Inquisitorius (Star Wars Legends)


 * NOTE: This article is about the Inquisitorius from the origins Legends continuity and not the current mainstream canon timeline. For the canon Inquisitorius, read this article.

"Nobody expects the Imperial Inquisition!"

- Fa'Zoll

The Inquisitorius, also known as the Inquisitors, Inquisitioners and Truth Officers, are major recurring antagonists in the Star Wars Legends continuity. Similar to their canon counterparts, the Inquisitorius is a secret division of Imperial Intelligence made up of dark side force users that are employeed as Jedi Hunters for the Galactic Empire and are tasked with killing any surviving Jedi that avoided death during Order 66.

The Inquisitorius is made up of Dark Side Adapts and are the most elite and highest ranking adepts surpassing the Emperor's Hand, Prophets of the Dark Side and Dark Jedi in rank and were under the direct control of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, though the organization as a whole was lead by the Grand Inquisitor who reported to both Dark Lords of the Sith.

History
"The Inquisitors are the Emperor's shadowy agents. They are among those whom the Emperor calls his Dark Side Adepts. Chief among their duties is to hunt, capture, and interrogate Jedi. Some of the Inquisitors may even be former Jedi themselves. While classified as part of Imperial Intelligence, the Inquisitorius division reports directly to Emperor Palpatine."

- Admiral Wullf Yularen, Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide The Inquisitorius was formally established in 19 BBY officially as part of Imperial Intelligence. The organization was founded by Emperor Palpatine and consisted of force sensitive agents tasked with tracking down all known Jedi that survived Order 66 and thus still possed a threat to the newly formed Galactic Empire and the Sith by extension. Potential members and recruits to the Inquisitorius are pushed through rigerous selection process in which they are extensively examined and texted by Imperial Intelligence, then by the Grand Inquisitor and finally by Palpatine himself. All applicants have to prove themselves to be reliable and powerful in order to be allowed into the organization.

The Inquisitors were sent out during the Great Jedi Purge and served as the main enforcers for the Empire and were responsible for killing any surviving Jedi with the intent on whipping them from the face of the galaxy. While Jedi were the main targets of the Inquisitorius, many Jedi that fell to the dark side ended up joining the Empire and became Inquisitors themselves such as Jerec and Antinnis Tremayne. If an Inquisitor managed to capture a Jedi, they were tasked with forcing them to join the dark side at any costs and make them join Palpatine's new order. If they refused, then the Inquisitors were to kill them on the spot. The organization also tracked down and search for non-Jedi force users with the intent on making them join the Inquisitorius and the Empire as a whole.

During the reign of the Empire, the Inquisitorius had awoken Arden Lyn from her 25 milennia sleep. During this time, the Inquisitor Valin Draco became involved in the Sarlacc Project, the secret construction of a Super Star Destroyer, showing that the order focused on other matters outside of the force.

Following the first death of Palpatine on the Death Star II at the Battle of Endor, the order became entrenched in infighting with other branches of the Imperial government to determine who would be Palpatine's successor, though some of his darksiders kept quiet knowing that he would eventually return. Many Inquisitors went on to join the Penstar Alignment, an Imperial breakway faction, under the title of Grand InQestor of Judgment. One such Inquisitor was Jerec who joined to search for the Valley of the Jedi before he was stopped and defeated by Kyle Katern.