Although the Inquisitors had faded away by the time of the original trilogy, they were most prominently featured in the Star Wars Rebels animated series where they were tasked with hunting down Jedi such as Ezra Bridger, Kanan Jarrus, and Ahsoka Tano. However, one arc in particular saw the Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother embarking on a more unique mission which may have had ramifications for Palpatine’s secret schemes he initiated during the Clone Wars (as well as those during his rule as Emperor).

The Inquisitors Didn’t Just Kill Jedi Survivors

As seen during the Clone Wars, the bounty hunter Cad Bane was hired to kidnap and bring Palpatine young Force-sensitive children who had yet to be brought to the Jedi Temple. Having foreseen the chance to raise an army of spies and agents skilled in the dark side, Palpatine’s idea for Project Harvester was born during the Clone Wars. However, these particular children taken by Bane were ultimately saved by Anakin Skywalker and his apprentice Ahsoka Tano.

To that end, the official Project Harvester was initiated during the days of the Empire. On more than one occasion, Inquisitors were tasked with the abductions of Force-sensitive children. While many attempts were foiled as seen with the Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother in Star WarsRebels, it’s likely that the Inquisitorius succeeded elsewhere, even if it was off-screen. As such, it’s quite likely that Project Harvester may have some dark connection to another of Palpatine’s schemes: Project Necromancer.

Star Wars Theory: The Inquisitors Found Donors For Palpatine’s Project Necromancer

Having been teased in The Mandalorian season 3, Project Necromancer was confirmed in The Bad Batch season 3’s premiere as a series of experiments conducted by the Empire’s Advanced Science Division. Run by Doctor Hemlock, the goal of Project Necromancer was to create a viable genetic clone template that could maintain a high midi-chlorian count. Midi-chlorians cannot be cloned, but instead must be extracted from another living being and implanted within a clone – thereby increasing a clone body’s “M-count.” Unfortunately, it seems the host bodies often reject these Midi-chlorians, resulting in significant and rapid degeneration.

Naturally, the end goal is to provide Emperor Palpatine with sustainable clones he can transfer his essence into in the event of his death, hence his eventual resurrection as seen in The Rise of Skywalker. To that end, The Bad Batch season 3 sees Palpatine being shown various containment units presumably holding these living M-count donors. However, it’s not yet known who these mysterious Force-sensitives are specifically.

That said, these donors are likely Jedi who were captured by the Inquisitors. Now, they’re being kept in stasis thanks to a variety of technologies and possibly the dark side itself considering the ancient Sith writing on the floor of this heavily guarded room. To that end, it stands to reason that the true purpose of the Inquisitors’ Project Harvester was to provide Palpatine with M-count donors for Project Necromancer.

Will Bad Batch Season 3 Reveal Who Palpatine’s M-Count Donors Are?

Following The Bad Batch season 3’s three-episode premiere, it’s unclear if the identities of these imprisoned M-count donors will be revealed as the series continues. However, it’s quite possible that one of them could be none other than Grogu who was experimented on by the Empire due to his high M-count (as confirmed by The Mandalorian season 2). Likewise, it’s quite possible that these donors could tragically be younglings as they’d be easier for the Inquisitors to abduct and the Empire to contain. It would also align with what’s been seen before from Project Harvester in the Star Wars canon.

While conjecture, it does seem as though seeking potential donors to help secure Palpatine’s future would be a prime mission for the Imperial Inquisitors in the established canon. As such, it will be interesting to see if any Inquisitors will be shown in future episodes of The Bad Batch season 3, seeing how they were already active at this point in the Star Wars timeline. At any rate, it certainly does seem as though there’s more to Project Necromancer that has yet to be revealed.