Who are the Nightsisters of Dathomir? The ‘Ahsoka’ and ‘Acolyte’ lore, explained

The premiere episode of Ahsoka once again featured the Dathomirian loyalist known as Morgan Elsbeth, confirming that she is indeed working to bring back Grand Admiral Thrawn in a last-ditch effort to resurrect the Empire. Elsbeth also claims to be a member of the Nightsisters, an organization that has played a key role in the political upheavals of the galaxy far, far away since before Palpatine’s rise to power.

The Nightsisters of Dathomir are a mystical group of Force-wielding individuals mostly associated with the dark side. Though there’s no record of their real origins, a lot of people think the Daughters of Dathomir first learned about the Force through an exiled Jedi known as Allya, but the Order denies having ever trained a person by that name. Whatever their roots, the Dathomirians are an essential part of the Skywalker Saga timeline, with their influence pervading the narrative from Episode I — The Phantom Menace (through Darth Maul) to the most recent Ahsoka series on Disney Plus.

But who are the Nightsisters of Dathomir and what is their power?

A brief history of the Witches of Dathomir

The Nightsisters, as the name suggests, were a female group of powerful Force-wielders who lived on the planet Dathomir. By tapping into the green magical essence that flowed from the depths of Dathomir, the Nightsisters were capable of performing incredible feats like physical transformation, object apparition, and even resurrection. It was actually the Nightsister coven that healed the broken body of Darth Maul and not only allowed him to exact vengeance on Obi-Wan Kenobi but also to continue to disturb the power dynamic of the galaxy through the Clone Wars.

Asajj Ventress, Dooku’s apprentice, was yet another Dathomirian who became entangled with the dark side of the Force, so even though the community itself rejects the notion of affiliating with either of the Jedi or the Sith, the way they wield this so-called “magick” mostly dallies with immoral and unconventional methods. The Jedi search for enlightenment and fight in the name of peace and justice, while the Sith are out to gain power. The Dathomirians, meanwhile, fought solely for the survival of their clans and the Nightsister coven, so committing atrocious acts in the name of that code wasn’t something they interpreted as leaning towards the dark side of the Force.

The Nightsisters presided over a matriarchal society and used the male members of their clan, known as the Nightbrothers, mostly for breeding purposes. Beyond that, the Nighrbrothers were ferocious warriors who served as bodyguards — the policing force — of Dathomir. Darth Maul and his brother Savage Opress were Nightbrothers, but their paths led them to avoid the cruel treatment the rest of their kin received at the hands of the Nightsisters.

After Dooku betrays Ventress, she seeks the help of her Dathomirian sisters, and together they decide to take on the Sith. Dooku, meanwhile, grows weary of their meddling and dispatches General Grievous to destroy their society completely. And just as the Mandalorians were eradicated for fear of becoming a thorn in Emperor Palpatine’s side, so were the Dathomirians subjected to the same genocide, losing many of their numbers in the ensuing massacre.

Few Nightsisters are still living in the post-Imperial era, and not all of them are inherently villainous. While Elsbeth may have thrown in her lot with Grand Admiral Thrawn and the small possibility of the Empire’s resurrection, someone like Merrin from Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor is still fighting the good fight.

Unlike her Nightsister kin, Morgan was loyal to the Emperor and became a crucial figure in the formation of Palpatine’s massive armada. After the fall of the tyrannical regime, Elsbeth continued to rule her domain with an iron fist, until Ahsoka Tano and Din Djarin ousted her in the second season of The Mandalorian.

It’s currently unclear what Elsbeth’s endgame is, but Ahsoka Tano would do well not to underestimate her. She may not be able to give her much of a fight — as many Nightsisters were substantially weaker than a trained Jedi Knight or Sith Lord — but she can still make a whole lot of trouble through that particular, mystical channeling of the Living Force.

Does the coven of witches in The Acolyte have any connection to the Nightsisters of Dathomir?

Over the years, Star Wars has introduced fans to many kinds of Force-users across the galaxy. One of these made their debut in The Acolyte as the “coven of witches” on Brendok. While the all-female Force wielders who refer to this energy as the “thread” share many similarities with the Nightsisters of Dathomir, it’s clear that they’re of a completely different cloth.

For one thing, the Nighsisters refer to their art as magick, while the coven of witches refers to it as the thread. What’s more, the Nightsisters have historically proven themselves to be more aligned with the dark side of the Force, while the witches of Brendok like to believe that they’ve found a balance in the Force, neither leaning towards the dark side and nor particularly embodying the light.