Who is the Grand Inquisitor in Obi-Wan Kenobi?
Another major character from the Star Wars animated shows is making a comeback.
The animated Star Wars universe will see its rapidly expanding influence grow even further with the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which sees another fan favourite character make the transition to live-action.
The villainous Grand Inquisitor first appeared in Star Wars: Rebels as a frightening Empire operative hellbent on tracking down the few Jedi that survived the events of Order 66.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi teaser trailer reveals that the eponymous exiled master is on the hit list, with one chilling moment seeing the Grand Inquisitor interrogate someone with his distinctive spinning double-bladed lightsaber.
"The key to hunting Jedi is patience," he says. "Jedi cannot help what they are. Their compassion leaves a trail. The Jedi code is like an itch; it cannot help it."
The Grand Inquisitor follows in the footsteps of Ahsoka Tano, Bo-Katan Kryze and Cad Bane, all of whom have forged a path from Filoni's animated shows to the live-action Disney Plus originals in recent times.
If the re-introduction of the Grand Inquisitor has made you eager to know more about him, we've got you covered with a full briefing on the character below.
The Grand Inquisitor: Star Wars Rebels backstory explained
The Grand Inquisitor made his debut in Disney XD animated series Star Wars: Rebels, where he was a primary antagonist for fugitive Jedi knight Kanan Jarrus across the first season.
He is an agent of the tyrannical Galactic Empire tasked with eliminating the Jedis that survived Order 66 and turning any other force-sensitive individuals towards the dark side.
While not the only inquisitor active during the period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, he is the most senior and highly knowledgeable on the ways of the Jedi.
This includes sharp skill using their trademark weapon, with the Grand Inquisitor choosing to wield a spinning double-bladed lightsaber, which you can see in action in the clip below.
The character is so defined by his macabre line of work that we never actually learn his real name, but creator Dave Filoni has revealed a fascinating insight into his early life.
During the days of the Republic, the Grand Inquisitor had served as a Jedi Temple guard and witnessed the unjust turn of events that saw Ahsoka Tano expelled from the Order.
It is speculated that this experience at least partly contributed to his disillusionment with the Jedi code, setting him on the dark path that would ultimately make him a lethal tool for the Sith.
The events of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney Plus take place approximately four years before the events of Rebels, meaning you won't necessarily need to have seen any of the series to understand the character's appearance here.
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What species is the Grand Inquisitor?
The Grand Inquisitor is a Pau'an i.e. native to the Outer Rim planet Utapau, which Obi-Wan briefly visited during prequel trilogy finale Revenge of the Sith.
For those who haven't seen the action-packed flick in a while, that's the planet where he faces off with cybernetic separatist leader General Grievous; a duel which begins with him uttering his now-famous catchphrase: "Hello there."
We met a Pau'an in the film by the name of Tion Medon (played by an unrecognisable Bruce Spence), who worked as a port administrator on the remote sinkhole planet and tipped Obi-Wan off about Grievous' whereabouts.
Who plays the Grand Inquisitor?
In Star Wars: Rebels, the Grand Inquisitor was voiced by British actor Jason Isaacs, who is also known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films and leading the cast of acclaimed crime drama Case Histories.
Some fans had called for him to reprise the role for this live-action incarnation, just as Katee Sackhoff was given the chance to do in The Mandalorian's second season, where she again played Clone Wars character Bo-Katan Kryze.
However, Lucasfilm opted for a recast, enlisting the talents of Homeland star Rupert Friend, whose other major projects include Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch and Armando Iannucci's The Death of Stalin (which coincidentally co-starred Isaacs).
Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on Disney Plus on Wednesday 25th May 2022. Sign up to Disney+ for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
