A brand-newStar Warsretcon has revealed new details about the canon origins ofDarth Vader’sdark side Force-sensitive group ofImperial Inquisitors. Although the Inquisitors were a relatively late addition toStar Warsmovies and TV shows, they have become increasingly present on-screen, and their popularity only seems to be growing. The Inquisitors have now appeared in both animation and live-action, in shows includingStar Wars Rebels,Star Wars: Tales of the Empire, andObi-Wan Kenobi.
Inquisitors have also been heavily featured inStar Warsstories off-screen, including in the very popular canon gamesStar Wars Jedi: SurvivorandStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Despite their growing importance and the continued interest in the fanbase, though, the Inquisitors' origins remain somewhat mysterious inStar Wars.One recent retcon may be changing that, however, by revealing brand-new details about the Inquisitors' history.
Star Wars Has Finally Explained Palpatine’s Project Harvester
The Inquisitors Were Kidnapping Children For A Reason
Project Harvester was one of Palpatine’s many plans involving the permanent destruction of the Jedi. By nature of the Force, there were always going to be new Force-sensitives being born. To make sure these Force-sensitive beings did not develop into (or remain) Jedi, thereby helping to restore the Jedi Order, Palpatine used the Imperial Inquisitors to either kidnap or kill them.
Star Wars: Tales of the Empiredepicted the efforts to kill Force-sensitives, as Barriss Offee became an Imperial Inquisitor and helped hunt down remaining Jedi for a time, until she realized she could not bring herself to do this.Star Wars: The Bad Batchalso revealed that some children were being kidnapped for other nefarious projects, includingProject Necromancer, which was meant to shore up Palpatine’s eventual resurrection. Clearly, Palpatine had a multipronged approach that involved various projects at once.
In the case of Project Harvester, the objective was to kidnap the children and train them as Inquisitors.
In the case of Project Harvester, the objective was to kidnap the children and train them as Inquisitors. This would not only ensure they didn’t become Jedi themselves but would also help Palpatine amass a group of dark side Force-users who were loyal to the Empire and could continue to remove the threat of burgeoning Jedi. A brand-newStar Warsbook,Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy, written by Dan Brooks, Megan Crouse, Amy Richau, Amy Ratcliffe, Brandon Wainerdi, Dan Zehr, and Kelly Knox, explains:
“Eventually, the Inquisitorius starts Project Harvester to find Force-attuned beings to train into future Inquisitors. The group also tries to convert any surviving Jedi, but kills any that refuse.”
This finally addresses the long-standing question fromStar Wars Rebelsregarding the Inquisitors' efforts to abduct Force-sensitive children, but this plan predates even that period intheStar Warstimeline.
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Project Harvester Actually Began During The Clone Wars
Palpatine’s Plot To Steal Force-Sensitive Children Was Hatched Before The Jedi Fell
Although Project Harvester was not fully enacted until after Order 66, Palpatine, as always, was multiple steps ahead.He had already begun the work of identifying and kidnapping Force-sensitive children inStar Wars: The Clone Warsin a plot that directly involved Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. In the show, Darth Sidious hired bounty hunter Cad Bane to break into the Jedi Temple and steal a holocron containing the names of Force-sensitive children who hadn’t yet been brought to the Order.
Cad Bane then used Anakin’s attachment to Ahsoka against him, threatening Ahsoka’s life if Anakin didn’t help him open the Jedi holocron. Anakin ultimately (and predictably) chose his attachment over what was arguably the right thing to do, which gave Cad Bane access to these names. Bane was able to successfully kidnap multiple children and bring them to a mysterious facility on Mustafar before he was stopped by Ahsoka and Anakin. Because the Mustafar facility was destroyed in their rescue mission, the project was temporarily halted, but it eventually began again during the Dark Times.
Cad Bane Explained: 10 Things To Know About Star Wars' Bounty Hunter
Cad Bane was the galaxy’s greatest bounty hunter following the death of Jango Fett, having an infamous reputation during the Clone Wars and beyond.
Palpatine Was Already Recruiting Inquisitors During The Clone Wars
The Inquisitors Already Existed During The Clone Wars
TheDarth Vader (2017)comics had already confirmed that Inquisitors were present during Order 66, buta recentStar Warscomic book series has revealed the Inquisitors existed even before then. In the canonStar Wars: Inquisitorscomic book miniseries, a flashback reveals an Inquisitor standing beside clone troopers. This suggests that some Inquisitors had been chosen even prior to Order 66.
Some Inquisitors had been chosen even prior to Order 66.
This raises a host of interesting questions about the work Palpatine was doing behind the scenes to secure the future of his Imperial Inquisitor plan and, perhaps, continue the work of Project Harvester while going entirely undetected. Clearly, his efforts with Cad Bane only went so far, but given the fact that he already had Inquisitors at his disposal during the Clone Wars, it seems he may have found other avenues to recruit Force-sensitives. Darth Vader’s Imperial Inquisitors remain one of the most compelling additions toStar Wars, and undoubtedly, more will be revealed regarding their origins.
