Star Wars Has Officially Ditched Rebels' Grand Inquisitor Design
When the arrival of the first trailer for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series gave audiences their first look at a live action version of the Grand Inquisitor, fans noticed he didn’t resemble his animated Rebels counterpart. Now, Star Wars comics seem to solidify the altered design in a new cover.
Star Wars: Rebels introduced fans to the Inquisitors, a team of red lightsaber-wielding dark siders loyal to Darth Vader. The group was led by the Grand Inquisitor, who was the main villain throughout Rebels’ first season. They were intended to seek out Jedi survivors of Order 66, eliminating what was left of the ancient religion in the galaxy. Inquisitors have shown up in video games, comics, and other media, with the upcoming Star Wars #25 serving as yet another appearance.
As revealed by StarWars.com, the released cover for Star Wars #25 illustrated by Carlo Pagulayan seems to signal that the Grand Inquisitor’s design is changing more than audiences may realize. Following the trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi, fans took notice of actor Rupert Friend’s makeup and prosthetics, which diverged from the animated character’s look. Instead of depicting the Grand Inquisitor with his extended forehead, and strongly-ridged face, the live action series and the new comic have reduced his facial features to appear more human.
However, fans have seen the Grand Inquisitor’s species in Star Wars before, as the Pau'ans were featured on their home planet Utapau in Revenge of the Sith. The horror movie-like aliens’ appearance has been made more palatable with the Grand Inquisitor’s revised design. Whereas the films made it appear that the species has etchings in their face, the art causes the red marks and lines to resemble Darth Maul's famous tattoo markings. Although only the cover has been unveiled, it seems the issue itself will accordingly depict the Inquisitor with the human look. While the comic is maintaining the yellow and black Sith eyes from Rebels, Obi-Wan Kenobi is ditching that aspect of the design.
The continuity problems in Star Wars media have frustrated fans before, especially those who had critiqued much smaller details regarding live action adaptations of animated characters. However, this is the most drastic of the altered designs, as it infringes on previously established canon with the appearance of the Pau’an species. Star Wars #25 by Charles Soule, Ramon Rosanas, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Will Sliney, and Phil Noto is set to release in June, a month after Obi-Wan Kenobi releases on Disney+ in May, debuting the Grand Inquisitor's altered design.
Source: StarWars.com