WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Ahsoka episodes 1 and 2.
Summary
- Ahsoka connects to previous Star Wars series, including Clone Wars and Rebels, as seen with its references to the powerful and mysterious Nightsisters of Dathomir.
- The Nightsisters are an ancient Force cult composed of female magic s, whose powers are rooted in the dark side of the Force and connected to the planet of Dathomir.
- The Nightsisters have a unique form of magic, known as Nightsister Magick, which is different from Jedi and Sith Force powers.
Ahsoka features the first live-action appearance to the Nightsisters of Dathomir, a powerful and mysterious Force cult in Star Wars. Diana Lee Inosanto's Morgan Elsbeth was introduced in The Mandalorian season 2, a key ally of Grand iral Thrawn who was sought out by Ahsoka Tano. Lady Morgan has returned in Ahsoka as the key villain, whose quest for Thrawn threatens to unleash war on the galaxy once again.
Lucasfilm's Dave Filoni has drawn deep into Star Wars canon and lore with Lady Morgan, and Ahsoka episodes 1 and 2 reveals she's actually a Nightsister of Dathomir. The Nightsisters were first introduced in Dave Wolverton's The Courtship of Princess Leia back in 1994, but that book isn't considered canon anymore. In canon, the Nightsisters played a key role in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (notably through one of their number, Asajj Ventress), and one of their number - Merrin - is a key ally of Cal Kestis in Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor. Here's everything you need to now about the Nightsisters of Dathomir, how their Force powers work, and how they tie into Ahsoka episodes 1 and 2.
The Nightsisters Of Dathomir Are An Ancient Force Cult
The Nightsisters are an ancient clan of female magic s who hail from the planet Dathomir, a vergence that is strong in the dark side of the Force. The Nightsisters have a strong bond with their planet, which is why they are also known as the Daughters of Dathomir. Dathomir is an important world in Star Wars; the Sith have long sought its secrets, and Palpatine turned to Dathomir when he wanted a new apprentice. He was given a male soldier (dubbed a Nightbrother), who became Darth Maul.
The Nightsisters of Dathomir made their canon debut in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 3, episode 12. This revealed Count Dooku's agent Asajj Ventress was actually a Nightsister, with Ventress returning to her homeworld after she had been betrayed by the Sith. Ventress went to Mother Talzin, leader of a faction of Nightsisters, and this soon led to a protracted conflict between the Sith and Ventress' people. Darth Maul himself became an agent of Mother Talzin's vengeance, after she restored his memories.
The Nightsisters were slaughtered toward the end of the Clone Wars in the Battle of Dathomir, with General Grievous leading an army of droids against the planet. Only a few Nightsisters survived, including Asajj Ventress. But Dathomir has been visited several times since then; in Jedi: Fallen Order, Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis visited the planet while he explored the legacy of an ancient Force cult called the Zeffo, and he gained a surviving Nightsister Merrin as an ally. In Star Wars Rebels, Sabine Wren traveled to Dathomir and discovered the legendary Darksaber there - the Mandalorian weapon once owned by Darth Maul.
How Nightsister Magick Is Different From Jedi & Sith Force Powers
The Nightsisters draw their powers from a mysterious green energy that flows through the planet of Dathomir. This appears to be an exotic manifestation of the Force, and it is known as magical ichor (or sometimes magickal ichor). The Nightsisters can use their magick to conduct feats other Force cults would consider impossible, with powers of teleportation and transmutation of the elements. Their skills are rightly described as "magick" even in the context of Star Wars, because they are so different to other Force powers.
The Nightsisters’ abilities are rooted in the dark side of the Force. In Christie Golden’s nove Dark Disciple, Asajj Ventress explains to Quinlan Voss how the Nightsisters were able to bend the dark side of the Force to their will. According to Ventress, the Nightsisters “know the dark side better than anyone.” Considering that the Sith could not steal the Nightsisters’ Magick, Ventress’ claim seems to be accurate. It's interesting to note, though, that the Nightsisters considered the dark side as a tool to be used, rather than a dominant power. Neither Ventress nor any known Nightsister ever ed the Sith, because their perspectives on the dark side are so different.
Nightsister magick is complicated, in that it is bound to specific locations and communities. Nightsister magick is particularly associated with Dathomir, which is one reason the Sith could never steal their abilities. In Jedi: Survivor, Merrin revealed it is also tied to a sense of community and belonging; she was only able to tap into her full powers when she began to connect to others. Morgan Elsbeth can be seen summoning a fraction of Nightsister magick in Ahsoka episode 2 (as seen in the green flame beneath the starmap she uses), and this is likely because she was at a Nightsister colony and has strong communal ties to Grand iral Thrawn and the Empire.
The History Of The Nightsisters In Star Wars
The history of the Nightsisters is still something of a mystery. Some in-universe legends claim the first Nightsister was trained by a banished Jedi Master named Allya roughly 600 years before the Skywalker saga, but this is contradicted by Ahsoka episode 2; there, Lady Morgan claims the Nightsisters established the colony of Arcana thousands of years ago, suggesting they are much older than the legends claim. The very fact Lady Morgan's Nightsister powers could interact with a starmap from the mysterious Peridea suggests the Nightsisters may not have their origin in the Star Wars galaxy itself.
The Nightsisters only began to work together after a species known as the Fromprath tried to colonize Dathomir and claim its natural resources; they successfully exiled the Fromprath, and their stolen technology became the basis for Nightsister weapons, such as their signature energy-based bows. Mother Talzin is believed to have been the first to unify the Nightsisters, bringing the clans together into one group. From this point on, the Nightsisters became a force to be reckoned with, although most rarely left Dathomir. Darth Sidious was fascinated by Nightsister magick, likely particularly interested in their power over death. He ultimately chose to wipe them out, considering the Nightsisters a potential threat to his rule.
Ahsoka episode 1 introduces a temple on the Nightsister colony of Arcana, and it may well offer a hint some elements of Star Wars Legends have been brought back into canon. The temple is notable for its three statues; Daniel Wallace's Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side reference book hints at a tie between the Nightsisters and three beings known as the Gods of Mortis, associated with the origin of the Force itself. Other aspects of the temple's design were evocative of the Zeffo, the ancient race whose relics Cal Kestis pursued in Jedi: Fallen Order. It seems the history of the Nightsisters is not only a long one, but is also very complex, tied to avatars of the Force itself as well as to extragalactic forces.
Ahsoka releases new episodes Tuesdays at 6pm PT / 9pm ET on Disney+.