What to Know About The Inquisitors Before "Obi-Wan Kenobi" Premieres

Ewan McGregor has finally made his long-awaited return to the Star Wars franchise with the arrival of the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" teaser trailer on March 9. The two-minute-long clip sees the actor reprising the iconic role as the beloved Jedi for the first time since his last appearance in "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith" in 2005. Starring alongside him in the show will be none other than Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. While Vader didn't physically appear in the teaser, he's set to have a rematch with his former master in the series following their first fight in "Revenge of the Sith." The trailer has also now confirmed Obi-Wan will go up against another set of familiar villains: the inquisitors, who appear in the 2014 animated series "Star Wars: Rebels," the 2017 "Dark Lord of the Sith" comics, and the 2019 video game "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order."

If you've only been keeping up with the Star Wars movies or live-action series, you most likely didn't recognize the inquisitors in the teaser. Luckily for you, I'm here to explain everything about them, so buckle up, because there's so much to talk about.

The inquisitors are a group of high-ranking imperial officers that work under Darth Vader. They're force-sensitive and were once Jedi, but when the Empire came into power and almost wiped all of the Jedi from existence, they turned to the dark side.

As we know, Jedi like Obi-Wan and Ahsoka managed to survive Order 66, so the inquisitors' job is to hunt and kill every last one of them, including the next generation of force users. (Yes, that means even children, too. The inquisitors are ruthless and will stop at nothing to accomplish their task.) In "Rebels" and "Jedi: Fallen Order," the inquisitors are seen chasing down Jedi like Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger (who's rumored to appear in the "Ahsoka" series), and Cal Kestis.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi" is meant to help fill in the gaps between the events of "Revenge of the Sith" and "A New Hope," so because the series takes place around the same time as "Rebels," "Dark Lord of the Sith," and "Jedi: Fallen Order," it's only natural that the inquisitors show up in the Disney+ series as well.

There are two familiar inquisitors that appear in the trailer. First is the Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend), who is the organization's cunning leader. He's a member of the Pau'an species, who have jagged teeth, nails, and pale, lined skin. In the trailer, the Grand Inquisitor is the one with the double-bladed spinning red lightsaber, which is a weapon that the inquisitors use frequently in "Star Wars: Rebels." (Fun fact: The inquisitors can even use them to glide through the air, so maybe we'll see that in "Obi-Wan Kenobi"?)

Another familiar inquisitor that's in the trailer is the Fifth Brother (Sung Kang). It's unclear what species he's from, but he's described as a gray-skinned humanoid, who, unlike the Grand Inquisitor, is primarily known for his brute strength. In "Rebels," he often works with a female inquisitor known as the Seventh Sister, who is a member of the Mirialan species.

Fans initially thought the Seventh Sister was in the trailer, too, but it's now been revealed the female inquisitor in the teaser is a new character named Reva (Moses Ingram).

Based on what we know about the inquisitors, it's likely they'll be trying to hunt down every last Jedi in the galaxy in the upcoming Disney+ series, including Obi-Wan himself. In "Revenge of the Sith," Anakin/Vader blames Obi-Wan for turning his wife, Padmé, against him, so he probably wants to see Obi-Wan dead more than any other Jedi.

An "Obi-Wan Kenobi" sizzle reel that was released in November teased Obi-Wan and Anakin would battle it out in the show once more following their first fight in "ROTS," meaning it's possible the inquisitors successfully catch Obi-Wan at some point in the series, or the Jedi personally turns himself in to confront his old friend. The only way to find out is when "Obi-Wan Kenobi" arrives on Disney+ on May 25.