Star Wars Fans Spot a Confusing Detail About the Inquisitors

Star Wars enthusiasts have been scratching their heads over the Inquisitors, and it’s a puzzlement that’s caught our attention too.

In this expansive galaxy, Inquisitors are Force-sensitive individuals—often survivors of Order 66—tasked with hunting down other Jedi or Force users for the Empire.

We’ve encountered several of these characters in live-action series, animated shows, and video games, including the Grand Inquisitor from Star Wars Rebels and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Marrok in Ahsoka (and soon in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord), as well as Trilla from Jedi: Fallen Order.

However, one fan took to Reddit to pose a pressing question: how does the numbering system work? “The Grand Inquisitor makes sense as the leader of the Inquisitorious, but I can’t wrap my head around the others,” they noted. “Is it a rank thing? That seems off since we see the 5th Brother bossing Reva around in the Kenobi series, and he and the 7th Sister act like equals in Rebels.

“Is it based on recruitment order? That doesn’t quite fit either, as I doubt Palpatine and Vader would train kids to be Jedi hunters (I’m referring to Reva right after the Clone Wars).

“Or is it simply a way to erase the identities of fallen Jedi Padawans post-Order 66? Their original selves are gone, and all that matters is their numerical designation as agents of the Empire. If I squint, I guess that explanation holds some water, but I’m not entirely convinced. What do you all think?”

“It’s kept loose and vague so new Inquisitors can be introduced as needed,” one fan suggested, with another chiming in: “I think the canon should recycle Inquisitor designations as often as they want. The Empire has no loyalty to these Inquisitors; they’re just disposable pawns.”

Another fan pointed out, “It seems they’ve kept it intentionally vague so they aren’t limited in the number of Inquisitors they can create, and future writers can play around with the numbers.”

“Maybe the numbers reset when an Inquisitor falls in battle, allowing new recruits to take the next available designation. There could have been a previous Third Sister who died shortly before Reva was recruited and took her spot,” speculated another.

“I’m not sure what the actual numbers signify; they could be completely arbitrary, but it serves to dehumanize them. Most Inquisitors were once Jedi, so as part of their reconditioning, they lose their identities. They are Inquisitors, weapons of the Empire, and that’s all they are,” remarked another fan.

It’s true that aside from the Grand Inquisitor, the numbering of the Inquisitors can be a bit perplexing. But hey, their names do sound pretty cool, so maybe we can overlook some inconsistencies…

Next up in the Star Wars universe is Maul – Shadow Lord, set to drop on April 6. Following that, we’ll see The Mandalorian and Grogu hitting the big screen on May 22.