The Inquisitors have become a major part of Star Wars mythology, but it has been unclear whether any were still alive during the timeline of the Star Wars Original Trilogy. Following the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, the newly established Galactic Empire set about eradicating the Jedi Order. This was initially through Order 66, where Clone Troopers turned against and executed the Jedi Knights commanding them. However, several Jedi and light side force users escaped, including Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano, which necessitated the Empire adopting different tactics for seeking out and killing the Jedi in the years that followed.
Consequently, Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader created the Inquisitorius to hunt the Jedi. As both Star Wars: Rebels and Obi-Wan Kenobi have shown, Inquisitors were often fallen Jedi looking to find their place within the galaxy following the fall of the Republic. Notably, the Grand Inquisitor was a Jedi Temple guard disillusioned by the actions of the Jedi Order during the Clone Wars that culminated in the wrongful arrest of Ahsoka Tano for bombing the Jedi Temple. Similarly, Obi-Wan Kenobi revealed that Reva Sevander, the Third Sister, was a Jedi youngling who survived Order 66 and was seeking revenge against Darth Vader for her friends’ deaths.
With 19 years between the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, the Inquisitors, though arguably ineffective, have been a major presence in various Star Wars stories set during this period, despite their losses. In the game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order the second sister and the ninth sister were both killed, while Star Wars: Rebels, set in the 5 years before Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, showed the deaths of the Fifth Brother, the Seventh Sister, and the Eighth Brother. Even more significant was the death of The Grand Inquisitor, who had survived Reva's betrayal in Obi-Wan Kenobi, before being killed in the Star Wars: Rebels season 1 finale. At the same time, after failing to defeat Darth Vader and turning away from the dark path that would have led to her killing Luke Skywalker, Reva’s fate in the ten years between the events of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope was left unresolved.
Could Star Wars Movies Or Shows Reveal More Inquisitors In The Original Trilogy Timeline?
Nevertheless, the possibility of Inquisitors appearing in the Original Trilogy timeline should not be ruled out. Despite his death in Star Wars: Rebels, the Grand Inquisitor actually reappeared in a Star Wars comic book. In Star Wars vol. 1: The Destiny Path, he faced Luke Skywalker, but this was only in the form of a spirit because Darth Vader had trapped the Grand Inquisitor at an old Jedi outpost. As such, it could be plausible for the Grand Inquisitor to reappear in future Star Wars movies or TV shows.
In many ways, the most likely of the Inquisitors to return during the Original Trilogy timeline would be Reva. After all, she was an entirely new character developed for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and the scope for examining where her story would lead, following her final meeting with Obi-Wan Kenobi, was certainly there. Having found peace with her trauma and liberating herself from the dark side of the Force, the potential for her to oppose the tyranny of the Empire still remained, which would allow Reva to break Star Wars tradition by being redeemed fully.
A more unlikely possibility would be an Inquisitor known as the Third Brother, who was previously mentioned in canon. However, all the details of the character’s actions in service of the Empire have remained secret, making it easy to assume that he has been superseded by Reva in movies and TV. Despite this, a return for any of the Inquisitors would be unlikely. After all, in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi described the Jedi as “all but extinct,” but the same was true for the Inquisitors who had, largely, outgrown their use by the time of the Star Wars Original Trilogy.