Emperor Palpatine orchestrated the Clone Wars to take over the Star Wars Galaxy, but a compelling theory suggests that its purpose was more closely tied to the origin of the Inquisitor. The Clone Wars decimated a Jedi Order that was already stretched thin protecting the people of the galaxy, and Palpatine used the growing conflict to turn the people against them. As Palpatine gained more executive power, he was able to cement his hold on the new Galactic Empire, decimating his enemies and leaving very few Jedi who survived Order 66.
However, while all of these outcomes benefited from the Clone Wars, they may not have been the primary reason for Palpatine starting the conflict. One of Palpatine’s other pressing goals was to find a suitable apprentice, one he could control but would also grow as powerful as him someday. Anakin Skywalker may have turned to the dark side and become Darth Vader, but that was never a guarantee. For this reason, Palpatine’s main reason for orchestrating the Clone Wars may have been to create the Imperial Inquisitors.
Star Wars has confirmed that the first Inquisitors were recruited during the Clone Wars
The Inquisitorius was already established when Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader
While the Star Wars Movies and TV shows only featured Inquisitors after Order 66, the books and comics clarified that many of them were recruited during the Clone Wars. in Star Wars: Darth Vader (2017) by Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli, Anakin Skywalker met the Inquisitors shortly after becoming Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. The only way Palpatine could have ensured the survival of so many recruits and organized them so soon is if he had already recruited them during the Clone Wars.
Star Wars: Inquisitors #2 by Rodney Barnes also showed an Inquisitor participating in Order 66, revealing that Palpatine used them to eliminate Jedi. While the TV shows never showed a Jedi being recruited by Palpatine during the war, Star Wars: Tales of the Empire saw Barriss Offee become an Inquisitor right after the attack on the Jedi Temple. With these examples in mind, it can be deduced that Jedi like Pong Krell, who was secretly working for Count Dooku, were tested to become Inquisitors once the Empire replaced the Republic.
The Clone Wars served a more sinister purpose than we realized
It was about turning Jedi to the dark side, not just destroying them The best way to turn multiple Jedi at once would be to strengthen the dark side throughout the galaxy.
Palpatine recruiting so many Inquisitors before Order 66 shows that the Clone Wars was as much about turning Jedi to the dark side as it was about destroying them. Turning one Jedi to the dark side is hard enough, as it took Palpatine 13 years to turn Anakin Skywalker into a Dark Lord of the Sith. Finding potential Dark Jedi would be difficult in a time of peaceAnd focusing on each candidate one at a time would take more effort. The best way to turn multiple Jedi at once would be to strengthen the dark side throughout the galaxy.
The Clone Wars are the perfect means to shift the force out of balance through fear, anger and violence. Jedi Padawans like Barriss Offee came to blame the Jedi Council for their failure to prevent the Clone Wars, making her susceptible to manipulation when the Jedi fell. Other Jedi like Pong Krell would predict the defeat of the Jedi and decide it is better to survive and rule as part of the new order of the galaxy. Creating a galactic war allowed Palpatine to kill the Jedi and kill the ideals they stood forGaining countless servants along the way.
The Clone Wars had Palpatine redundancies if Anakin didn’t turn
Why turn one Jedi to the dark side when you can turn several?
Palpatine tends to replace his apprentices, so using the Clone Wars to create the Inquisitors gave him a lot of options. By the time Darth Maul was seemingly killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Palpatine had already recruited Doku and was ready to make him his new apprentice. When Dooku was killed by Anakin, Palpatine just had to put the final pieces in place to make him turn his back on the Jedi Order. however, Palpatine is fully prepared to replace VaderWhich he eventually tried to do in Return of the Jedi By pushing Luke Skywalker into killing his father.
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Star Wars: Darth Vader (2015) by Kieron Gillen also revealed that Palpatine created another contingency after Vader was severely injured on Mustafar. Palpatine recruited a cybernetically engineered doctor named Silo to create a group of warriors with technology that could replace Vader if he failed as an apprentice. Vader and the other potential apprentices then had to compete for Palpatine’s favor by completing missions, as he only needed one of them alive. It is possible that this contingency is based on the Inquisitor, especially if they are potential Sith apprentices.
Is Palpatine always watching the inquisitors as potential apprentices?
It wouldn’t be the first time Palpatine found a replacement in advance
While Palpatine always intended for the Inquisitor to serve the Empire after the Clone Wars, he may not have seriously considered them as potential apprentices until later. pAlpatine tells Vader that he had Silo create a group of potential apprentices after Anain was injured on MustafarAnd even then he did not mention considering the inquisitors. Then again, most of the Inquisitors were dead when Vader discovered the warriors of Silo, so Palpatine may have considered replacing Vader with an Inquisitor between the events of the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy.
If Palpatine was watching the Inquisitors as potential apprentices, that would make him engineering the Clone Wars even darker. Not only would he have created a galaxy-wide conflict to create a group of dark warriors, but to see each of them in action and test them as a worthy successor. This would mean that he sacrificed countless lives and spread untold suffering just to corrupt the Jedi Order and ensure the survival of the Sith. Palpatine’s main goal with the Clone Wars may be to create the Inquisitors, adding a dark but intriguing spin to Star Wars.