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| “ | You're the fourth Inquisitor we've seen. How many are there?
More than enough for the two of you. Nothing can save you |
„ |
| ~ Kanan Jarrus and the Eighth Brother |
The Inquisitorius also known as Imperial Inquisitors, Inquisitors, Red Blades or simply Jedi Hunters, were a dark side organization that existed sometime during the early years of the Galactic Empire. They were an organization of force-sensitives who were recruited by the empire into trackind down and killing all remaining Jedi who survived Order 66 and to locate force-sensitives and either recruit them into Imperial ranks or have them executed if not cooperating. They appear in Wars Rebels serving as the primary antagonists of both the first and second seasons.
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. 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.
History
Agents of the Sith
In 19 BBY, Supreme Chancellor Sheeve Palpatine had ended the Clone Wars with the dissolution of the 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 soldiers 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 trackind 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 with one of them being an former guard at the Jedi Temple. 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 allow to commendere any personal 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 privilages, many Imperial Officers such as Admiral Kassius Konstantine had loathed the Inquisitors calling them "mystics" as a result of their privilaged 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 identifiying 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
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-sensitivr old enough to recieve Jedi training was found in the Outer Rim and so he was sent there to eliminate him. Unknown to the inquisitor however, the force-sensitive was actually Ahsoka Tano who left the 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 but, he wasn't as physically fit 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
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 appariations 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 where 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.
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's the main antagonist of season one as well as the first inquisitor to be introduced in the series.
- Fifth Brother - A gray-skinned humanoid of an unknown 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 antagonists of season two.
- Sixth Brother - A man of unknown species he appeared in the novel Ahsoka. He appeared where he ambushed Ahsoka while she was on Raada and dueld her. He was taken bu surprise however due to her being more fit and was defeated at her hands.
- Eighth Brother - A Terrelian Jango Jumper male 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.
- Seventh Sister - A female mirialan dark side warrior, the Seventh Sister was an unnamed Mirialan 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 antagonists of the second season.
Behind the Scenes
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.
