If you’ve been keeping up with Star Wars live-action adaptations, you might have noticed something odd about the Grand Inquisitor in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Compared to other Pau’ans we’ve seen in Revenge of the Sith, he doesn’t quite look the same.
Many have pointed this out and discussed it at length. Let’s see why this character looks so different and what might have gone wrong.
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Did They Forget What Pau’ans Look Like?
Here’s the deal – the Grand Inquisitor’s design in the series doesn’t match what we saw in Revenge of the Sith.
Pau’ans have these long, stretched-out heads with intricate facial lines that make them look super alien. The live-action Grand Inquisitor? Not so much.
Apparently, the costume designer didn’t even realize the species had already appeared in live-action.
That’s right – they didn’t know about Revenge of the Sith! How does that happen?
I mean, we’re talking about one of the most iconic franchises ever. A quick search would’ve shown exactly what Pau’ans are supposed to look like.
And it’s not just on the designer. Where was the continuity team? Aren’t there people whose job it is to make sure these things line up with the lore?
Back in the day, Lucasfilm used to have folks dedicated to this stuff. If they’d had someone double-check, this whole thing could’ve been avoided.
What Happened to the Budget?
For a show backed by Disney, you’d think there’d be no excuses for cutting corners. But when I watched Obi-Wan Kenobi, a lot of it looked… cheap.
The Grand Inquisitor’s makeup and prosthetics felt rushed, like they just slapped something together last-minute.
Some people say the budget went into the big CGI scenes, like Obi-Wan fighting Vader, and I get that those moments were epic.
But come on, could they not spare a little more for the alien designs? This wasn’t just a problem with the Grand Inquisitor.
The Fifth Brother, another Inquisitor, looked more like a guy painted green than the intimidating alien he was in Rebels.
It’s not like Star Wars hasn’t done better before. The aliens in the Original Trilogy? They felt real, believable.
Even recent stuff, like Zeb in The Mandalorian, was incredible. But here? It felt like they didn’t even try.
Why Make Him Look More Human?
One thing that really bugs me is how they “humanized” the Grand Inquisitor.
If you’ve seen Rebels or even in the Revenge of Sith, you know he looked way more alien there – tall, lean, with that signature Pau’an head.
But in Obi-Wan Kenobi, they rounded out his head, toned down his facial features, and basically made him look more like a regular guy.
I get that adapting animation to live-action is tricky, but other characters made the jump just fine. Look at Ahsoka or Zeb.
They kept their alien vibe intact and still looked amazing. So why not the Grand Inquisitor? It’s like they decided, “Eh, close enough,” and moved on.
Some people argue it’s about practicality – maybe the original Pau’an design was too hard to work with during action scenes.
But that doesn’t really hold up. Ahsoka has those massive head tails and still pulls off intense fights. If they could make that work, they could’ve figured something out for the Grand Inquisitor.
Did They Even Care About the Details?
What really stings is how easily this could’ve been avoided. All it would’ve taken was five minutes of research.
I mean, type “Pau’an” into a search engine, and you’ll see exactly what they’re supposed to look like.
Even if you don’t know the name of the species, searching “Star Wars line face alien” gets you there.
It feels like they didn’t care enough to check. And that’s disappointing because Star Wars is all about the details.
Changing the Grand Inquisitor’s design so drastically makes it seem like they’re not paying attention – or worse, that they think we won’t notice.