Star Wars Explains One Villain’s Origin Connection to A Pivotal Clone Wars Battle

Star Wars has revealed how one key villain’s origin story is connected to a pivotal battle from The Clone Wars. 

In Star Wars: Tales of the Empire, we get to see the origin story of Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), and she has a dark beginning, indeed. The first episode of Tales of the Empire, “The Path of Fear”, looks back at the pivotal “Battle of Dathomir,” which changed the fate of the Nightsisters forever. 

What Is Star Wars’ Battle of Dathomir? 

The Battle of Dathomir also goes by the more tragic title of the “Nightsisters Massacre”. It occurred when Count Dooku’s former Sith apprentice, Asajj Ventress, failed to assassinate her master and fled home to Dathomir. Ventress left her Sith allegiances behind and rejoined the Nightsisters coven led by Mother Talzin. However, Dooku had a target on her back and sent Count Dooku and his droid army to Dathomir to eradicate the Nightsisters. That battle ended with the death of Mother Talzin’s coven (and the witch herself), while Morgan Elsbeth’s mother was killed in a duel with Grievous. 

Morgan barely survived the Battle of Dathomir, and was taken in by the local Mountain Clan. However, Morgan’s thirst for vengeance ultimately poisons the village; she convinces the clan matron’s daughter to accompany her on a mission to get Nightsisters weaponry to fight against the droids, and the errand goes tragically wrong. Battle droids discover the would-be thieves and the Matron’s daughter is killed in the fight. The Matron’s Force abilities defeat the droids, proving to Morgan that her dark and violent methods aren’t the only ways to be strong. Morgan is cast out of the village, to follow her own path. 

The Nightsisters are becoming bigger players in Star Wars lore, these days. They got major focus in the Ahsoka live-action series, which ended with several direct ties to the Nightsisters’ origins on the distant galaxy world of Peridea, and implications about their future, as one coven returned to Dathomir in the company of Morgan’s Imperial master, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Tale of the Empire’s three-part segment about Morgan Elsbeth makes it clear why she is such a pivotal character in the series, with her multi-faceted role as a powerful Force-using witch; a uniquely brilliant Imperial scientist, and brutal warlord and leader. 

Meanwhile, Star Wars: The Bad Batch brought back another pivotal Nightsisters character: Asajj Ventress,  setting up a potential showdown on Dathomir we’d love to see! 

Star Wars: Tales of the Empire is now streaming on Disney+.