The New Star Wars Novel 'Rise Of The Red Blade' Reveals The Truth About The Inquisitors

Star Wars

Jul 25

The most recent Star Wars (SW) novel has given the public some new and really interesting information about how Palpatine operated in the shadows and the fall of the Jedi. Rise of the Red Blade tells the story of a Jedi Padawan called Iskat Akaris, who took part in the Clone Wars.

The book shows how Palpatine was able to groom certain dissatisfied Jedi and turn them into Inquisitors when the appropriate time came - Order 66. The novel’s subtitle says it all: When the Jedi Order falls, an Inquisitor Rises. Screenrant exemplifies this very well while talking about it:

“Finally, the Clone Wars came to their tragic end when Palpatine issued Order 66. He'd deliberately engineered a situation where the Jedi were scattered across the galaxy, and the clone troopers with potential Inquisitors received different orders. They were commanded to give their Jedi a chance to live - to turn on their fellow Jedi, believing the Empire's lives, embracing the dark side. They were the darkest Order 66 survivors of all, allowed to live because they were willing to abandon the way of the Jedi.”

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It has been well-established that the Jedi Order, during the time of the Clone Wars, had fallen considerably. Although they still had tens of thousands of Jedi around the galaxy, a number that diminished a lot after the war. Some grew upset and frustrated with how the Galactic Republic became this corrupted government and how the Clone Wars did not serve the Jedi’s interests and goals.

These Jedi ended up falling to the dark side, while others were just marginalized inside the order. Count Dooku was one that turned for these reasons, carrying with them a growing sense of frustration.

Image Source: Tom’s Guide

During the last few SW shows (live-action and animated), the Inquisitors were put in the limelight. Rebels introduced them and showed they had become a true representation of the darkness in a post-CW galaxy. Rise of the Red Blade does exactly that. At the same time that portrays Palpatine’s capacity for deception and manipulation, the novel also pictures that some Jedi were - because of the circumstances - very willing to open themselves to the dark side and join Palp’s brand-new Empire. The book’s synopsis gives the public a brief glimpse of how this story is extremely important:

“As the years pass and the war endures, Iskat’s faith in the Jedi wanes. If they would grant her more freedom, she is certain she could do more to protect the galaxy. If they would trust her with more knowledge, she could finally cast aside the shadows that have begun to consume her. When the Jedi Order finally falls, Iskat seizes the chance to forge a path of her own. She embraces the salvation of Order 66. As an Inquisitor, Iskat finds the freedom she has always craved: to question, to want. And with each strike of her red blade, Iskat moves closer to claiming her new destiny in the Force—whatever the cost.”

Akaris now joins a select group of Jedis that survived Order 66. This, though, was possible because she switched teams when the match had already been lost by hers. The current SW canon has shown something that is problematic for some fans. When Episode III: Revenge of the Sith premiered in movies back in 2005, the execution of Order 66 by Clone Troopers gave the idea that the Jedi were terminated altogether. Maybe only a handful of others were able to overcome the end like Obi-Wan and Yoda did.

But this has been refuted over the past few years. Projects like CW season 7, The Jedi videogame series, Rebels, and Legends material (if you consider those) show that there were in fact lots too many Jedis to be killed in just one quick, merciless strike. Rise of the Red Blade makes the canon a bit bigger but adds some key details about the survivors and what happened during that period.

Rise of the Red Blade is already out, so do not lose any time to enjoy this cool story!

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