Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Battle of Jakku – Insurgency Rising #3Star Wars has surprisingly brought back an Imperial Inquisitor during the New Republic Era. As seen in Marvel Comics’ new and canonical Battle of Jakku series, a hooded and mysterious Inquisitor has emerged in the aftermath of Return of the Jedi. That said, I have a pretty good idea about who it might be.

In Star Wars: Battle of Jakku – Insurgency Rising #3 by Alex Segura, Leonard Kirk, and Jethro Morales, the team of Rebels sent by Princess Leia to investigate Moff Adelhard’s Iron Blockade are captured by Imperial forces. While they did manage to escape their cell thanks to a mole within Alelhard’s officers, the Rebels were quickly beaten down by Adelhard’s Commander Bragh, as well as a hooded figure wielding a red lightsaber.

Surprisingly, Commander Bragh refers to this lightsaber-wielding figure as an “Inquisitor”, a name typically reserved for Vader’s Jedi hunters during the Dark Times before the start of the Galactic Civil War. Keeping that in mind, I’m feeling pretty confident I know who this new “Inquisitor” is in this new Star Wars series.

What We Know About The Empire’s Inquisitors

Did Any Survive Into The Galactic Civil War?

The Imperial Inquisitorius was formed by Palpatine even before the Revenge of the Sith and Order 66, having corrupted a good handful of disenfranchised Jedi to his cause in secret before seducing Anakin Skywalker to the dark side at the end of the Clone Wars. Placed under the command of Darth Vader himself, the Grand Inquisitor and his fellow hunters were tasked with killing or turning any surviving Jedi they could find. However, it’s been said in the canon that the vast majority of their order was wiped out and largely unneeded by the time of A New Hope and the Galactic Civil War.

That said, there were a few Inquisitors who “survived” beyond the Dark Times. This includes the Grand Inquisitor whose spirit was tethered to an old Jedi temple by Vader himself to lure and trap Force wielders (like Luke Skywalker following The Empire Strikes Back). Likewise, there was also the Inquisitor named Marrok in Ahsoka who was actually deceased and was being puppeted by the Nighsister Morgan Elsbeth.

“I’m more inclined to think that this new Inquisitor didn’t serve Palpatine or Vader during the Dark Time and has only recently taken up the classic name in the
Star Wars
timeline…”

That said, Ahsoka takes place about 5 years after Return of the Jedi while this new series takes place mere days and weeks after the Battle of Endor. As such, it’s possible that this new Inquisitor could very well be Marrok who’s yet to be slain and turned into a dark side zombie. However, I’m more inclined to think that this new Inquisitor didn’t serve Palpatine or Vader during the Dark Time and has only recently taken up the classic name in the Star Wars timeline.

Who Is This New Inquisitor Working With Moff Adelhard?

I Have One Major Guess As To Who’s Under The Hood…

If I were to place betting money, my best guess is that this new Inquisitor in Battle of Jakku #3 is none other than the Anzati Reyna Oskure. Reyna was recently sent to Moff Adelhard at the request of Yupe Tashu, once a confidant of Palpatine’s and the leader of the dark side cult, The Acolytes of the Beyond. While Adelhard is resistant to the concept of the Force, Reyna has been tasked with showing what the dark side can provide Adelhard, who’s chosen to operate in a state of denial with his Iron Blockade as if the Empire isn’t currently fractured with the New Republic on the rise.

To that end, Reyna was making the case for the Force right before the Inquisitor debuted and subdued the Rebels. Furthermore, the Inquisitor denies Bragh’s offer to take the Rebels to Adelhard, wanting to instead use them as an example of what the dark side can do and the power Adelhard could wield if he were to trust in the Force. Keeping those sentiments in mind, I would be extremely surprised if the similarly-minded Reyna Oskure wasn’t revealed to be this new Inquisitor (who may have been inspired to take up the classic title due to the existence of a new Jedi Knight operating in the galaxy).

It Looks Like Luke Skywalker Will Soon Face Star Wars’ Newest Inquisitor

The Light vs The Dark Side of The Force

It’s also worth noting that Luke Skywalker himself is shown taking down a squadron of stormtroopers at the end of this issue while the Inquisitor speaks with Commander Bragh. It certainly looks as though Luke intends to save these Rebels who are seemingly being used as bait by this new Inquisitor. Keeping that in mind, future issues of Battle of Jakku will likely see this new Inquisitor’s identity being revealed while facing Luke Skywalker, resulting in an epic new lightsaber duel for this post-Return of the Jedi era.

Star Wars: Battle of Jakku – Insurgency Rising #3 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.