Why is Thrawn going to Dathomir in the Ahsoka finale? Live-action audiences have now finally got the chance to experience the evil of Grand Admiral Thrawn. It’s an evil that Star Wars book readers and fans of the animated series Star Wars Rebels are all too familiar with, but now we can all share in the big, blue baddie’s… well, badness.
It’s fair to say that Star Wars isn’t done with Grand Admiral Thrawn just yet. After all, he’s one of the best Star Wars villains and has more than enough whispery intensity to be a part of plenty more Star Wars series and new Star Wars movies. That cerulean visage on the big screen would be enough to give Avatar 3 a run for its money.
But before Thrawn joins the latest chapters of the Star Wars movies in order, we have to deal with his current plot: a grubby deal with the Nightsisters of Dathomir. There are spoilers for the Ahsoka finale ahead as we ask ‘why is Thrawn going to Dathomir?‘ and ponder what it could mean for the best Star Wars characters.
Why is Thrawn going to Dathomir in the Ahsoka finale?
Thrawn’s visit to Dathomir is connected to his deal with the Nightsisters and the enormous cargo his ship is carrying, which we think includes the bodies of many more Nightsisters, ready for reanimation.
As clever as Thrawn is, he has a lot to thank the Nightsisters for. They called Morgan Elsbeth to his aid via the Eye of Sion and they helped provide him with an army of Night Troopers – including some undead Night Troopers to boost the numbers. Without them, he’d still be stranded on Peridea wondering why Ezra Bridger was best friends with some nomadic insects.
So he’s been offering them a sort of quid pro quo bargain. In return for their magick, he has loaded an enormous supply of “cargo” from the catacombs of Peridea into his Star Destroyer. That ship is now back in the main Star Wars galaxy and, along with the cargo, it’s heading for Dathomir.
Of course, Dathomir is the home of the Nightsisters – and Darth Maul, by the way – and is presumably more or less abandoned in the wake of the Nightsisters being wiped out by General Grievous during the Clone Wars.
But it seems very likely that the Great Mothers who have been helping Thrawn have designs on repopulating their homeworld. Given that the cargo the Nightsisters prized so much came from the catacombs, our grim prediction is that Thrawn is currently aboard a Star Destroyer full of Nightsister corpses.
We know from those creepy revived Night Troopers – and possibly the ill-fated Inquisitor Marrok as well – that there’s a degree of necromancy in the Nightsisters’ playbook. Thrawn may well have given them the key to revitalizing their witch kingdom, becoming a powerful force in the galaxy once again.
But it’s easy to see how this could backfire. The Nightsisters have shown fickle loyalties in the past and, if they become vastly stronger than the fledgling remnants of the Empire, then there’s nothing to stop them simply taking over everything. Could this be a central story in Filoni’s upcoming movie, which is set to tie together the whole New Republic era?
When both parties in the Thrawn-Nightsister deal have ceased to be useful to each other, the gloves could well come off. In that scenario, we’re backing the magick folk with a zombie army, to be honest.
We’ve got loads more on the Ahsoka finale, including the Mortis gods explained, the hidden Yoda reference in Ahsoka, and an answer to what that white owl in Ahsoka actually means. You can also learn about the sad way Ahsoka Tano survived Order 66 and find out why Dave Filoni cares more about Thrawn than any of us. Sorry, Dave.
Elsewhere, we’ve got guides to the Andor season 2 release date and The Acolyte release date. Finally, check out what else is new on Disney Plus.