Warning: The following contains major spoilers for Ahsoka episodes 1 and 2! Turn back now if you're not up to date on the new Star Wars show!
Who are the Nightsisters of Dathomir? The villainous Morgan Elsbeth name-dropped the mysterious magick users in Ahsoka episode 1, so you might be wondering just what their deal is.
In the premiere episode, Morgan, Baylan Skoll, and Shin Hati are on the hunt for Grand Admiral Thrawn. A map to his location is hidden in a temple built by the Nightsisters of Dathomir, but, though Ahsoka Tano nabs it herself, the villains ultimately get it back and have it open by episode 2. Ominous.
We've got the lowdown on the Nightsisters of Dathomir below, including what you need to know about their powers and where we've seen them in Star Wars before. The group has appeared in both The Clone Wars and Rebels, and you'll find the key information you need right here – as well as some speculation on what their inclusion could mean.
Who are the Nightsisters of Dathomir?
The Nightsisters of Dathomir are witches from – you guessed it – the planet Dathomir, which has a particularly strong connection to the dark side of the Force. You might already know it as Darth Maul's home planet.
The Nightsisters are magick wielders (yes, magick exists in Star Wars as a supernatural dimension of the Force, specifically via the dark side).
The Nightsisters' magick involves ichor, a sickly green mist on Dathomir, which they use as part of their rituals. It gives their powers a very distinctive look, as you can see above.
Where have we seen the Nightsisters of Dathomir in Star Wars before?
The Nightsisters feature often in The Clone Wars – and are particularly involved in the process that brought Darth Maul back into the story following his apparent death in The Phantom Menace.
With their magick, the Nightsisters both brought Maul back from the brink of death and restored him to health, and also turned his brother Savage Oppress into a stronger, angrier, and more powerful version of himself. In fact, Maul and Savage's mother, named Talzin, was Clan Mother, AKA leader, of the Nightsisters.
The Nightsisters, though, had dangerous enemies. The Emperor was no fan of them, and they made a mortal nemesis of Count Dooku. Dooku had an apprentice named Asaj Ventress, but the Emperor eventually ordered him to get rid of her. After Dooku attempted to have his apprentice killed, the Nightsisters wanted their revenge – Ventress was born into the coven. They sent Savage as a double operative, but, when that didn't work and Ventress tried to return to the witches, Dooku sent General Grievous to eliminate the Nightsisters. The battle killed the majority of the women – though the likes of Asaj Ventress, Talzin, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor character Merrin survived.
The spirits of the Nightsisters also appear in Star Wars Rebels. Maul takes Ezra Bridger to Dathomir to undertake a ritual that would give them both information they seek after an incident with a Jedi and Sith holocron (for the full story, head to our guide on everything you need to know about Star Wars Rebels through the link). The spirits of the Nightsisters craved blood, so things got pretty terrifying very quickly, but luckily Ezra was able to destroy the altar powering them and they vanished.
What does this mean for Morgan Elsbeth and Ahsoka?
It looks like Morgan herself can wield magick, thanks to the green flame that spurts into life when she opens the map to Thrawn's location – making her into even more of a formidable foe than she already seemed after her run-in with Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 5.
Significantly, Morgan also describes herself as a "survivor," suggesting she may have survived Grievous' assault on Dathomir during The Clone Wars. That's a tantalizing bit of backstory for this so far mysterious woman, and it ties in with what Ahsoka says of her in The Mandalorian: the former Jedi reveals that Morgan's people were killed in The Clone Wars.
It also looks like the Nightsisters of Dathomir could have something to do with Thrawn's location, since the map to the distant place was hidden in their temple. It certainly seems like Star Wars is diving deeper into the mystical side of the galaxy than ever before.
Ahsoka is now streaming on Disney Plus. For even more on the show, check out our explainers on:
- Who is Hera Syndulla?
- Who is Sabine Wren?
- Explaining the mystical realm of the World Between Worlds
- The history between Anakin and Ahsoka explained
- What to watch before Ahsoka
- How to watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars in order
- The Ahsoka end-credits clues explained
- Who is Clancy Brown playing in Ahsoka?
- Huyang explained
- Who is Inquisitor Marrok in Ahsoka?
