Star Wars Is Finally Making Darth Vader’s Inquisitors As Terrifying As They Always Should’ve Been

by

Darth Vader’s Inquisitors are a fantastic addition to the Star Wars universe created by Disney. The concept is clever: these are former Jedi who carry out the goals of Order 66, relentlessly tracking down anyone strong with the Force and surviving Jedi throughout the galaxy. First appearing in the Star Wars Rebels animated series, the Inquisitors have since shown up in many different TV shows. They’ve even been the focus of a novel, Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson, which is considered one of the best novels in the official Star Wars story.

The Inquisitors often get a bad rap, and it’s easy to see why. They’re usually presented as enemies, often appearing right before a major boss battle, like against Darth Vader. Games like Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor show them as powerful, but ultimately just challenging obstacles before the real fight. And in some stories, like the Ahsoka series, they haven’t felt particularly threatening – Marrok, for example, wasn’t a very difficult opponent.

Star Wars is Finally Fixing its Inquisitor Problem

Okay, so I’ve been watching Maul – Shadow Lord, and finally, finally, Lucasfilm seems to be getting the Inquisitors right. This animated series is set during a really dark period in the Empire’s rule, and it follows Darth Maul along with a couple of Jedi who survived Order 66 as they try to stay hidden. Naturally, they don’t succeed for long. The latest episodes take us to the planet Janix, which is completely locked down by a massive Imperial force sent by the Inquisitors. Honestly, the scale of the operation is impressive – and it really drives home just how much Palpatine fears Maul. He’s clearly taking this threat seriously, because the Inquisitors have enough troops to occupy an entire planet!

Perhaps the most memorable moment is the interrogation of Brander Lawson by the Inquisitor Marrok – the same character who didn’t make much of an impression in Ahsoka. This scene is particularly clever because it really highlights how dangerous Inquisitors can be. Unlike other confrontations, this isn’t with a main character who’s protected by the plot, and Lawson has no Force abilities to defend himself. Marrok’s presence is incredibly intimidating, almost as frightening as Darth Vader.

The comic Maul – Shadow Lord effectively establishes the Inquisitors as truly formidable opponents. For the first time, they feel like a real danger, with even a single Inquisitor capable of challenging a team of Jedi and Sith. The fight between Darth Maul, Devon Izara, and an Inquisitor feels desperate and genuinely life-threatening. It’s now clear why the Empire specifically trained these Jedi to become Inquisitors – they possess the power, skill, and experience to push even someone trained by Darth Sidious to their limits.

The sixth episode of Maul – Shadow Lord concludes with Marrok delivering a report to an unseen figure. Many fans believe this figure is Darth Vader, fueled by the long-awaited desire to see Maul and Vader clash, a matchup hinted at since The Phantom Menace. While this development might once again position the Inquisitors as secondary villains, it’s a welcome possibility. The show has developed the Inquisitors so well that seeing how it portrays Darth Vader would be incredibly exciting.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/comics/feature/after-4-decades-star-wars-can-finally-fix-a-major-boba-fett-injustice/embed/#

Read More

2026-04-21 23:10