Warning! This article contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode 4.
Summary
- The Inquisitors' lightsabers have spinning blades that are intended to intimidate their enemies, but this feature ultimately proves to be a weakness.
- Unlike their Legends-era counterparts, the current canon's Imperial Inquisitors are deliberately trained to be limited in their skills to prevent them from becoming too powerful.
- The spinning blades of the Inquisitors' lightsabers can be predicted, making them vulnerable to Jedi who are not intimidated and can easily strike through the blades.
The Inquisitor Marrok appears in the early episodes of Ahsoka and demonstrates the flaws of the Inquisitors’ lightsabers in one particular duel. Imperial Inquisitors, who originate in the now-bygone Star Wars Legends continuity, made their debut in the current canon via Star Wars Rebels, which gave the sinister agents new lore for the new timeline. Inquisitors use double-bladed lightsabers whose blades can spin, and while this feature has some advantages, it is ultimately more of a flaw that speaks to a weakness of the Inquisitors themselves.
Unlike their Legends-era counterparts, the current canon’s Imperial Inquisitors are intentionally limited in their training to prevent them from becoming too powerful and skilled. The Inquisitors are meant to seek out Jedi survivors of the Empire’s Jedi Purge, kill any Jed they can (or convert them to the dark side), or bring in Darth Vader to hunt down more threatening enemies. Inquisitor lightsabers are a variation of the more typical saberstaffs, but unlike the many variations of the classic lightsaber, the signature feature of the Jedi hunters' lightsabers is geared for a function other than combat.
The Inquisitors' Lightsaber Is For Intimidation, Not Combat
Lightsaber variants typically serve a function in combat, with curved-hilt lightsabers owing themselves well to styles like Makashi (Form II, Count Dooku’s signature style), or crossguard lightsabers giving their wielders a lethal advantage in a saber-lock. Inquisitor lightsabers, like typical saberstaffs, afford Inquisitors extra reach with a second blade (granting them increased offensive and defensive surface area), but the added spinning feature has additional benefits. The spinning blades offer Inquisitors limited flight abilities, but their primary intention is to simply intimidate their enemies. To inexperienced Jedi on the run from the Empire, the spinning blades of an Inquisitor’s lightsaber inspire terror, weakening them in combat with the dark side agents.
This feature is far more of a weakness for the Inquisitors than an advantage, especially when they face formidable and experienced Jedi who are not intimidated by them. Kanan Jarrus conquered his fears in the Rebels season 1 finale and promptly disarmed the Grand Inquisitor with ease. Ahsoka Tano similarly bests Marrok in Ahsoka episode 4 “Part Four: Fallen Jedi.” Tano was never intimidated by Marrok in the first place, so when Marrok realizes that he is outmatched against her, he falls back on his Inquisitor training and attempts to instill fear in her with his weapon’s spinning blades, which only makes it easier for Ahsoka to fatally strike him.
The Spinning Blades Can Be Predicted - Meaning They Leave An Inquisitor Vulnerable
Inquisitor lightsabers are useless against Jedi who remain unintimidated by them; their spinning blades require their hilts to be large and vulnerable targets to Jedi lightsaber strikes. There is one additional weakness: Inquisitor lightsaber blades spin at a consistent speed, making them predictable. Jedi, whose speed and reflexes allow them to deflect and dodge blaster bolts, could easily predict the pattern of the blades and strike through them, making the weapons even more impractical. While Imperial Inquisitors may be effective against novice Jedi, Rebels and Ahsoka prove that they are no match for the Jedi Order’s most formidable warriors.
Ahsoka releases new episodes Tuesday at 6 pm PT/9 pm ET on Disney+.
