Reva the Third Sister is a character created specifically for the Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries on Disney+. Like many well-styled deuteragonists in the Star Wars galaxy, Reva is rarely referred to by name in the dialogue, but her presence onscreen is captivating.
Methodical and relentless, Reva is played with ferocious precision by Moses Ingram (The Queen’s Gambit, The Tragedy of Macbeth). We already know Ingram has been harassed by the toxic element of Star Wars fandom. Even before the miniseries release date, Lucasfilm warned her about the racist backlash she might receive, based on the historical evidence of racist backlash John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran received during the production of the Sequel Trilogy. And we know that Ewan McGregor took a stand against so-called fans who react hatefully to this casting choice.
We also know that the character is so menacing, she even menaces the Grand Inquisitor. But what we want to know now is why she has been designated as the Third Sister.
Why is Reva called ‘Third Sister’?
A character named Third Sister was first mentioned in an issue of DeAgostini’s Star Wars Encyclopedia reference booklets—titled Darth Maul and Other Dark Side Followers—but she was only revealed as Inquisitor Reva in the March 9, 2022 issue of Entertainment Weekly. She hasn’t received an entry in the Star Wars Databank yet, so little is known of her origins.
Although they are Force Adept—because most of them were once members of the Jedi Order—members of the Inquisitorius are distinct from Sith Lords. At the time of Obi-Wan Kenobi—10 years after Revenge of the Sith, nine years before A New Hope—the Inquisitorius occupy a unique space in the Galactic Empire, led by the Grand Inquisitor, subordinate to Darth Vader. This places them intimidatingly close to the Emperor himself.
Though they are trained in the dark side by Darth Vader, Inquisitors are not Sith and are not bestowed with the title “Darth.” Instead, they’re given the titles “Brother” or “Sister”—which sounds like a callback to the real-life Spanish Inquisition—and then numbered in the order in which they were inducted. By this naming convention, Third Sister can only mean that Reva was inducted by Darth Vader or the Grand Inquisitor soon after disillusioned Jedi Padawan Trilla Suduri was inducted as the Second Sister. But why Reva retains her given name while every other Inquisitor is known only by their ordinal numbered titles remains to be explained.
(Featured image: Lucasfilm)
