Fortress Inquisitorius Explained: Star Wars History & Canon Appearances

Obi-WanKenobi features the Fortress Inquisitorius, a major Imperial stronghold that serves as the base of operations for Darth Vader’s sinister Jedi hunters. While the important location has been featured in past Star Wars projects, Obi-WanKenobi marks the first time the fortress is depicted in live-action as the titular Jedi master stages a rescue mission to save Leia Organa. The site from which many Jedi survivors met their demise in the Star Wars timeline, Kenobi found himself within its dark halls, making some tragic discoveries along the way.

First seen in Star Wars Rebels, the Inquisitors are agents of the Sith Lords who wield red lightsabers and Force abilities of their own. Many were once Jedi who were corrupted and tortured into becoming slaves to the dark side. Tasked with hunting down Jedi survivors of Order 66 and retrieving Force-sensitive children for the Emperor, the Inquisitors were a force to be reckoned with during the Dark Times. To that end, the Fortress Inquisitorius serves as a home for Darth Vader’s hunters from which they can plot against the galaxy while serving the will of the Sith.

The Fortress Inquisitorius Is The Base Of Darth Vader’s Inquisitors

Located In The Mustafar System

While the Inquisitorius was originally based on Coruscant, Emperor Palpatine eventually had the Inquisitors’ facility moved to their own world following the death of an Imperial senator during a battle between Vader and two rogue Inquisitors. Located in the Mustafar system, the new Fortress Inquisitorius was built on Nur, an ocean moon very close to Vader’s fiery world and fortress which debuted in Rogue One: A Star WarsStory. From here, new Inquisitors were trained, and any Jedi they captured were tortured, interrogated, and finally executed if they could not be corrupted to the dark side.

While the top of the Fortress Inquisitorius can be seen above the waves of Nur’s vast oceans, the bulk of the facility is located underwater, a natural security measure making it incredibly hard to break in and out. Having its own hangar above sea level, all Inquisitors have to pass through extensive security checkpoints before entering the levels below. Not only does the Fortress feature its own training dojos, but it also has a large cell block for prisoners, meeting rooms for the Inquisitors to plan new hunts, and a launch bay for probes used to search the galaxy for any surviving Jedi.

The Lower Levels Include The Inquisitors’ Trophy Room

Spoils From Their Jedi Hunts

The lower levels of the Fortress Inquisitorius are also lined with dark trophies from their past conquests. This includes lightsabers that once belonged to Jedi Knights as well as youngling training helmets, presumably from the purge of the Jedi Temple during Order 66. However, the darkest room in the entire Fortress is the Jedi tomb, a massive multi-layered hall filled with the suspended corpses of Jedi both young and old whom the Inquisitors had killed as featured in 2022’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

While not all of these fallen Jedi can be identified, this dark tomb housing several fallen Jedi discovered by Obi-Wan Kenobi does house the likes of Jedi Master Tera Sinube from The Clone Wars animated series and countless others who were slain by Darth Vader and his hunters during the Dark Times. While not featured, one can assume that the corpse of Jedi Master Luminara Unduli was among this number as well, having been used in a dark scheme to bait living Jedi survivors as seen in the first season of Star Wars Rebels.

Every Time We’ve Seen The Fortress Inquisitorius So Far

Two Shows, One Game, and One Novel

Between Order 66 survivor Cal Kestis in EA’s Jedi: Fallen Order and Obi-Wan Kenobi in his own series, the two Jedi have provided a fairly in-depth look at the Fortress Inquisitorius overall. The same goes for the novel Inquisitor:Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson and Tales of the Empire which featured Barriss Offee’s recruitment as one of Vader’s early Jedi hunters. The Fortress truly is a dark monument representing the Empire’s power and its achievement of nearly erasing the legacy of the Jedi Order from the galaxy. Here’s every time the Fortress Inquisitorius has been featured in the Star Wars canon.

Jedi: Fallen Order

The Inquisitors also play a large role in the canonical storyline for EA’s Jedi: Fallen Order. Featuring the debut of the Fortress Inquisitorius in the Star Wars galaxy, the video game’s narrative reveals the journey of Jedi Purge survivor Cal Kestis who’s attempting to restore the Jedi Order five years after Revenge of the Sith. As such, he inevitably crosses paths with the Inquisitors which leads him to the moon of Nur, the site of their menacing stronghold. Likewise, it was within the halls of the Fortress that Cal Kestis barely survived an encounter with Darth Vader himself.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

From the creative team behind Titanfall 1, 2, and Apex Legends comes Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a single-player action-adventure game set in the Star Wars Universe. Five years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, players assume the role of Cal Kestis, a Jedi Padawan that has managed to survive the outcome of the deadly Order 66, unlike many other Jedi. When Cal is found by Inquisitors seeking to hunt down the rest of the Jedi, he escapes and eventually finds a new former Jedi ally and begins to fight back against the empire to survive.

Released

November 15, 2019

Publisher(s)

Electronic Arts

Genre(s)

Action-Adventure

ESRB

T

How Long To Beat

17 Hours

Summary

From the creative team behind Titanfall 1, 2, and Apex Legends comes Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a single-player action-adventure game set in the Star Wars Universe. Five years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, players assume the role of Cal Kestis, a Jedi Padawan that has managed to survive the outcome of the deadly Order 66, unlike many other Jedi. When Cal is found by Inquisitors seeking to hunt down the rest of the Jedi, he escapes and eventually finds a new former Jedi ally and begins to fight back against the empire to survive.

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Obi-Wan Kenobi

2022’s Obi-Wan Kenobi features the Fortress for the first time in live-action. In a mission very similar to Cal’s, Obi-Wan ventures to Nur to save young Princess Leia from the clutches of the Third Sister. Entering the Fortress underwater just as Kestis did, Obi-Wan and the Hidden Path’s Tala Durith successfully save Leia and escape the dark fortress, though not after Kenobi discovers the Inquisitors’s trophies and dark Jedi tomb.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place 10 years after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, which showed Anakin’s fall to the dark side and the rise of Darth Vader. Obi-Wan is hiding on Tatooine and watching over Luke Skywalker before Bail Organa recruits him to save a kidnapped Leia. With a confrontation with Darth Vader inevitable, Obi-Wan Kenobi tells the story of a man of a destroyed alliance fighting to protect the future. Ewan McGregor returns as his fan-favorite Star Wars character, as does Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader.

Cast

Bonnie Piesse , Hayden Christensen , Moses Ingram , O’Shea Jackson Jr. , Simone Kessell , Ewan McGregor , Grant Feely , Joel Edgerton , Maya Erskine , Benny Safdie , Indira Varma , Marisé Álvarez , Sung Kang , Rupert Friend , Kumail Nanjiani

Release Date

May 27, 2022

Seasons

1

Writers

Joby Harold , Hossein Amini , Stuart Beattie , Hannah Friedman , Andrew Stanton

Directors

Deborah Chow

Showrunner

Joby Harold

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Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade

Rise of the Red Blade follows the rise and major fall of Iskat Akaris as the Thirteenth Sister. Akaris was one of the rogue Inquisitors killed by Darth Vader when the Jedi hunters were still based on Coruscant. As a result, Iskat was the primary reason why Palpatine had the Inquisitorius moved to Nur, closer to Darth Vader on Mustafar and away from the prying eyes of the Imperial Senate.

Tales of the Empire

2024’s Tales of the Empire also featured a new look at the Fortress Inquisitorius. Arriving on Nur shortly after the events of Order 66, the rogue Jedi Barris Offee was recruited into the Inquisitors’ ranks by the Fourth Sister. Featuring closer looks at its brutal training dojos while the Grand Inquisitor sparred and tested Barriss, both the prison block and throne room for their master Darth Vader were featured as well in the new animated series.

Tales of the Empire (2024)

Star Wars: Tales of the Empire is an animated follow-up to 2022’s Tales of the Jedi. The series focuses on Barriss Offee, a former Jedi, and Morgan Elsbeth as they navigate their separate paths through the Galactic Empire. The series will also see the return of other iconic Star Wars characters such as General Grievous, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Darth Vader.

Cast

Jason Isaacs , Meredith Salenger , Lars Mikkelsen , Rya Kihlstedt , Diana Lee Inosanto , Matthew Wood , Wing T.Chao

Release Date

May 4, 2024

Seasons

1

Streaming Service(s)

Disney+

Writers

Dave Filoni

Directors

Dave Filoni

Creator(s)

Dave Filoni

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