Obi-Wan Kenobi: Why do the Inquisitors use rotating dual lightsabers?

• In “Obi-Wan Kenobi” and “Star Wars Rebels,” the Sith Inquisitors wield rotating dual-bladed lightsabers.
• Of course, those whirling red lightsabers aren’t always practical, but why use them?
• Sith Inquisitors thrive on fear and respect first and foremost, often just displaying their blade is enough.

The Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend) as well as Reva (Moses Ingram) and other Sith Inquisitors celebrate their live-action debut or even their “Star Wars” debut in “Obi-Wan Kenobi”. While Reva is a new character created especially for the Disney+ series, the Grand Inquisitor is already known from “Star Wars Rebels”.

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Already in the animated series, the Inquisitors wield rotating double-bladed lightsabers and this is now carried over to “Obi-Wan Kenobi”. Of course, the question arises as to why the inquisitors carry such rotating lightsabers, because these are certainly not always practical.

The reason is actually a very simple one: The rotating double blade is scary and inspires respect. The Inquisitors are primarily concerned with the presentation of the sword, which in most cases ensures sufficient respect for them to achieve what they want.

Because their skills with the lightsaber are not as good as those of the Sith Lords, Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, as well as those of the Jedi. The Inquisitors were trained by Vader and Palpatine to capture the surviving Jedi of Order 66, since Vader can’t be everywhere at once to hunt them all down single-handedly.

So, inquisitors have been instructed in the use of the Force and the lightsaber, but have not received the extensive training that other Force users and lightsabers have. So the lightsabers are not designed for practical use at all.

Additionally, the dual rotating blade adds novelty, something no Jedi has known before. Especially in “Star Wars Rebels” we see how Kanan Jarrus is overwhelmed when he first meets the Grand Inquisitor with the new blade and the associated fighting style.

Certainly many Jedi are not so fortunate as to survive their first meeting with an Inquisitor in order to prepare for future encounters. Often this irritation is enough to upset a Jedi, making it easy for the Inquisitors.

In the coming weeks, always on Fridays at 9 a.m. in the Disney+ New Releases program, we will be able to enjoy the Inquisitors and their fighting techniques even more. You can find out how things will continue after “Obi-Wan Kenobi” in our overview of the new “Star Wars” releases!