Star Wars Rebels: The Grand Inquisitor's Backstory Was Seen In 'The Clone Wars'

Earlier today we told you how a character created for the Star Wars animated series may have already appeared in one of the original trilogy films. Well, that's not the only bit of Star Wars canon retcon we have for you today. Did you know that we already saw The Grand Inquisitor during The Clone Wars?

During the first season of Star Wars Rebels, the Grand Inquisitor was tasked by Darth Vader with taking out the possible Jedi in our hero's rebel faction. We never got to find out the backstory of the Grand Inquisitor, but his appearance in an episode of Star Wars Rebels season two got some fans wondering about his origins. And as it turns out, show runner Dave Filoni confirms that we've seen the Grand Inquisitor before. Learn the details of The Grand Inquisitor's backstory after the jump.

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In Star Wars Rebels season two, we saw the vision of the Grand Inquisitor in the Jedi Temple which got fans to speculate about the character possibly having been a Jedi or possibly a sentinel. Rebels producer Dave Filoni confirmed the Grand Inquisitor's backstory:

The Grand Inquisitor was a Jedi Knight. The Grand Inquisitor, Pablo Hidalgo and I have been debating which one he was, but 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 guard in Clone Wars that is with Anakin when he fights Barriss Offee and arrests Barriss Offee 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.

Some of this was previously revealed on a Star Wars Rebels retcon episode but Filoni definitely gave more information. I think it's cool that the Inquisitor's backstory fits nicely into the story presented thus far.

the grand inquisitor from star wars rebels season 2

As for why Kanan sees the vision of the Grand Inquisitor, that is both a warning and partially out of unconscious regret. Filoni explained:

And what he's warning Kanan about in this apparition which is kind of a consciousness that's within Kanan, and we talked a bit about this at the end of Season 1. Kanan unconsciously regrets that he doesn't try to save the Inquisitor. He has no reason to do so, because Inquisitor's never showed him that he's gonna be kind. But it doesn't mean that as a Jedi he still shouldn't extend his hand to like do the selfless thing and save life period. So that's why that vision is talking to him. And through the Force it's giving him a bit more knowledge about this person. One is warning him that you are all susceptible to this. Someone was asking me is Ezra susceptible to the Dark Side? I said yeah, of course. Everybody is. You don't have to be a Jedi or a Sith to be susceptible to the Dark Side. The Dark Side can be, you know, one of the politicians in the Senate that seizes things for his own greed and power. It can be Hera if she decides to be a TIE Fighter pilot. And rip things up and do things for her own. When you make it very simple for yourselves in your storytelling. If you're being selfish and self motivated and doing things to gain power for yourself, evil, Sith. Selfless, for others, even sacrificing your own life, you can be more powerful than you can possibly imagine, Obi Wan Kenobi, good. The Jedi in the Clone War unfortunately are far too to the center and that's why they fail and that's why they lose. So there's a full on answer for you.