Why Being an Inquisitor Was Terrible

We most likely think of Inquisitors as powerful and fierce. After all, we typically think of them as the pursuers of the Jedi, evildoers without a conscience. Yet, being an inquisitor was actually awful because they had to go against their former selves and subsume their identity beneath the Empire. 

Being an Inquisitor Was Terrible

We can start with this short video to explain why being an Inquisitor was terrible, which indicates how they had to kill their former Jedi allies. We recall how most Inquisitors were former Jedi who after Order 66 decided to join the Empire instead of being killed. They then hunted down the remaining Jedi. 

The Grand Inquisitor comes readily to mind as fitting this profile. We probably know him as the former Temple Guard who led the purge of the Jedi with the rise of the Empire. He was ruthless in this campaign, but came to regret his actions against the Jedi. The Grand Inquisitor ended up allowing himself to die in his duel with Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger, expressing his longing for his own Jedi days. 

Similarly, Barriss Offee hated being an Inquisitor so much that she “renounced her allegiance” and returned to the Jedi. In effect, Offee and other Inquisitors were forced into a situation where they killed their friends. 

A second reason why being an Inquisitor was awful was that Vader tortured them. Lord Vader inflicted tremendous pain on the Inquisitors, including cutting off limbs, to teach them a lesson about living up to dark side expectations. This short video that draws on the Darth Vader comics reflects how Vader didn’t believe they were “ruthless” enough and samples the cruel treatment they had to endure. 

Ultimately, many Inquisitors died or left because of this despicable treatment. These two reasons are bad enough, but there are more to explain why life as an Inquisitor was unbearable.

Why Else Was Being an Inquisitor Awful

Stemming from their poor treatment, Inquisitors lived a life of constant alarm where they competed with one another for position in the Empire. Combined with their exposure to the dark side, Inquisitors caved into egotistic and manipulative shadow versions of their former selves. Increasing distrust accompanied backstabbing, as the Thirteenth Sister attested to. 

Moreover, as their primary task was to hunt the Jedi, the Inquisitors were always off on dangerous missions. They not only often faced death, but also knew that they were “pawns” in the Emperor and Vader’s chess game. This brief analysis of the Inquisitorious reveals some of their activities, but also underlines their loss of identity with being tagged brother and sister.

Discussion boards like this one bring up how Inquisitors seemed to “barely accomplish anything.” As nameless, non-Sith entities working for the Empire, the Inquisitors could be seen as mere “errand runners” who served as Vader’s warning system. They would not feel much accomplishment or much of anything else, except remorse. 

Given this lack of fulfillment and anger over incidents like killing younglings, it’s not surprising that Reva turned against Vader. As depicted in the Obi-Wan series, Reva, or the Third Sister, actually harbored deep hatred toward Vader and conducted a long-term plan of revenge. Unfortunately for her, it didn’t work out.

Inquisitors and a Tough Life

Although it may be difficult to empathize with those who hunted the Jedi, the Inquisitors led a tough, terrible life. Not only did they face fear and punishment daily, but they had to live with the guilt of turning against their fellow Jedi and their own identities before Order 66. Their lives were so awful that many abandoned them when they got the chance.