Halo season 2 will feature an Arbiter, but maybe not the one you're expecting

Halo TV series executive producer Kiki Wolfkill has teased that "an Arbiter" will appear in the second season - but maybe not the one you're expecting.

In the opening episode of Halo season 2, Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) is saved by an Arbiter from the fanatical Covenant race. An intriguing wrinkle in its own right, but game fans will be acutely aware that the Arbiter - voiced by Keith David in the Microsoft series - plays a major role in that saga. However, it's not yet clear if it's the Arbiter from the games or a new character entirely.

"He is an Arbiter. Arbiter being a title... I've probably just told you more than I was supposed to. It's possible you saw Arbiter armor," Wolfkill tells SFX magazine in the new issue, which features Halo season 2 on the cover.

"It's something of a sacrificial role, but what it does is create this beautiful foil, as it did in the games, and also a viewpoint into some of the zealotry of the Covenant," Wolfkill says of the Arbiter, a designated sacrificial lamb within the Covenant whose sole purpose is to atone for their past sins and die in combat.  

Wolfkill continues, "It's important for us to have a good foil for the Master Chief."

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Halo season 2 releases on Paramount Plus on February 8. The above is just a snippet of our interview, available in the latest issue of SFX magazine, which features Halo season 2 on the cover and is available on newsstands from Wednesday, January 24. For even more from SFX, sign up for the newsletter, sending all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.