Star Wars is finding a way to push the envelope in every way possible. TV shows are making the jump to movies, animated characters are making the jump to live-action, and the upcoming series The Acolyte is diving further back into the past than ever. But even though The Acolyte is exploring an entirely new genre and era for Star Wars, there’s one element that has carried over — and it’s something Star Wars can’t seem to shake.
In the trailer for The Acolyte, there’s a strange, stately woman who says, “This isn’t about good or bad. It’s about power and who’s allowed to use it.” A look at the character breakdown on the Star Wars website reveals this character is named Mother Aniseya, “the leader of a coven of Witches who value their independence and the preservation of their beliefs and powers.”
Mother Aniseya in The Acolyte.
It’s not the first time witches have been featured in Star Wars. The most prevalent magical women are the Nightsisters, the Dark Side-worshipping Dathomiri group who first appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. They made their live-action debut in Ahsoka, where they agreed to help Grand Admiral Thrawn and raise his zombie trooper army from the dead.
Surprisingly, the next Star Wars series following Ahsoka also features the Nightsisters. The Bad Batch Season 3, which is currently airing on Disney+, is confirmed to include an appearance by Assajj Ventress, a former Nightsister with a wavering loyalty between the Dark and Light sides of the Force.
Assajj Ventress in an upcoming episode of The Bad Batch Season 3.
Showrunner Leslye Headland even confirmed that the Nightsisters’ appearances in The Clone Wars were a major inspiration for The Acolyte. “The Clone Wars [inspired The Acolyte], a lot being inspired by Nightsisters,” she told IGN. “We don’t have any Nightsisters in this show, but being inspired by them, being inspired by Asajj Ventress,” So while Mother Aniseya may not quite be a Nightsister herself, the witches of Ahsoka share more than a few similarities, while having a belief system of their own.
The Acolyte will be the third Star Wars series in a row to feature witches prominently, confirming something that was first hinted at in Ahsoka: magic is now a major player in the Star Wars universe. With the Skywalker Saga over and done with, the franchise is diving deeper into the very rules that define it, exploring just how far Force Power can go and how it can shape the universe without a lightsaber.
