- NOTE: This article is about the Inquisitorius from the current canon timeline and not the original continuity. For the legends' take on the Inquisitorius, read this article.
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The Inquisitorius, also known as Imperial Inquisitors or simply Inquisitors, are supporting antagonists in the Star Wars franchise.
They are the Galactic Empire's police organization of Force-sensitives who wielded the dark side that existed following the end of the Clone Wars and were tasked with tracking down and killing all remaining Jedi who survived Order 66, as well as locating other Force-sensitives and either recruit them into the Imperial ranks or execute them.
Overview[]
The Inquisitorius was an organization formed sometime after the Empire's formation at the end of the Clone Wars. The goal of the organization was to track down and assassinate all remaining Jedi that survived Order 66 in order to have Imperial rule be left unopposed.
They were equipped with black and grey combat armor and red spinning double-bladed lightsabers. Besides killing Jedi, the Inquisitorius also searched for Force-sensitives from civilians to Imperial cadets and would have them executed if they wouldn't join the ranks of the Empire, preventing the possible return of the Jedi Order. The Inquisitors were essentially agents of the Sith who tracked down and eliminated their enemies both Jedi and even other Sith like the renegade Darth Maul. They also hunted down members of the Rebel Alliance.
History[]
Agents of the Sith[]
“ | Darth Sidious: The Inquisitorius. A project of mine, long planned. Slaves to the light side once, now awake. Hunters, one and all. Darth Vader: What do they hunt? |
„ |
~ Darth Sidious explained the Inquisitorius to Darth Vader. |
In 19 BBY, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine had ended the Clone Wars with the dissolution of both the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems and formed the Galactic Empire from the remnants of both governments. Palpatine used the attempted arrest by Jedi Master Mace Windu as justification for his power grab and declared the Jedi Order enemies of the state and had them destroyed via the execution of Order 66 turning all clone troopers and commanders against their Jedi superiors.
Many Jedi however, such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, survived Order 66 and so Palpatine had the Inquisitorius formed as a means of tracking down and eliminating the Jedi for good. The Inquisitors were found and recruited and had themselves trained at the hands of Palpatine's apprentice, Darth Vader, who taught them the ways of the dark side of the force and had them wield double-bladed red lightsabers which had the capability to spin in a circle.
Many of the Inquisitors were actually former Jedi who had turned to the dark side in some way or another; with The Grand Inquisitor being a former Jedi Temple Guard and the Tenth Brother being the former Jedi Master Prosset Dibs. Interrogation chairs were developed by the Inquisitorius and a Pau'an took office as the leader and was simply known as The Grand Inquisitor.
In order to help them in finding the surviving Jedi, the Inquisitors were taught to study the records of the Jedi Order to analyze their fighting techniques and it made them dangerous fighters. Due to their mission, Inquisitors were allowed to command any personnel of the Imperial Military that they needed and all Imperial Officers that came into contact with them had to obey their orders. Due to their privileges, many Imperial Officers such as Admiral Kassius Konstantine loathed the Inquisitors calling them "mystics" as a result of their privileged authority.
The Inquisitors were also assigned another mission in which they were to track down and have all Force-sensitives taken into Imperial custody in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Jedi. They also took part in Project Harvester which involved identifying all Imperial Cadets in all of the academies across the galaxy to see if they were force-sensitive and have them taken into imperial hands. All who cooperated became Inquisitors while those who didn't were properly executed.
Insurgency on Lothal[]
“ | I am the Inquisitor. Welcome. | „ |
~ The Grand Inquisitor introduction to Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger. |
Approximately one year after the rise of the Empire, the Inquisitors were dispatched across the galaxy for the sole purpose of eliminating the last of the Jedi and maintaining both Sith and Imperial rule over the galaxy. Around 18 BBY, the Sixth Brother was active and began his search for all Force-sensitive children, but he gave up his original mission after he found out that a Force-sensitive old enough to have received Jedi training was found in the Outer Rim and so he was sent there to hunt down the supposed Jedi.
Unknown to the Inquisitor however, the Force-sensitive was actually Ahsoka Tano, who left the Jedi Order after being wrongfully accused of treason during the final years of the Clone Wars. He traveled to Raada and set a trap for the former padawan and dueled her. However, he wasn't as agile or skilled as Ahsoka and she was able to defeat him and stole his lightsaber crystals. The Grand Inquisitor eventually found out about Ahsoka and her identity shortly afterwards, but not before informing Lord Vader.
When rumors surfaced of a Jedi leading a rebel cell on the Outer Rim world of Lothal reached Imperial ears, Vader had the Grand Inquisitor dispatched to the planet in order to deal with the rumored Jedi threat. Kanan Jarrus was eventually identified and the Inquisitor chased him and the rebels until Kanan finally surrendered in an attempt to allow his cell to retreat and avoid capture.
The former Padawan was eventually interrogated by the inquisitor onboard a Star Destroyer but, the rebels broke in and rescued him and during a lightsaber duel between the two, Kanan won and the Grand Inquisitor killed himself in response to his defeat. After the Inquisitor was killed, two more would be eventually sent in to the planet Lothal to eliminate the rebel cell.
Finding Ahsoka Tano[]
“ | Zeb: Who's got Ezra? Sabine Wren: Inquisitors. Two of them! Zeb: (Sigh) One was bad enough. |
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~ Zeb and Sabine Wren encounter the Fifth Brother and the Seventh Sister. |
After the Grand Inquisitor was killed, Darth Vader located a rebel fleet and attacked it while they were over Lothal. Phoenix Squadron engaged the dark lord but were all shot down due to his superior piloting and Force abilities. During the skirmish, Vader destroyed most of the fleet and even managed to find out that Ahsoka was alive using his Force senses. With the need to eliminate the Jedi still open, this was an opportunity to have the Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother dispatched and the two were eventually deployed and they began their hunt for the two Jedi that killed their leader.
While she was intercepting transmissions on Mustafar, Ahsoka found out about the Inquisitors' plan to abduct Force-sensitive children and Alora and Pypey were soon kidnapped over the planets of Chandel and Tabobo respectively and such action brought the two Inquisitors into contact with the Ghost crew. On Takobo, the Ghost crew was found and targeted by the Inquisitors but were protected by Ahsoka Tano who fought both the Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother and beaten them both allowing the rebels to flee.
This would not be the end as the rebels would be pursued by the two to other worlds such as Garel where they unsuccessfully tried to capture them but they did manage to force them to withdraw from the planet all together. Three years before the Battle of Yavin, the inquisitors spent several months chasing the rebels throughout the galaxy to planets like Oosalon where they fought Kanan and Ezra but they managed to escape despite the best efforts of the inquisitors.
The two would later find Kanan, Ezra, and Ahsoka in the Lothal Jedi Temple where they ambushed them but, they were taken by surprise when apparitions of Jedi Temple Guards were summoned by Yoda, one of them being the Grand Inquisitor who was a former Jedi himself, and attacked them giving time for the rebels to escape but the inquisitors still survived.
Mission to Malachor[]
Sometime after the events in the Lothal Jedi Temple, Ezra, Kanan and Ahsoka traveled to the foresaken outer rim world of Malachor under the guidence of Master Yoda. There, the Eighth Brother was deployed where he was tracking down the rogue Sith warrior, Maul while the Jedi were on the planet trying to get the Sith holocron from the planet's Sith temple. The Eighth Brother attacked them and separated the group leaving Ezra with Maul who secretly taught Ezra in the ways of the Sith. Kanan and Ahsoka captured the Eighth Brother but, he sent out a distress signal calling in the Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother and was later freed and dueled the two Jedi.
Ezra was with Maul in the Sith temple when they both came out to see the Inquisitors dueling Ahsoka and Kanan down below. The Seventh Sister found the two and attempted to engage them in lightsaber combat, but Maul force chocked her and demanded that Ezra strike her down and when he couldn't bring himself to do it, Maul killed her himself and told Ezra that the next time he held back in a fight, it would cost him his life. The two later rejoined Kanan and Ahsoka in dealing with the Fifth and Eighth Brothers and the two were later defeated before Darth Vader showed up forcing the rebels to retreat and causing Ahsoka to go missing.
End of the Hunt[]
Three years after the events on Malachor, the Empire continued their purge until 0 BBY when they stopped it completely. The Imperial government had believed that the Jedi Order was finished, its remnants destroyed and the Jedi were extinct as a whole. As a result, the Inquisitorius was rendered useless and was disbanded by the Imperial authorities with Grand Moff Tarkin claiming that Vader was the last practitioner of the "ancient religion" while onboard the Death Star during a meeting. The Imperials would later be taken by surprise when the Jedi were found to still be alive and would later bring down their government.
It is possible that the Inquisitorius was disbanded due to the deaths of most of the more well-known Inquisitors throughout the Imperial Era pre-0 BBY.
Known Members[]
- The Grand Inquisitor - A male Pau'an and former Jedi Temple Guard, the Grand Inquisitor was an unnamed individual who became the leader of the Inquisitorius and was the first one to chase Kanan Jarrus and the Lothal rebels. He is the main antagonist of Season One, as well as the first Inquisitor to be introduced. After being defeated by Kanan Jarrus, he commited a suicide rather than face Vader's wrath.
- Second Sister - A female Human Inquisitor who appeared in Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith books, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Once known as Trilla Suduri, she was the Padawan of Jedi Knight Cere Junda before she was captured by the Empire during the Jedi Purge and tortured into turning to the dark side. Killed by Darth Vader for failing him.
- Third Brother - A Inquisitor mentioned in the Star Wars Encylopedia.
- Third Sister - A female Human Inquisitor who appeared in the Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries.
- Fourth Sister - A female Inquisitor who appeared in the Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries.
- Fifth Brother - A tall, muscular, gray-skinned male Inquisitor of an unknown humanoid species, the Fifth Brother was sent in after the Grand Inquisitor was killed and began chasing the rebels along with the Seventh Sister. He would chase the Lothal rebels across the entire galaxy until his last stand on Malachor, and was one of the secondary antagonists of Season Two. He is disarmed by Ahsoka Tano and killed by Darth Maul.
- Sixth Brother - A blue-eyed male Inquisitor of an unknown humanoid species, the Sixth Brother appeared in the novel Ahsoka. He hunted Ahsoka Tano while she was on Raada and dueled her. He was taken by surprise, however, due to her being more agile and skilled, and died at her hands.
- Seventh Sister - A dark side warrior, the Seventh Sister was a female Mirialan Inquisitor who was originally a Jedi Knight before falling to the dark side. She became an inquisitor and was eventually sent to deal with the Lothal rebels after the death of the Grand Inquisitor and was one of the secondary antagonists of the second season. She was killed by Darth Maul.
- Eighth Brother - A male Terrelian Jango Jumper Inquisitor who was originally a knight of Jedi Order like many other Inquisitors before falling to the dark side and joining the Galactic Empire. He was sent to hunt down surviving Jedi, as well as other enemies such as the renegade Darth Maul, along with the rebels, and was the secondary antagonist of the Season 2 finale. He died after falling to his death of the top of Sith Temple on Malachor after trying to escape to Ahsoka Tano, Kanan Jarrus and Darth Maul, because of his lightsaber damaged by Kanan Jarrus.
- Ninth Sister - A massive female Dowutin Inquisitor who appeared in Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith books, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Defeated by Cal Kestis on Kashyyyk, although she survived. Later she returned on Coruscant hunting for Cal, where he finally killed her.
- Tenth Brother - A male Miraluka Inquisitor who was once the Jedi Master Prosset Dibs. He appeared in Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith books, and was killed by his Purge Troopers when the Jedi who chased him (Ferren Barr) used a mind trick to order them to execute Order 66.
- Thirteenth Sister - A female Pkorian Inquisitor who appeared in Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith books. She was killed by Darth Vader for treason.
- Marrok - An Inquisitor who now serves Morgan Elsbeth. He appeared in Ahsoka.
- Tualon Yaluna - A male Twi'lek Inquisitor who appeared in Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith books. He was killed by Darth Vader for treason.
- Unnamed female inquisitor - A female Inquisitor mentioned in the Ghosts Of Dathomir and the Star Wars Encylopedia. She was killed by her secret apprentice named Jerserra.
- Unnamed masked inquisitor - A male Inquisitor who appeared in Tales of the Jedi. He was killed by Ahsoka Tano.
Relationships[]
Allies[]
- Jedi Order (formerly)
- Galactic Republic (formerly)
- Clone Troopers (formerly; except Purge Troopers)
- Purge Troopers
- Count Dooku (formerly; deceased)
- Darth Vader (deceased)
- Emperor Palpatine (deceased)
- Grand Moff Tarkin (deceased)
- Cad Bane (deceased)
- Ambassador Telvar (deceased)
- Mas Amedda
- Sly Moore
Enemies[]
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (deceased)
- Jocasta Nu (deceased)
- Jedi Order
- Galactic Republic
- Ferren Barr (deceased)
- Eeth Koth (deceased)
- Eeth Koth's family
- Rebel Alliance
- Nari (deceased)
- Nightbrothers
- Nightsisters
- Kanan Jarrus (deceased)
- Hera Syndulla
- Garazeb Orrelios
- Chopper
- Ezra Bridger
- Ahsoka Tano
- Darth Maul (deceased)
- Cal Kestis
- Cere Junda (deceased)
- BD-1
- Nightsister Merrin
- Taron Malicos (deceased)
- Eno Cordova (deceased)
Trivia[]
- The Inquisitorius first appeared The Star Wars Sourcebook in 1987 for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game written by Curtis Smith and Bill Slavicsek. Their role was later expanded in many other sources of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, now known as Legends, which is declared non-canon. The Inquisitorius was later re-canonized in Star Wars Rebels, which also has many re-canonized Legends material as well.
- Most of them are former Jedi.