byrevealing The Arbiter , Haloseason 2 massively changesthe timeline of events that trifle out in the core canyon . It ’s possible that Var ' Gatanai is n’t the show ’s Thel ' Vadam standstill - in , but a replacement for Sesa ' Refumee . After see that the Forerunner Halo raiment is a universe - sterilizing superweapon , Sesa give away the Prophets , breaks away from the Covenant , and leads a heretic sect . Thel is then tasked with stopping Sesa before he undermines theCovenant ’s Great Journeywith his secessionist beliefs . However , as Thel ' Vadam Reb against the Covenant teachings , the Mark of Shame becomes a symbol of defiance .
The Mark of Shame is a symbolic representation of honor during the Great Schism .
After Master Chief kills the Prophet of Regret , the remaining Nebiim settle to reorganize the Covenant hierarchy , stripping Elites of their social status due to their inability to protect the assassinated Prophet . These events culminate in a much larger conflict : the Great Schism — a.k.a . the Covenant Civil War . Although the Mark of Shame is think to be a regrettable brand , it ’s a symbolization of honour during the Great Schism . In fact , the Elites inHalo 3even fatigue the Mark of Shame on their armed combat harness as an ode to Arbiter Thel ' Vadam and his opposition .
Halo season 2 , sequence 6 , " Onyx , " unite Dr. Halsey ’s Forerunner twist with Kwan Ha and The Mother ’s tarradiddle about The Flood ’s imminent arrival .
How The Mark Of Shame Teases The Arbiter’s Halo Season 3 Story
InHaloseason 2 , episode 6 ’s end , Makee realize that she ca n’t commune with the Forerunner keystone . Makee and Cortana surmise that if John interacts with the other keystone , which is being held by ONI and the UNSC on Onyx , both Forerunner objects will activate once more . Cortana transmits herself to Onyx to avail John reach the key , but the Covenant priest and other loyalist on the Arbiter and Makee ’s ship detect the A.I. ’s transmission . Ordered to execute Makee for her insolence , Var ' Gatanai slaughter the Covenant loyalists , choosing to protect the " blessed one . "
Whether Arbiter Var ' Gatanai is the show ’s Sesa ' Refumee stand - in — one who is prim to lead a heretical faction alongside Makee — or a Thel ' Vadam replacement who will stand alongside the humans , the Elite has taken a clean-cut outdoor stage against the Covenant . Although he may have assume the Mark of Shame to aby for his decisiveness to go rogue with Makee , the brand will likely become a powerful symbolic representation of defiance in theHaloTV series , just as it is in the core canon , which sets up an excitingHaloseason 3 tale .
Haloseason 2 ’s finale airs on March 21 , 2024 , on Paramount+ .
