Who are the Nightsisters in episode 7 of “The Acolyte”?

It’s a great time to be a fan of Star Wars, witches, and the witches that feature in Star Wars. The writing has been on the wall for some time now in The AcolyteThe series’ mysterious coven of all-female Force users shares some familiar characteristics with another all-female Force user group from the Clone Wars and beyond.

[Ed. Note: This piece contains spoilers for Ahsoka and episode 7 of The Acolyte, “Choice.”]

Image: Lucasfilm

This week’s episode was the final nail in the proverbial coffin, with Jedi characters referring to Mae and Osha’s coven as a “Force Cult” and, aptly, the “Nightsisters.” Or, as they are known in Star Wars media set hundreds of years after the events of The Acolyte: the witches of Dathomir.

This isn’t the first time that a Disney Plus live-action Star Wars series has mentioned witches – they received a very fleeting shoutout in The Book of Boba Fettand an antagonist 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 the witches have been covered quite extensively in other Star Wars spin-off media, namely The Clone Wars

but also in several novels, comics and a little in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. In AhsokaBaylan Skoll points out that stories about witches are “considered folk tales. An ancient past, long forgotten.” The AcolyteSet hundreds of years before the Clone Wars, it seems to lift the curtain on this long-forgotten past.

This means that if you hear about “The Nightsisters” and think that they sound damn metal and are worth learning more about, you can satisfy your curiosity. We are happy to announce that they Are Metal like hell, and you may Learn more about them.

Who are the Nightsisters or the Witches of Dathomir?

Image: Lucasfilm

There is a simple answer to this question, and then there is a more complicated one. Let’s start simply: 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 is the planet where Darth Maul comes from, as well as Mother Koril in The AcolyteIf you only know about Darth Maul his appearance in The Phantom MenaceWell, there’s a lot more to say about him. His home planet has a crazy backstory! We’ll tell you some of it in a moment.

In AhsokaBaylan mentions that they specifically come from another galaxy, although this was not the case in previous Star Wars stories. And they don’t appear to be from another galaxy in The Acolytebut we assume that there is still one episode of the series left.

OK, but why are they witches?

Probably sexism. But also because they’re Force users and have a unique connection to the Force that gives them very different powers than the Jedi and Sith. Stuff like necromancy and illusion. Really scary shit with lots of scary 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 race) can be Force sensitive, but magic is reserved exclusively for the ladies. Darth Maul can therefore be a powerful Force user, but is not too different from other Sith Lords you have seen before.

Image: Lucasfilm

Dathomir has a very strict social structure, with everyone belonging to one of many clans, each with its own strict code. Two of the best 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 suggest that the Nightsister clan from the time of the Clone Wars somehow descended from the coven of Mae and Osha on Brendock.

None of this should be considered unchangeable. The Star Wars canon is quite loose when it comes to Dathomir and its people. Although it is often Is Although Earth is characterized in a certain way (a place where generally evil people practice sinister magic), there is always the impression that we are only seeing a small part of the planet and its culture, as it is ultimately one of many razed to the ground by the Empire for refusing to play along.

That sounds cool. Where can I find out more?

Image: Lucasfilm

Your first stop should probably be the Nightsisters arch of The Clone Warsas these episodes also overlap with many other Disney Plus shows, such as The Mandalorian And Ahsoka And The Acolytedo and give the clearest picture of what they are like in the current continuity. The story arc begins in Season 3, Episode 12, “Nightsisters,” and continues through the next two episodes, “Monster” and “Witches of the Mist.”

They tell a self-contained story about Asajj Ventress, the villainous Dathomiri Sith apprentice of Count Dooku. When Dooku betrays her, Ventress returns home to the Nightsisters to seek revenge. The Nightsisters trilogy lays the foundation for a much of stories, the most important of which is the fate of Darth Maul (the last story arc of the fourth season) and finally the conclusion of the Mandalore story in animated form (until it is The Mandalorian).

Outside The Clone Warsthings get a little messy, as Dathomir and the Nightsisters are one of the aspects of Star Wars history that has received a lot of attention in both the Legends timeline and the current canon. The various comics and books alternate between canonical status and canonical status, so The Clone Wars is best for those looking for some grounding for the future; everything else is gravy. Scary gravy.