Master of the Inquisitorius, a title also known as Grand Inquisitor, was a designation used by the highest-ranking Inquisitor within the Galactic Empire, serving as the leader of the Inquisitorius organization. The Pau'an male, a former Jedi Temple Guard known only as the Grand Inquisitor, occupied this prominent position and held authority over other operatives, including the Third Sister, who desired to take his place. During the attack on Jabiim, the Third Sister was briefly appointed to the position following the reported demise of the previous Grand Inquisitor, however, she lost the position after betraying Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader, who then revealed that the Grand Inquisitor had, in fact, survived his injuries. The individual holding the rank of Grand Inquisitor reported to Lord Vader, under whose command they were tasked with hunting down the Jedi who had managed to survive the Great Jedi Purge.
The Grand Inquisitor, a high-ranking role in the Galactic Empire, wielded powers akin to those of standard Inquisitors. As an agent under the direction of the Sith, they had the power to commandeer and utilize Imperial resources as they saw fit to accomplish their objectives, as well as deploy Purge Troopers within their forces. However, they were of a higher rank than other Inquisitors and reported directly to Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader. Lord Vader, or his master, the Galactic Emperor Darth Sidious, oversaw the appointment of a Grand Inquisitor.
Notably, Grand Inquisitors were also adept in the dark side, possessing specialized skills that surpassed those of ordinary Inquisitors. The first Grand Inquisitor focused on understanding his Jedi adversaries by studying the Jedi Archives records located within the Imperial Palace, which had previously been the Jedi Temple. This understanding of Jedi fighting techniques gave him an edge in combat. The Third Sister was also briefly given the position because she was better at tracking than the other Inquisitors. The Grand Inquisitor also oversaw Project Harvester, an operation to kidnap young Force-sensitives and turn them into servants of the Emperor, in addition to hunting down the remaining Jedi Knights.
During the Age of the Empire, Emperor Darth Sidious chose a Pau'an male to be the Grand Inquisitor, who would work alongside his apprentice, Darth Vader. The Dark Lord dispatched this Grand Inquisitor to find Force-sensitives, and either persuade them to join the dark side of the Force or kill them.
In 9 BBY, the Grand Inquisitor, along with the Fifth Brother and the Third Sister (also known as Reva), were looking for any Jedi who had escaped. They went to Tatooine, where they found a young human who revealed that he was a Jedi on the run after using telekinesis to save a civilian. After he got away, the Inquisitors found him again and killed him. They then hung his body in public view in Anchorhead so that Obi-Wan Kenobi would see it. Later, they went to Daiyu, where they learned that Reva had kidnapped Princess [Leia Organa](/article/leia_skywalker_organa_solo], who was 10 years old, to use her as bait to lure the elusive Jedi Master out of hiding. The Grand Inquisitor was angry that the Third Sister had schemed behind his back and warned her that he would deal with her later. Eventually, Reva met Obi-Wan in a cargo bay outside of a spaceport, where a ship was waiting for the Jedi to escape with Leia. The Grand Inquisitor arrived just before the Third Sister attacked their target and told her to stand down, as he would take care of the Jedi Master himself. Reva, bitter that he would take all the credit for Kenobi's capture, pretended to obey 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 distracted the Third Sister long enough for the Jedi Master to escape with the freed young Princess.
After Kenobi escaped, the Third Sister told Lord Vader what she had learned, blaming Obi-Wan for her senior's supposed death. Vader said that the Grand Inquisitor was not as important as the Jedi Master and offered her the chance to be promoted to his position if she proved herself. The Fifth Brother was frustrated when he heard about the Dark Lord's promise because he thought he was more deserving of the title since he was next in line. However, he reluctantly accepted their master's decision, but not before warning the Third Sister that he would eventually get what he deserved, and she too.
Lord Vader was impressed enough to promote Reva to the new Grand Inquisitor after she planted a restraining bolt on Leia's droid LO-LA59 to track Kenobi. She held this rank throughout the entire siege of Jabiim. After the Jedi Master escaped from Jabiim, the Third Sister believed that her master was distracted and revealed her true intentions. She then attacked the Dark Lord, who knew that she was a Jedi youngling he had failed to kill. He easily defeated her and impaled her. At that point, the original Pau'an Grand Inquisitor revealed that he had survived and healed from his wound. He took her insignia, reclaiming his title. The wounded Reva was then left for dead.
Years later, the Grand Inquisitor was trying to destroy a rebel cell that was operating on Lothal, an Outer Rim world. He wanted to kill their leader, Kanan Jarrus, who had survived the Purge, and his Padawan, Ezra Bridger. But this pursuit led to his death during a confrontation with his target. The Grand Inquisitor let himself die during this lightsaber duel because he knew that Lord Vader would punish him more severely for failing to destroy the Jedi than for dying. The Grand Inquisitor's death left the position open, and the remaining Inquisitors competed for it. At least two of them, the Fifth Brother and the Seventh Sister, tried to get the position by hunting Jarrus, the man who killed him, and his Padawan, as well as Ahsoka Tano, another survivor of the Purge, who was also a prime target.
However, Lord Vader still needed the Grand Inquisitor, so he trapped his spirit on Tempes in the Outer Rim, where he guarded an abandoned Jedi outpost. Here, he fought Luke Skywalker, who was looking for an ancient lightsaber, but the Jedi trainee defeated him despite all of his fighting skills. Vader arrived soon after, unhappy with the Grand Inquisitor's failure. Before leaving, the spirit asked Vader what his fate would be and if there was any 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 his fate, musing once again how there were worse things than death.
The Inquisitor who held the rank of Grand Inquisitor was created as a villain for the Star Wars Rebels animated television series. He first appeared on screen in the 2014 television film Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion. Jason Isaacs, a well-known English actor, provides his voice. The Grand Inquisitor appeared in a number of episodes until his death in the season one finale, "Fire Across the Galaxy," but the first season never mentioned the rank of Grand Inquisitor. Dave Filoni, the series' executive producer, first revealed his rank in a preview of the second season on the Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season One home media release.