Star Wars' Original Plan Could've Prevented Kenobi Inquisitor Backlash

One abandoned Star Wars design idea would have avoided a controversy when Darth Vader's Inquisitors appeared in live-action in the Obi-Wan trailer.

Star Wars' Original Plan Could've Prevented Kenobi Inquisitor Backlash

The original design for Star Wars‘ Fifth Brother could have avoided Inquisitor backlash surrounding Obi-Wan Kenobi. The end of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith saw Palpatine transform the Republic into what he called the “First Galactic Empire.” The Dark Lord of the Sith wasted no time consolidating his power, and he knew he had to remove any potential threats – notably the small number of Jedi who had survived Order 66. To that end, he convened the Inquisitors to support Darth Vader in scouring the galaxy seeking out Jedi.

The upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ TV show will see the Inquisitors head to Tatooine on the trail of Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of their most important targets. Surprisingly, their live-action debut in trailers met with mixed reception; the Grand Inquisitor design, in particular, was heavily criticized. He is a Pau’an, an alien race who originated from the planet Utapau – characterized by distinctive dome-shaped heads. While it’s understandably difficult to translate designs from animation and comic books into live-action, in this case, Lucasfilm had successfully created Pau’ans before, with Obi-Wan Kenobi encountering several during his hunt for General Grievous in Revenge of the Sith. The Grand Inquisitor’s design has been improved in recent teasers, perhaps indicating the original shots showed him from a bad angle, and the whole backlash was an overreaction.

Ironically, the whole backlash could have been prevented had Lucasfilm stuck with the original designs for the Inquisitors. The Inquisitors were originally intended to wear robes and masks, their identities concealed in an attempt to dehumanize them; that’s also why the Inquisitors are traditionally addressed by nondescript titles such as “Fifth Brother” and “Third Sister.” These masks may well have been far more than ornamental, however, given the ancient Sith traditionally wore masks and imbued them with the dark side. But Lucasfilm changed its approach, moving away from the original concept and allowing the Inquisitors to show their faces.

Obi-Wan Kenobi appears to be going one step further, introducing an Inquisitor named Reva, who doesn’t seem to be going by her title. This has led to speculation she may well have a history with Obi-Wan himself, given the Inquisitors include former Jedi and Force-sensitives who have been broken by the power of the dark side. It’s certainly surprising to see the Inquisitors treated as individuals rather than impersonal, relentless hunters.

Ironically, although the Inquisitors are not all masked, the idea seems to have had an influence on the sequel trilogy. There are marked visual similarities between the Inquisitors and the Knights of Ren, the group Kylo Ren believed he led in the sequel trilogy. No doubt this was a deliberate decision on Lucasfilm’s part, given Kylo Ren was obsessed with Darth Vader. It’s a shame Lucasfilm decided not to make the comparison more overt by having both Inquisitors and Knights of Ren wear masks – pointing to the famous sense of poetry that runs through Star Wars.