The Arbiter changed very little during development , as the overall appearance of the alien Covenant Elites 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 ceremonial armor seen in early concept sketches and which appeared in the final design . During '' Halo 2 '' s early developmental stages the character 's name was " Dervish " , a name from the Sufi sect of Islam . 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 ) . Since this incident was not long after the September 11 attacks , sensitivity to the name remained high , and the character 's name was changed to the " Arbiter "
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Arbiter (Halo)