Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith created one blink-and-you-miss-it Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader continuity problem with A New Hope, and Star Wars subtly fixed it with the Imperial Inquisitors. The prequel trilogy had quite a bit of work to do to make the original trilogy make sense, including filling in mᴀssive gaps in the Star Wars timeline, such as the entire Clone Wars. With the prequels so heavily focused on Anakin/Darth Vader as well, the movies had to tread carefully to flesh out his story without creating plot holes.
For the most part, the prequels’ contributions to Anakin Skywalker’s Star Wars timeline were well done, giving him so much more depth while more or less staying true to what was revealed in the original trilogy about the Sith Lord and the Jedi he had once been. There were a few issues created in the prequels, though. One easy to miss plot hole created in Revenge of the Sith had to do with Obi-Wan’s description of Order 66 in A New Hope, but the Imperial Inquisitors proved to be a brilliant fix.
Revenge Of The Sith’s Order 66 Contradicted A New Hope
One Obi-Wan Kenobi Line Doesn’t Make Sense In Light Of Revenge Of The Sith
A New Hope introduced many of the most important characters in all Star Wars movies and TV shows, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, and Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. The movie also set up the concept that Obi-Wan and Vader/Anakin had a past, although the depth of their history wasn’t fully revealed at the time. One line in particular regarding their relationship caused a bit of a wrinkle in light of the events of Revenge of the Sith.
When describing Anakin/Vader to Luke in A New Hope, Obi-Wan said:
“A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights.”
The issue with this statement in light of Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith is the Empire hadn’t yet been established when Anakin/Vader marched on the Temple and helped the clone troopers wipe out the Jedi. This suggested that Vader had continued to ‘hunt’ the Jedi after the Empire was formed, but, in Revenge of the Sith, that wasn’t shown. Although easy to miss, Revenge of the Sith therefore contradicted A New Hope and created a mᴀssive plot hole.
This suggested that Vader had continued to ‘hunt’ the Jedi after the Empire was formed, but, in Revenge of the Sith, that wasn’t shown.
The Inquisitors Continuing To Carry Out Order 66 Fixes This Contradiction
Darth Vader’s Inquisitors Certainly “Hunted” Jedi
The Imperial Inquisitors were the perfect solution to this plot hole problem for two key reasons. For one, as mentioned, the Empire hadn’t been established when Anakin/Vader carried out his Order 66 attack, which meant an incongruent timeline. As the Inquisitors were working directly for Darth Vader, this addressed this problem. Once the Empire was fully formed, Vader brought the Inquisitors on to finish what Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith had started.
The other critical issue with Obi-Wan’s line in A New Hope was also resolved by the Imperial Inquisitors. Obi-Wan had specifically used the word “hunted,” which didn’t quite line up with Anakin/Vader’s involvement in Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith, as he participated in the attack but didn’t exactly hunt anyone down. However, hunting down remaining Jedi was precisely what the Inquisitors were meant to do, and shows like Star Wars Rebels, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Star Wars: Tales of the Empire confirmed they were largely successful.
Hunting down remaining Jedi was precisely what the Inquisitors were meant to do.
Vader Would Always Have To Be Tied To The Imperial Inquisitors
For This Line To Work, The Inquisitors Had To Be “Vader’s”
A key component of making this retcon work was that the Imperial Inquisitors had to be Darth Vader’s specifically, and that is ultimately what Star Wars revealed. In Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Inquisitors were shown reporting directly to Darth Vader. Surprisingly, Vader seemed to have a level of autonomy with them that Palpatine/Darth Sidious didn’t often grant his Sith apprentices.
Whereas Palpatine controlled Count Dooku’s every move in the Clone Wars, for example, Vader seemed to be primarily in command of the Inquisitors. Tales of the Empire reinforced that point as well, with former Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee coming face-to-face with Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader once again when she joined the Inquisitors. This perfectly explained away this plot hole with Vader ‘hunting down’ the Jedi and helping the Empire.
Vader may not have been physically hunting down the Jedi himself, but the Inquisitors were doing so on his orders. The introduction of the Inquisitors also provided context for other lingering questions following Revenge of the Sith, such as how the Empire addressed Jedi who had managed to survive the attacks. With the Imperial Inquisitors, Star Wars therefore addressed both this Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader continuity problem and other questions about Order 66.
