Although they never make an appearance in the mainline films, ing media like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has developed the narrative of the planet Dathomir's Nightsisters and the powerful magic they wield. It is more commonly spelled "magick," because it has very pagan and spiritual connotations in the way it is used by Nightsisters such as Fallen Order's Merrin. Dathomir's resident witches believe magick is a living entity, constantly surrounding them. This may sound quite similar to the Jedi Order's dogma as it pertains to the nature of the Force, and that is because Nightsister magick and the Force are practically one and the same.
The most famous character from Dathomir, Darth Maul, doesn't appear in Fallen Order, and even though he has a mastery of the Dark Side at this time, Maul has very little to do with the magick practiced by the Nightsisters. Use of magick on Dathomir is restricted to the Nightsisters, who rule over their male counterparts, the Nightbrothers. Maul left Dathomir to serve Darth Sidious as a child, but Nightbrothers are occasionally granted the use of Magick, as was the case with Maul's brother, Savage Opress. Nightsister magick taps into Dathomir's strong connection to the Dark Side, and can be manipulated to grant affinity to Nightbrothers like Savage, who have no prior experience in wielding it.
Although related, Nightsister magick usually manifests in different ways to how the Sith use the Dark Side. The strong presence of the Dark Side on Dathomir does result in powerful, more traditional Force s, though, as evidenced by Maul, Savage, and Asajj Ventress, who was cut from Battlefront 2. Merrin herself shows the unique capabilities of magick when using a spell called the Chant of Resurrection, which reanimates the corpses of dead Dathomiri to fight Cal Kestis when he comes to the planet is search of Zeffo ruins.
Star Wars' Nightsister Magick Works Away From Dathomir
The strong presence of the Dark Side on Dathomir facilitated the use the magick on the red planet, but as little more than a specific branch of the Force, it can be used throughout the galaxy. Merrin was just a child when General Grievous massacred the Nightsisters of Dathomir, but still grew to deftly control magick, partly through the help of fallen Jedi Taron Malicos. Although Merrin likely picked up some tricks in the ways of the Force, the relationship seemed more one-sided, with Malicos singularly focused on delving further into the Dark Side on Dathomir. Merrin's abilities might be shown more in Fallen Order's sequel, which may finally be revealed at Star Wars Celebration 2022, but even growing up largely without the direction of more experienced Nightsisters, Merrin has a strong command of magick.
Merrin's ability to materialize and de-materialize at will is a power not a part of the Jedi or Sith arsenal. Reanimating the dead is also unique to Dathomiri magick, and her powers help Cal best Malicos in combat, even delivering the coup de grace by burying the fallen Jedi alive. After leaving Dathomir, Merrin notes that other planets like Bogano have different energies than her home world, but this doesn't appear to affect her use of magick. When pursuing the Second Sister to Fortress Inquisitorius, Merrin cloaks the Stinger Mantis from Imperial sensors, though she does channel her powers through some sort of relic or talisman. Cere Junda's Jedi training will influence Cal as the story of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order progresses, but Merrin's powers will likely develop as well, and her magick may play an even larger part in the sequel.
