A group of formidable Star Wars villains are about to jump into live-action for the first time in Disney Plus miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi, but some fans may be wondering where exactly the Inquisitors came from.
Introduced in cult favourite animated show Star Wars: Rebels, the characters have gone on to appear in many other Star Wars stories, known for wielding lightsabers with the same lethal skill as the most accomplished Jedi knights.
They have exiled Republic hero Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) firmly in their sights in this prequel drama, which is set between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
Read on for your full briefing on the Inquisitors, where they have appeared across the Star Wars saga so far, and what you ought to know before watching Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney Plus.
Who are the Inquisitors in Star Wars? Backstory explained
The Inquisitorius is an elite team of operatives formed by Emperor Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious) to track down and eliminate any Jedi or Padawan learners who survived the events of Order 66.
Darth Vader is ultimately put in command of the organisation, training its members in the dark side to ensure they are fully prepared to take on any force-sensitive individuals they might encounter on missions across the galaxy.
As you might expect, Vader is a cruel teacher, securing the loyalty of some Inquisitors through torture, and cutting off the limbs of others in order to upgrade them with technologically advanced prosthetics.
While the precise number has never been confirmed, it is thought that there are roughly a dozen Inquisitors in total, with the most senior being the cold and calculating Grand Inquisitor, who reports directly to Darth Vader.
Which Inquisitors have we met so far?
At the time of writing, 10 members of the Inquisitorius have been formally introduced across a wide range of Star Wars television shows, video games, comic books and novels.
While they are all working for the same master and towards the same goal, it’s not uncommon to see bitter rivalries form among them as they strive to earn the most respect.
Confirmed to be appearing in Obi-Wan Kenobi are the Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend), the Third Sister (Moses Ingram), the Fourth Sister (Rya Kihlstedt) and the Fifth Brother (Sung Kang), with the others presumably busy on other hunts.
Grand Inquisitor
- Introduced in Star Wars: Rebels, voiced by Jason Isaacs.
- Appears in Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Rupert Friend.
Second Sister
- Introduced in Darth Vader (2017) #19.
- Appears in video game Star Wars: Jedi – Fallen Order, voiced by Elizabeth Grullon.
Third Sister (aka Reva)
- Introduced in Disney Plus series Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Moses Ingram.
Fourth Sister
- Introduced in Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader’s Castle (2019) #4.
- Appears in Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Rya Kihlstedt.
Fifth Brother
- Introduced in Star Wars: Rebels, voiced by Philip Anthony-Rodriguez.
- Appears in Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Sung Kang.
Sixth Brother
- Introduced in Ahsoka (2016 novel).
Seventh Sister
- Introduced in Star Wars: Rebels, voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Eighth Brother
- Introduced in Star Wars: Rebels, voiced by Robbie Daymond.
Ninth Sister
- Introduced in Darth Vader (2017) #6.
- Appears in video game Star Wars: Jedi – Fallen Order, voiced by Misty Lee.
Tenth Brother
- Introduced in Darth Vader (2017) #14.
Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on Disney Plus on Friday 27th May 2022. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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