Grand Inquisitor, also known as Master of the Inquisitorius, was a title used by the highest-ranking Inquisitor of the Galactic Empire and leader of the Inquisitorius. The Pau'an male and former Jedi Temple Guard known only as the Grand Inquisitor held the office and was ranked above other operatives, such as the Third Sister, who coveted his position. The Third Sister was temporarily appointed the position during the attack on Jabiim following the supposed death of the previous Grand Inquisitor, but lost the position upon betraying Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader, who revealed that the Grand Inquisitor had in fact survived his injury. Whoever held the rank of Grand Inquisitor answered to Lord Vader, under whose governance they hunted down the Jedi that survived the Great Jedi Purge.
The Grand Inquisitor was the highest ranking member of the Inquisitorius.
An elevated position within the Galactic Empire, the Grand Inquisitor possessed powers similarly to ordinary Inquisitors, also being an agent at the beck and call of the Sith and had discretionary powers such as being able to commandeer and dispose of Imperial assets as they saw fit to complete their mission and could employ Purge Troopers among their forces. However, they were also ranked higher than other Inquisitors and would report directly to the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader. The appointment of a Grand Inquisitor was seen to by Lord Vader or by his master, the Galactic Emperor Darth Sidious.
Grand Inquisitors were also known to be skilled dark side adepts with specialized skills recognized to be above ordinary Inquisitors: the first Grand Inquisitor specialized in understanding his Jedi opponents by studying the records of the Jedi Archives from the Imperial Palace—which had previously been the Jedi Temple. This gave him an advantage in combat, as he was able to understand Jedi fighting styles. The Third Sister was also briefly awarded the position due to displaying a superior level of tracking skills compared to other Inquisitors. Aside from his involvement in the hounding of the last Jedi Knights, the Grand Inquisitor also supervised Project Harvester, an operation to kidnap young Force-sensitives and turn them into servants of the Emperor.
During the Imperial Era, a Pau'an Jedi hunter served as the Grand Inquisitor.
During the Age of the Empire, the title was held by a Pau'an male selected by the Emperor, Darth Sidious, to stand by his apprentice, Darth Vader. This Grand Inquisitor was dispatched by the Dark Lord to find Force-sensitives and either coerce them to the dark side of the Force or eliminate them.
In 9 BBY, the Grand Inquisitor, along with the Fifth Brother and the Third Sister - also known as Reva - were on the lookout for any fugitive Jedi they could find. Their search led them to Tatooine, where they found a young human who revealed himself to be a runaway Jedi after saving a civilian using telekinesis. He escaped but was shortly found and executed by the Inquisitors, who left his corpse hanged for public display on Anchorhead for Obi-Wan Kenobi to see. Later they went to Daiyu, where they discovered that Reva had a 10-year-old Princess Leia Organa kidnapped as bait to lure the elusive Jedi Master out of hiding. The Grand Inquisitor was furious with the Third Sister's scheming behind his back and warned her that he would deal with her later. Eventually Reva confronted Obi-Wan in a cargo bay outside a spaceport with a ship that the Jedi was going to use to escape with Leia. The Grand Inquisitor arrived right before the Third Sister engaged their quarry, and bid her to stand down, as he would take care of the Jedi Master himself. Bitter that he would take all the credit for Kenobi's capture, Reva feigned obedience and then unexpectedly stabbed her superior in the stomach so she could apprehend Obi-Wan herself. The Grand Inquisitor collapsed from his wound, but he proved to be a long enough distraction to the Third Sister for the Jedi Master to escape with the freed young Princess.
Following Kenobi's escape, the Third Sister reported to Lord Vader about her findings, blaming Obi-Wan for her senior's assumed demise. Vader dismissed the Grand Inquisitor as unimportant compared to the Jedi Master, offering her the opportunity to be raised to his station if she proved herself. Upon learning the news about the Dark Lord's promise, the Fifth Brother expressed his frustration, feeling himself more worthy of inheriting the title for being the next in line, but begrudgingly accepted their master's decision, though not before warning the Third Sister he would eventually get what he deserved, and she too.
Reva was defeated by Darth Vader on Jabiim, and the title of Grand Inquisitor was reclaimed by her predecessor.
After planting a restraining bolt on Leia's droid LO-LA59 to track Kenobi, Lord Vader was impressed enough to promote Reva to the new Grand Inquisitor, a rank she held throughout the entire siege of Jabiim. After the Jedi Master's escape from Jabiim, Third Sister believed her master to be distracted and announced her true intentions. She then attacked the Dark Lord, who was quite aware of her identity as a Jedi youngling he had failed to kill, and was summarily defeated and impaled, at which point the original Pau'an Grand Inquisitor revealed his survival, having now healed from his wound, and took her insignia, therefore reclaiming his title. The wounded Reva was then left for dead.
After the Grand Inquisitor's death, the Fifth Brother and the Seventh Sister sought to claim his title.
Some years later, the Grand Inquisitor was on the hunt for a rebel cell that operated on the Outer Rim world of Lothal in an attempt to destroy their leader, the Purge survivor Kanan Jarrus, and his Padawan, Ezra Bridger. This pursuit, however, ultimately led to his demise during a confrontation with his quarry. The Grand Inquisitor allowed himself to die during this lightsaber duel, knowing that his failure to destroy the Jedi would incur a far greater suffering from Lord Vader than death. The death of the Grand Inquisitor subsequently left the position open, with the remaining Inquisitors vying to attain the position. At least two, Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister, sought to do so by hunting the man responsible for his death, Jarrus, and his Padawan, as well as prime target Ahsoka Tano, another Purge survivor.
However, Lord Vader still had use for the Grand Inquisitor, trapping his spirit on Tempes in the Outer Rim, where he served as a guardian over an abandoned Jedi outpost. It was here that he engaged in a duel with Luke Skywalker, who was looking for an ancient lightsaber, but despite all his fighting prowess he was defeated by the Jedi trainee. Vader arrived shortly after, displeased with the Grand Inquisitor's failure. Before leaving, the spirit asked Vader what his fate would be, if there was a chance he could be released. The Dark Lord dismissed this idea, openly regarding his underling as a tool for his own purposes. The Grand Inquisitor lamented over his fate, musing once again how there were worse things than death.
The Inquisitor who held the rank of Grand Inquisitor was a villain created for the animated television series Star Wars Rebels, and he made his on-screen debut in the 2014 television film Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion. He is voiced by well-known English actor Jason Isaacs. The Grand Inquisitor appeared in a number of episodes until his death in the season one finale, "Fire Across the Galaxy," but the rank of Grand Inquisitor was never referenced in the first season. His rank was first revealed by series executive producer Dave Filoni in a preview of the second season on the Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season One home media release.
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