With Rupert Friend’s Grand Inquisitor getting stabbed by Reva, fans were shocked because it seemed like the show just killed him. With fans knowing that the Grand Inquisitor is the main for the first season of Star Wars Rebels which takes place five years later, fans couldn’t believe that Reva would end up stabbing him and leaving him to die.
In Episode 3, Vader decides to offer Reva the position of Grand Inquisitor instead of disciplining her for betraying her superior. Fans were a bit upset that it felt like Star Wars was ditching canon for shock value, but it seems that the Grand Inquisitor is confirmed to still be alive.
Joby Harold, the writer for the series made it clear in a recent interview that Star Wars canon isn’t being broken and that every story told has to adhere to what has already happened:
“As you know, we would never break canon. So, that’s all I’ll say. [Laughs.] Canon is everything… we all know where we’re going in the show [from previous films and TV shows] so anytime you can undercut that, pull the rug on that, have a reversal …”
These reversals definitely get the attention of fans, but they also confuse other fans. Since the series isn’t finished, hopefully, Star Wars will show more of the Grand Inquisitor to make sure fans know that he truly lives.
Harold also shared that it was great sitting next to Rupert Friend during the premiere at Star Wars Celebration as fans gasped when the Grand Inquisitor was stabbed:
“I was sitting with Rupert Friend [who plays the Grand Inquisitor.] I was right in front of him when it happened and we talked about it beforehand. I was like, ‘How’s this gonna be?’ It was an audible gasp. The people… were not expecting that at all. That was quite gratifying because that’s the intention to show. It begins with the Grand Inquisitor, well, grandstanding and enjoying the sound of his own voice. I don’t think we anticipate that voice suddenly being cut off as it was.”
There are still three more episodes left for the series and Obi-Wan isn’t in the best place after his recent duel with Vader. So far, the Grand Inquisitor has disappointed fans with a not-so-great costume design and also never being as intimidating as he was in Star Wars Rebels. The only thing the Grand Inquisitor has really done is tells his other Inquisitors what to do and walk around. There’s still time for Star Wars to redeem the Grand Inquisitor in the series, but things aren’t looking so good for the villain.
Here’s an official description of the new Star Wars Story:
The series begins 10 years after the dramatic events of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” where he faced his greatest defeat, the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker turned evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
The new Star Wars limited series stars Ewan McGregor, reprising his role as the iconic Jedi Master, with Hayden Christensen’s return as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Joining the cast are Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie.
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Credit: Lucasfilm
