Who Are The Nightsisters of Dathomir?
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The Nightsisters of Dathomir first appeared in the Dave Wolverton novel The Courtship of Princess Leia back in 1994. The rancor-riding Force witches had a continued presence in the Expanded Universe until Disney took over the franchise.
About The Nightsisters
The witches came into being when a fallen Jedi named Allya was exiled onto the planet in 660 BBY. Allya taught the women how to access the Force using dark magic, known as Ichor. All the Nightsisters have a deep suspicion of Jedi, but they tend to ally with anyone who suits their cause, at least temporarily. Mother Talzin united all the Nightsister clans into one and acted as their leader.
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Nightsisters sometimes worked through mystical objects as well as mists and potions. In Ahsoka we have seen golden orbs, but in Star Wars: Rebels, Mother Talzin had an altar that was destroyed by Ezra Bridger. They also used extravagant death rituals, mummifying and decorating the bodies before placing them in burial pods. Although Dathomir is the native homeworld of most witches, other races are frequently adopted into the clan if they show talent.
Notable Events And People
The Nightsisters first appeared canonically in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Asajj Ventress is a fan-favorite Force witch. She was taken from Dathomir as a child, stolen by pirates. After a few years working as a slave, she was rescued by a Jedi, who took her as his Padawan. Unfortunately, this didn’t end well either, and her master met a sticky end. After a stint as a gladiator, she was discovered by Dooku. Talzin immediately recognized her heritage, aware that the rule of two meant that Palpatine would have to choose between her and Dooku eventually.
Mother Talzin’s son is even more famous, and has been seen in live-action: Darth Maul. When Sidious visited Dathomir, he wanted to recruit Talzin as his apprentice. When she refused, he kidnapped one of her children instead. This made for an uneasy alliance between Palpatine and Talzin, fueled by blackmail and threats. It was only a matter of time before the Sith Lord turned on her. Palpatine was right, of course; Talzin had been working to bring him down the entire time. He just got there first.
After the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Maul’s brother returns for him. Savage Oppress and Maul go on a “bro” outing, murdering their way across the galaxy in the animations and graphic novel series Darth Maul – Son of Dathomir. Heartwarming stuff.
Palpatine eventually decided the Nightsisters were too powerful and sent General Grievous and Count Dooku to massacre the entire clan. A droid army descended on Dathomir, and only a few of the witches managed to survive. Asajj Ventress made it through the Battle of Dathomir and fell in love with a Jedi named Quinlan Vos. But romance never ends well in Star Wars, and she dies saving his life in the novel Star Wars: Dark Disciple by Christie Golden.
In Legends, Dathomir has clans that lean to the light. Their members became Jedi after the visit from Luke, and among their number is the mother to another Skywalker.
Both Ahsoka and The Mandalorian have featured Nightsisters, so its safe to say their lore will be developed further, giving fans a chance to see demonstrations of their Force magic that, so far, have only been written, drawn, or animated.
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Sources: Den of Geek, IGN, Wookieepedia (1), (2)
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