It’s a great time to be a fan of Star Wars, witches and witches being in Star Wars. The writing has been on the wall for a while now in The Acolytewith the mysterious group of female Force users in the series bearing quite a few similarities to another group of female Force users from the Clone Wars era and later.
(Editorial note: This piece contains spoilers for Ahsoka and episode 7 of The Acolyte“Choice.”)
Image: Lucasfilm
This week’s episode hit the nail in the proverbial coffin, with Jedi characters referring to Mae and Osha’s coven as a “force cult” and, most pointedly, “Nightsisters.” Or, as they’re called in Star Wars media set hundreds of years after the events of The Acolyte: the Witches of Dathomir.
This isn’t the first time a live-action Disney Plus Star Wars series has mentioned the witches — they got an extremely fleeting shoutout in The Book of Boba Fettand an antagonistic role in Ahsokawhere the group made a pact with Grand Admiral Thrawn to transport their fallen sisters back to the main Star Wars galaxy.
The difference between modern Star Wars and classic Star Wars is that said witches have been explored quite extensively in other supporting Star Wars media, namely The Clone Warsbut also in various novels, comic books and a little in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. In AhsokaBaylan Skoll notes that stories about the witches “are considered folk tales. An ancient past, long forgotten.” The AcolyteSet hundreds of years before the Clone Wars, the film seems to bring the curtain down on that long-forgotten past.
This means that it is possible to satisfy your curiosity if you hear about “the Nightsisters” and think that they sound metal as hell and are worth finding out more about. We are happy to tell you that they Are metal as hell, and you can Learn more about them.
Who are the Night Sisters, or the Witches of Dathomir?
Image: Lucasfilm
There is a simple answer to this question, and then a more complicated answer. Let’s start simple: In general, the Witches of Dathomir are the female inhabitants of the planet Dathomir who belong to the Nightsister clan.
Dathomir? Where have I heard that before?
Good ear! It’s the planet where Darth Maul comes from, and also Mother Koril in The AcolyteIf all you know about Darth Maul is his appearance in The Ghost ThreatWell, there’s a lot more to him than that. His home planet has an insane backstory! Which we’ll get into in a moment.
In AhsokaBaylan specifically mentions that they are from another galaxy, although that was not the case in previous Star Wars stories. And they don’t to appear to come from another galaxy The Acolytebut we suspect there is only one more episode of the series.
Okay, but why are they witches?
Probably sexism. But also because they are Force users with a unique connection to the Force that results in powers that are quite different from what the Jedi and Sith do. Things like necromancy and illusion. Really creepy shit, with lots of creepy smoke. They call it “magic”, and those who use magic are witches.
But what about the boys? Can they use magic too?
Kind of. All Zabraks (the Dathomiri people) can be force sensitive, but magic is only for the ladies. This is why Darth Maul can be a powerful Force user, but not all that different from other Sith Lords you’ve seen before.
Image: Lucasfilm
They maintain a very rigid social structure on Dathomir, where everyone belongs to one of many clans, each with its own rigid code. Two of the most well-defined are the Nightsisters (the Witches) and the Nightbrothers — the complementary male clan of Dathomiri, who live separately from the Nightsisters and exist as their warrior-servants. The Acolyte could imply that the Clone War-era Nightsister clan is somehow descended from Mae and Osha’s coven on Brendock.
None of this should be taken as unchangeable. The Star Wars canon is pretty loose when it comes to Dathomir and its people, so while it’s often is While it is characterized one way (a place where generally evil people practice creepy magic), it is always implied that we only see a small portion of the planet and its culture, as it is ultimately one of many razed to the ground by the Empire for refusing to cooperate.
Sounds cool. Where can I learn more?
Image: Lucasfilm
Your first stop should probably be the Nightsisters arc The Clone Warssince those episodes also overlap a lot with what the Disney Plus shows show, such as The Mandalorian And Ahsoka And The Acolytedo, and give the clearest picture of what they are like in current continuity. The arc begins in Season 3, Episode 12, “Nightsisters,” and continues through the next two episodes, “Monster” and “Witches of the Mist.”
They tell a standalone story about Asajj Ventress, the villainous Dathomiri Sith apprentice of Count Dooku. When Dooku betrays her, Ventress returns home to the Nightsisters seeking revenge. The Nightsisters trilogy lays the groundwork for a lot of stories, the most important of which is the fate of Darth Maul (the final storyline of season 4) and ultimately the conclusion of the Mandalore story in animated form (until it is revisited in The Mandalorian).
Outside The Clone WarsThings get a little messy, as Dathomir and the Nightsisters are one of the aspects of Star Wars lore that have received a lot of attention in both the Legends timeline and current canon. The various comics and books weave in and out of canonical status, so The Clone Wars is best for those looking for some stability for the future; everything else is fine. Spooky fine.