Warning: This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi: Episode 4! If you haven't already, be sure to check out IGN's review of the new episode.
Chapter 4 of Obi-Wan Kenobi features more than one important link to the 2019 video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Not only do we see the Jedi-hunting Purge Troopers fighting alongside the Inquisitors, the series also marks the live-action debut of Fortress Inquisitorius. And as this episode reveals, this imposing fortress is harboring a very disturbing room full of fallen Jedi Knights.
The series has dredged up all sorts of burning questions about this era in the Star Wars timeline, but this latest reveal may be the most perplexing twist yet. What exactly is this "tomb"? Are we seeing dead bodies or Jedi who are being kept alive in some sort of stasis? And does this room tie back to Emperor Palpatine's secret Sith experiments? Here's what we know and what we still hope to find out over the course of the show's final two episodes.
First things first - a little background on Fortress Inquisitorius is probably in order. After first being referenced in Marvel's 2017 Darth Vader series, this twisted Imperial facility made its first real appearance in Jedi Fallen Order. The fortress is located on Nur, an oceanic moon orbiting the planet Mustafar. That location is no coincidence. Darth Vader has his own fortress on Mustafar, and he clearly wants to keep his Inquisitors close, but not too close to disturb those long Bacta tank baths he's so fond of.
The fortress serves as a heavily fortified Imperial base, stocked full of Stormtroopers, TIE Fighters and more elite soldiers like the Purge Troopers. But its real purpose is to provide a secure, remote location where the Inquisitors can bring captive Jedi. That's why it's built in the middle of an oceanic moon. The fortress is basically the Star Wars version of the MCU's Raft prison.
The Inquisitors aren't tasked merely with hunting and killing Jedi. They specifically try to bring their targets in alive so they can torture them and press them for information on other Jedi fugitives. Sometimes, as with Jedi Fallen Order's Second Sister, that torture is enough to drive Jedi to the Dark Side and create new Inquisitors. But most of the time, a trip to Fortress Inquisitorius is strictly one-way.
Sometimes, as with Jedi Fallen Order's Second Sister, that torture is enough to drive Jedi to the Dark Side and create new Inquisitors.
Episode 4 doesn't entirely make it clear whether the Jedi prisoners seen in the depths of Fortress Inquisitorius are living or dead. The fact that Obi-Wan refers to the secret chamber as "a tomb" certainly suggests the latter. On the other hand, these bodies appear to be kept in some sort of stasis field. If they're not living bodies kept in suspended animation, then they're at least being preserved for one reason or another (more on that later).
Most likely, this "tomb" is meant to be a grisly trophy room. Just as General Grievous was infamous for carrying the lightsabers of the Jedi he killed, the Inquisitors probably want visible souvenirs of their accomplishments. After all, these hardened killers are constantly fighting amongst themselves and trying to curry favor with Lord Vader. It's a lot easier to make a case for a promotion when you have physical reminders of every Jedi you've tortured and executed.
That's the difference between Vader and his Inquisitors. Vader isn't the type to decorate his castle with reminders of his past. Sentimentality and attachment are what led Anakin Skywalker to lose his family and be burned to a crisp. The many Jedi he's murdered are simply obstacles along his path to true power... and vengeance against Obi-Wan.
We imagine Star Wars fans will spend a lot of time rewinding the tomb scene and scanning the many pods for glimpses of familiar Jedi characters. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear the series has included any major cameos here.
The one immediately recognizable face in this corpse crowd is Tera Sinube, a Jedi Master who appears in several episodes of the Clone Wars animated series.
We also see a Youngling who may or may not be one of those murdered by Anakin Skywalker on Coruscant. He's still got his training helmet on and everything.
Twitter user @Angrycamb points out another character who could almost be mistaken for Samuel L. Jackson's Mace Windu. You know, if you squint a little and ignore the fact that this character still has a right hand. But as far as we know, Mace died before the Inquisitorius was formed. If Lucasfilm has any future plans for Master Windu, we doubt it's as a split-second background cameo.
It may be that these dead Jedi are being kept in stasis solely to keep them around as trophies. However, there may be a deeper reason behind these trophies. The Empire may have need of a constant supply of midichlorian-rich DNA.
Thanks to The Rise of Skywalker (or, more accurately, the novelization of The Rise of Skywalker), we know Palpatine is able to cheat death aboard the second Death Star and cling to life inside a clone body. Supreme Leader Snoke is part of Palpatine's larger plot to tap into ancient Sith secrets and create a perfect, Force-sensitive clone body that can render him immortal. We have to assume Palpatine is already deep into his unholy science experiments by the era of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. These dead Jedi may be trapped in oversized test tubes.
Obi-Wan Kenobi would hardly be the first Star Wars series to retroactively lay the foundation for Palpatine's return in the sequel trilogy. The Mandalorian: Season 2 features a cameo of the same vat full of Snoke bodies later seen on Exegol, and it seems safe to assume little Grogu is part of Palpatine's experiments. Why else would the failing Empire devote so many resources to capturing a tiny Muppet?
The Season 1 finale of Star Wars: The Bad Batch also seems to imply that Palpatine wanted to use the Kaminoans' knowledge of cloning to further his own agenda. Obi-Wan Kenobi may be showing us another small piece of this much bigger puzzle. At this point, if you want the full story behind Palpatine's resurrection, you'll have to watch a lot of TV.
What secrets do you think are hidden within the Fortress Inquisitorius tomb? Let us know your theories in the comments below. And for more Star Wars news, brush up on everything that was revealed at Star Wars Celebration 2022.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Continue reading...
Chapter 4 of Obi-Wan Kenobi features more than one important link to the 2019 video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Not only do we see the Jedi-hunting Purge Troopers fighting alongside the Inquisitors, the series also marks the live-action debut of Fortress Inquisitorius. And as this episode reveals, this imposing fortress is harboring a very disturbing room full of fallen Jedi Knights.
The series has dredged up all sorts of burning questions about this era in the Star Wars timeline, but this latest reveal may be the most perplexing twist yet. What exactly is this "tomb"? Are we seeing dead bodies or Jedi who are being kept alive in some sort of stasis? And does this room tie back to Emperor Palpatine's secret Sith experiments? Here's what we know and what we still hope to find out over the course of the show's final two episodes.
What Is Fortress Inquisitorius?
First things first - a little background on Fortress Inquisitorius is probably in order. After first being referenced in Marvel's 2017 Darth Vader series, this twisted Imperial facility made its first real appearance in Jedi Fallen Order. The fortress is located on Nur, an oceanic moon orbiting the planet Mustafar. That location is no coincidence. Darth Vader has his own fortress on Mustafar, and he clearly wants to keep his Inquisitors close, but not too close to disturb those long Bacta tank baths he's so fond of.
The fortress serves as a heavily fortified Imperial base, stocked full of Stormtroopers, TIE Fighters and more elite soldiers like the Purge Troopers. But its real purpose is to provide a secure, remote location where the Inquisitors can bring captive Jedi. That's why it's built in the middle of an oceanic moon. The fortress is basically the Star Wars version of the MCU's Raft prison.
The Inquisitors aren't tasked merely with hunting and killing Jedi. They specifically try to bring their targets in alive so they can torture them and press them for information on other Jedi fugitives. Sometimes, as with Jedi Fallen Order's Second Sister, that torture is enough to drive Jedi to the Dark Side and create new Inquisitors. But most of the time, a trip to Fortress Inquisitorius is strictly one-way.
Sometimes, as with Jedi Fallen Order's Second Sister, that torture is enough to drive Jedi to the Dark Side and create new Inquisitors.
Are the Jedi Prisoners Dead or Alive?
Episode 4 doesn't entirely make it clear whether the Jedi prisoners seen in the depths of Fortress Inquisitorius are living or dead. The fact that Obi-Wan refers to the secret chamber as "a tomb" certainly suggests the latter. On the other hand, these bodies appear to be kept in some sort of stasis field. If they're not living bodies kept in suspended animation, then they're at least being preserved for one reason or another (more on that later).
Most likely, this "tomb" is meant to be a grisly trophy room. Just as General Grievous was infamous for carrying the lightsabers of the Jedi he killed, the Inquisitors probably want visible souvenirs of their accomplishments. After all, these hardened killers are constantly fighting amongst themselves and trying to curry favor with Lord Vader. It's a lot easier to make a case for a promotion when you have physical reminders of every Jedi you've tortured and executed.
That's the difference between Vader and his Inquisitors. Vader isn't the type to decorate his castle with reminders of his past. Sentimentality and attachment are what led Anakin Skywalker to lose his family and be burned to a crisp. The many Jedi he's murdered are simply obstacles along his path to true power... and vengeance against Obi-Wan.
Are There Any Familiar Jedi?
We imagine Star Wars fans will spend a lot of time rewinding the tomb scene and scanning the many pods for glimpses of familiar Jedi characters. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear the series has included any major cameos here.
The one immediately recognizable face in this corpse crowd is Tera Sinube, a Jedi Master who appears in several episodes of the Clone Wars animated series.
We also see a Youngling who may or may not be one of those murdered by Anakin Skywalker on Coruscant. He's still got his training helmet on and everything.
Twitter user @Angrycamb points out another character who could almost be mistaken for Samuel L. Jackson's Mace Windu. You know, if you squint a little and ignore the fact that this character still has a right hand. But as far as we know, Mace died before the Inquisitorius was formed. If Lucasfilm has any future plans for Master Windu, we doubt it's as a split-second background cameo.
Emperor Palpatine's Cloning Experiments
It may be that these dead Jedi are being kept in stasis solely to keep them around as trophies. However, there may be a deeper reason behind these trophies. The Empire may have need of a constant supply of midichlorian-rich DNA.
Thanks to The Rise of Skywalker (or, more accurately, the novelization of The Rise of Skywalker), we know Palpatine is able to cheat death aboard the second Death Star and cling to life inside a clone body. Supreme Leader Snoke is part of Palpatine's larger plot to tap into ancient Sith secrets and create a perfect, Force-sensitive clone body that can render him immortal. We have to assume Palpatine is already deep into his unholy science experiments by the era of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. These dead Jedi may be trapped in oversized test tubes.
Obi-Wan Kenobi would hardly be the first Star Wars series to retroactively lay the foundation for Palpatine's return in the sequel trilogy. The Mandalorian: Season 2 features a cameo of the same vat full of Snoke bodies later seen on Exegol, and it seems safe to assume little Grogu is part of Palpatine's experiments. Why else would the failing Empire devote so many resources to capturing a tiny Muppet?
The Season 1 finale of Star Wars: The Bad Batch also seems to imply that Palpatine wanted to use the Kaminoans' knowledge of cloning to further his own agenda. Obi-Wan Kenobi may be showing us another small piece of this much bigger puzzle. At this point, if you want the full story behind Palpatine's resurrection, you'll have to watch a lot of TV.
What secrets do you think are hidden within the Fortress Inquisitorius tomb? Let us know your theories in the comments below. And for more Star Wars news, brush up on everything that was revealed at Star Wars Celebration 2022.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Continue reading...