In the new chapter of Star Wars defined after the events of Return of the Jedi, Lucas Skywalker is facing an Inquisitor head-on, promising a legendary battle that will demonstrate just how powerful Luke truly was in his prime as a Jedi Knight. And deliver a historic debut in Star Wars canon too.
Luke Skywalker became a Jedi Master in the following days Return of the Jedi, but it failed to deliver fans what they want most: a lightsaber duel. Their eventual confrontation in THE Last Jedi was memorable, but not technically a real fight, and its equally memorable battle sequence in The Mandalorian it was too one-sided to call a ‘duel’. Now the official preview of Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku – Rise of the Insurgency #4 finds the Empire’s newest Inquisitor preparing to send a message… before being interrupted by Luke Skywalker.
Will Luke Skywalker face a Sith inquisitor in a real lightsaber duel?
Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku – Rise of the Insurgency #4 by Alex Segura, Leonard Kirk and Jethro Morales
At this point in the story, the Inquisitor and Imperial forces have defeated Princess Leia’s new elite team of Rebel spies and are about to kill them to demonstrate their power to the newly emerged Imperial leader, Grand Moff Adelhard. So the stakes couldn’t be higher, as Luke orders the Inquisitor and Commander Bragh to stand down, with both lightsabers activated and in hand. And although Luke is there to fight for good, the Inquisitor may have something bigger to prove.
In the era of the “Reign of the Empire” of Star Wars In the timeline, the Inquisitorius also employed the services of the Purge Troopers, a group of special forces specializing in hunting Jedi. These troopers were originally Clone Troopers, but were eventually replaced by recruits from the Stormtrooper corps. Commander Bragh is one of these Purge soldiers, and if he proves to be as skilled at fighting Jedi as others seen so far, Commander Bragh teaming up with this new Inquisitor will give Luke a run for his money. Even demonstrating to Luke what the Jedi faced during the great Jedi Purge.
Our take on the future of the Inquisitors in Star Wars Canon
Before this new story in Star Wars comics, the last time the Inquisitors appeared was at the end of season two of Star Wars Rebelswhere they were defeated by Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, Ahsoka Tano and Darth Maul. By the time Luke Skywalker left Tatooine, most of the Jedi were believed to be extinct, making the Inquisitors unnecessary, and removed from service (or killed by Palpatine or Darth Vader). So while this return makes it possible for Luke to have a worthy lightsaber wielder to face, it also signals a change in the status quo that Luke is woefully unprepared for.
In addition to this new Inquisitor, there is also another known to be active beyond the height of the Empire: Marrok, Morgan Elsbeth’s servant in the Ahsoka TV series. That series revealed that Marrok was actually a corpse reanimated by Morgan’s dark magic, meaning they died some time before the events of Ahsoka. If this mysterious Inquisitor is the future Marrok, then It’s possible that this story shows how this character meets his death. And it’s possible they could land directly on Luke’s lightsaber.. But if this Inquisitor survives this interaction with Luke, they could still become a recurring threat to Luke in his post-Return of the Jedi was.
Watch Luke face the mysterious inquisitor in Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku – Rise of the Insurgency #4 November 6, from Marvel Comics.