Ahsoka's Big Villain Twist Makes No Sense
Contains spoilers for "Ahsoka"
Even in just its first couple of episodes, "Ahsoka" drops a lot of new "Star Wars" lore. There are ancient Force temples. There's a mysterious gateway to an entirely new galaxy. There are dark side users with orange lightsabers and hidden Imperial spies. But perhaps most surprising of all is the twist that Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), the enigmatic villain first introduced in "The Mandalorian" Season 2, is actually a Nightsister from the planet Dathomir.
This twist isn't entirely out of left field. Morgan's "Mandalorian" appearance reveals that she's one of the final survivors of her people and shows her go toe-to-toe with Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) in a duel. Combine those interesting tidbits with an eccentric look, and some fans might have been able to guess that the villain was actually a Nightsister.
Even still, this reveal in "Ahsoka" opens up even more questions. Morgan served the Empire for years and has a strong relationship with Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). If you've seen "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," you may find that more than a little confusing. Darth Sidious himself considered the Nightsisters one of the greatest threats to his reign, and he's the one who ordered them to be wiped out. At face value, Morgan's role within Palpatine's regime makes no sense. However, there could be more going on than we've been shown thus far.
A brief history of the Nightsisters of Dathomir
Dathomir has a long and storied history in the "Star Wars" universe. The mystical planet was first introduced in the 1994 Expanded Universe novel "The Courtship of Princess Leia," along with the primary denizens of Dathomir, the Nightsisters. At the time, these magical beings were referred to only as "Force witches." When Dathomir was given a more central role in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," the new moniker took over.
Even with the name change, though, the Nightsisters remained quite witchy. "The Clone Wars" details how Asajj Ventress, Count Dooku's Sith assassin, left her Nightsister commune on Dathomir and its powerful leader Mother Talzin to serve the Separatists. After being scorned by her new master, Ventress returns to Dathomir and hatches a plot of vengeance. The animated series also changes Darth Maul's backstory to make him a son of Dathomir. By the end of the show, Talzin has made herself a thorn in the sides of both the Republic and the Separatists, earning the attention of Darth Sidious himself.
Through a series of conflicts in "The Clone Wars" and the "Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir" comics, Talzin and the Nightsisters are effectively wiped from existence. Palpatine sees them as an immense threat due to their powerful and unique dark Force magic, so he removes them from the galactic board, so to speak. But then, how did a survivor of this brutal purge find her way into the welcoming arms of the Empire?
How Morgan Elsbeth could have come to serve the Empire
Without further context, Morgan Elsbeth's high-ranking position in the Empire makes no sense. If Palpatine had any inkling of her true heritage, you'd think he'd want to take her out quickly and quietly. And it's not like she's some low-level stooge. According to Ahsoka, Morgan was crucial in constructing the Imperial fleet that Thrawn used to subdue the galaxy.
Perhaps Palpatine was just too busy. After all, Morgan is human, not Dathomirian, so she could have hidden in plain sight. But there are still problems there. In "The Mandalorian," Ahsoka tells Din Djarin that after Morgan's people were killed (not revealed then to be Nightsisters), she "let her anger fuel an industry which helped build the Imperial Starfleet." But Palpatine is the one who killed Morgan's people in the first place, so why would she align with his regime? Maybe, like so many, she just never realized that Darth Sidious and the emperor were one and the same. Still, it seems like a bit of a stretch.
The one thing that would make this all make sense is Thrawn himself. As a non-human, the famed grand admiral was an anomaly in the Imperial Navy. Palpatine's entire Empire was famously racist toward aliens, most of whom were never allowed to participate in it. Thrawn earned his spot despite this, and he could have used his influence to help shield Morgan. Given her abject loyalty to him in "Ahsoka," that seems like a likely explanation.
What Morgan's allegiance could mean for Thrawn
Although it brings about some iffy questions, the twist that Morgan Elsbeth is a Nightsister is also really fun. It brings a key piece of "Clone Wars" lore into "Ahsoka," which primarily pulls from "Star Wars Rebels," and it sets up a lot of potential after Thrawn returns.
The Nightsisters might not be as famous as the Jedi or the Sith, but they're still incredibly powerful. If Morgan survives to see Thrawn come back, she could be a strong aide to him. We already know that she's a brutal leader and skilled tactician, but now "Ahsoka" has thrown some dark magic into the mix too. It finally makes sense how Morgan was able to hold her own against Ahsoka before, and that may not be the last time she shows off the extent of her powers.
It's unlikely that a larger Nightsister presence will pop up in "Ahsoka" since most of them were killed back in the Clone Wars, but anything is possible. The show has also revealed that the Nightsisters had temples on many other planets besides Dathomir, so there are a lot of places where Dave Filoni and his team could continue to expand their legend