We may know something about a Temple Guard who became the Grand Inquisitor. Yet, we may not know the details of his origin story or how Anakin knew not to kill him when he attacked the Temple. This Guard turned Inquisitor had been lured to the dark side, and Palpatine most likely arranged for him to be spared.
The Origin Story of the Temple Guard
With Order 66, the Temple Guards were all slaughtered, save one. As discussed here, one of the guards had already become “disillusioned with the Jedi” and turned to the dark side. This guard became the Grand Inquisitor.
We may already know some of this origin story, with the Grand Inquisitor (GI) forsaking his guard status to work for Vader and eradicate the Jedi. Yet, the story behind this guard becoming the Grand Inquisitor and Anakin knowing not to kill him beforehand is a fascinating one.
The Rebels episode “Shroud of Darkness” delved into how the Inquisitor was once a Jedi guard. Kanan encountered a Temple Guard called the Sentinel, who was really the GI. After they dueled, we learned about this part of the story.
Yet, as the opening post in the above Reddit forum indicates, Dave Filoni provided more information about the origins of the Grand Inquisitor as a disenchanted Temple guard. As Season 2 of Rebels concluded, Filoni confirmed that the Grand Inquisitor was “one of the temple guards” who arrested Ashoka when the Jedi accused her of treason.
Filoni also specified how this particular Temple Guard escorted Barriss Offee to the courtroom where she gave a speech about “the corruption and the state of the Senate and Jedi Order.” Because of his interactions with Ashoka and Offee, this guard became disillusioned with the Jedi Order and was pulled into the dark side. Barriss Offee’s rejection of the Jedi and the Republic was particularly influential to his downfall.
Filoni shared:
“The Grand Inquisitor was a Jedi Knight,” he said. “He is one of the temple guards that arrests Ahsoka when she is accused of treason against the Jedi Knights. And he is also one of, more importantly, the Temple Guards in Clone Wars that is with Anakin when he fights Barriss Offee and arrests her for treason. So he is one of the two guards, I believe, that escorts her into the giant courtroom where Palpatine is overseeing everything. So he hears Barriss’ complete speech about the corruption and the state of the Senate and Jedi Order. And that is kind of like a seed that gets planted in his mind about she’s right. And when Order 66 comes out, he further realizes how right she is about all of the corruption. So it was like the beginnings of his descent into the Dark Side.”
As fans comment here, the guard who would become Inquisitor was the “traitor” who helped defeat the Temple Guards. This guard helped complete Order 66 and allowed Anakin and the clone troopers to take the Temple. Yet, how did Anakin know not to kill him before he provided this help?
The Clones and Anakin Knew Already or Learned at the Temple
In the above Reddit discussion, one fan indicated how most inquisitors were “already picked out before order 66”, as part of Palpatine’s manipulation and maneuvering. Hence, the clones and Anakin were probably clued in beforehand about this particular Temple Guard.
Palpatine recruited the inquisitors, seeking out their distrust of the Jedi. In a parallel to the Temple Guard, he swayed Jedi Padawan Iskate Akaris, who became the Thirteenth Sister. The book Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade tracks Akaris’s fall from the Jedi realm into Sidious’s dark world.
One fan put it this way: there was probably a “Do Not Kill” list of sorts that was shared with Anakin and the clones so they knew not to target this particular guard. As the 501st Legion overwhelmed the Temple during Operation: Knightfall, Anakin most likely ordered them to spare this individual.
Or, others have suggested, like this video, that the guard-Inquisitor turned on his fellow Temple Guards when he saw Anakin and the 501st coming. So, the invading group would have known that he was on their (dark) side. Several fans in this discussion concur with this line of thinking, with one post suggesting that the traitor guard/Grand Inquisitor killed the guards even before Anakin arrived.
One Temple Guard Spared
One Temple Guard emerged as the Grand Inquisitor. His story has many interesting details, including how he was spared by Anakin and the clone troopers. Palpatine probably arranged for it, but one who became the Inquisitor could have also demonstrated his turn to the dark side as Anakin and the clones approached the Temple.