The Grand Inquisitor, a Jedi hunter, possessed a unique lightsaber: a personal double-bladed spinning weapon. This design was also used by other members of the Imperial Inquisitors.
This weapon was built with a distinctive ringed emitter. This emitter could partially separate from the central cylindrical handgrip, which allowed the two blades to spin rapidly without the user needing to exert any effort. This feature likely served as a means of intimidation and defense for the Inquisitor, a Jedi hunter, allowing him to deflect attacks and unnerve his opponents. It is known that this function could occasionally disrupt the balance of opponents. However, this design also introduced a critical flaw: a lightsaber-wielding opponent could permanently detach the emitter, effectively bisecting the weapon. This vulnerability was exploited by Lord Vader during his initial confrontation with the Inquisitor, and again by Kanan Jarrus in their final duel aboard the Sovereign. This is because the hilt was constructed using an alloy or metal that was not resistant to lightsabers. The handgrip could be entirely removed from the ring-shaped emitter, enabling the Force-imbued metal circlet to be used as a thrown projectile.
The Grand Inquisitor engaged Darth Sidious's new apprentice, the Sith Lord Darth Vader, with his lightsaber. During their combat, Vader inflicted damage upon the Inquisitor's weapon. After repairing it, the Inquisitor continued to employ the lightsaber in the years following Order 66 as he hunted down Jedi survivors. However, there was an instance where he used a different lightsaber, which was destroyed during a fight against Naq Med.
The Grand Inquisitor brandished his lightsaber in numerous encounters against Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger. Furthermore, he used it to execute Imperial officers Cumberlayne Aresko and Myles Grint simultaneously, acting on orders from Moff Tarkin due to their repeated failures to capture the rebels. In a concluding battle against the Inquisitor, after his rescue, Jarrus cleaved the Inquisitor's weapon in two, causing the severed pieces to plunge down a shaft. Subsequently, the two fragments were obliterated in an explosion upon falling into the Sovereign's reactor, an event shortly followed by the Inquisitor's own demise.
The concept of the spinning lightsaber was originally conceived for the video game The Force Unleashed, but was ultimately unused.
In the television series Obi-Wan Kenobi, Rupert Friend, the actor portraying the Grand Inquisitor, wielded the lightsaber. During an initial meeting that included Dave Filoni and propmaster Brad Elliott, they deliberated on how to realistically adapt the animated Inquisitor lightsabers into physical props. Filoni suggested that the propmaster envision the live-action version as the original, with the animated depiction being an exaggerated interpretation. This approach enabled Elliott to maintain the established form factor of the props from the animation while ensuring they were suitable for human hands.
The prop team invested considerable research to ensure the lightsaber's accuracy to its appearance in Star Wars Rebels. The lightsaber's dimensions were adjusted to accommodate Friend's hands. Elliott and his team took care to minimize the more delicate-looking aspects of the animated designs and ensured that the sizes of the rings and handles were appropriate for the character. Friend was reportedly overwhelmed with excitement upon receiving his lightsaber. The actor relished the lightsaber training sessions with the stunt performers, who are skilled swordsmen and experts in various martial arts.