Disney Plus’s series Star Wars Ahsoka, Season 1 Episode 8, called “The Jedi, The Witch, and The Warlord,” explores the story of Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and Huyang (David Tenant) learning of the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelson). They are on a mission to locate Thrawn’s location to not only eliminate Thrawn as a threat but to find their friend Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi), who likely survived alongside the Grand Admiral during the aftermath of the Battle of Lothal during the Age of the Rebellion. However, the Dark Jedi mercenary Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson), Baylan’s apprentice Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno), and Nightsister Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) seek to bring Thrawn back as Heir to the Empire. Therefore, the New Republic and the Imperial Remnant are on a race to find Thrawn, and the fate of the Known Galaxy lies on who reaches the Grand Admiral first.
The episode begins with all the cargo loaded into the Chimaera Star Destroyer, and the preparation of leaving Peridea for the Known Galaxy is ready. Thrawn and the Great Mothers were grateful for Morgan Elsbeth. After all, she made it possible to end Thrawn’s exile on Peridea because she commissioned the building of the Eye of Sion. To reward her, the Great Mothers Klothow (Claudia Black), Aktropaw (Jeryl Prescott), and Lakesis (Jane Edwina Seymour) empowered Elsbeth with Magick, transforming Elsbeth into a new Nightsister Great Mother. The Great Mothers also gifted Elsbeth the blade of Talzin, a sword empowered with Magick. Thrawn orders Captain Enoch (Wes Chatham) to dispatch two tie-fighters to attack Ahsoka and her group.
Ahsoka, Sabine, Ezra, and Huyang fly the T6 ship and travel with the Noti Caravan. Ezra makes a new blue lightsaber and talks with Huyang regarding Kanan’s past. Ahsoka and Sabine reconcile and move past Sabine’s mistake of giving Thrawn a chance to return to the Known Galaxy because of her desire to reunite with Ezra. However, the dispatched tie-fighters ambushed the Noti Caravan and damaged the T6 ship’s engines, causing the Jedi ship to crash. Before the T6 ship crashed, Sabine flew the ship into the two tie fighters and destroyed the ambushers. Following the ambush, Ahsoka, Sabine, and Ezra ride their wolf mounts to the Nightsister Fortress to stop Thrawn.
The trio managed to pass through Thrawn’s defenses and entered the Nightsister Fortress unscathed. Frustrated, Thrawn sends volunteered Night Troopers, who were ready to sacrifice their lives for the Empire, and Morgan Elsbeth, who knew she wouldn’t be able to leave Peridea or survive. Nevertheless, Morgan and the volunteered Night Troopers were ready to give their lives for the Empire and, in extension, Dathomir. Morgan and the Night Troopers gave Thrawn enough time for the Chimaera to be attached to the Eye of the Sion and leave Peridea. As the Chimaera and the Eye of Sion depart Peridea, Sabine manages to touch and use the Force to throw Ezra into the Chimaera, allowing him to infiltrate the Night Troopers in disguise and warn the New Republic of Thrawn’s return. Ahsoka kills Morgan, and her death infuriates Thrawn, who lost a loyal subordinate and friend, and he orders the bombardment of the Night Sister Fortress to kill Morgan’s murderers. Ahsoka and Sabine jump off the tower and land on the T6 Ship, piloted by Huyang, and begin to chase Thrawn. The Grand Admiral opens a channel with Ahsoka and commends her for her attempts to stop his escape from Peridea. He also distracts Tano by informing her of his past with Anakin, allowing the Chimaera, attached with the Eye of Sion, to jump into hyperspace into the Known Galaxy.
Failing in their pursuit, Ahsoka and Sabine began to settle with the Noti and find their new path in Peridea. Ahsoka noticed Morai, a Force Owl with spiritual ties with the Daughter of Mortis, and later the Force Ghost of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) watching her in the background. Shin stayed on Peridea and met with the Peridean samurai-like bandits she and Baylan allied with. Baylan stands at the edge of the statue of the Father of Mortis, which stands alongside colossal statues of the Son and the Daughter. On the Father statue, Skoll looks out to Peridea’s mountains and sees a bright light calling to him. The Chimaera, attached to the Eye of Sion, arrives in Dathomir to likely prepare for the revival of the Dathomiran race with the support of the Great Mothers. Ezra, possibly using his Jedi Mind Trick skills, escapes the Chimaera and reunites with a shocked Hera in her Defense Fleet ship. The episode ends with a cliffhanger of the main protagonists and antagonists, except for Ezra and Thrawn, preparing for their journey on Peridea, which would likely involve learning about the Mortis Gods and their secrets (Abeloth???).
Anakin Skywalker’s Force Ghost
In Ahsoka Season 1, Director Rick Famuyiwa and Writer Dave Filoni created a shocking ending and cliffhanger for future Star Wars shows, films, and series. The revelation that Peridea was an ancient world with strong ties with the Mortis Gods is interesting. It could be assumed Ahsoka, Sabine, Huyang, Baylan, and Shin will learn more about Peridea and its Mortis secrets. If things go wrong, they might have to fight Abeloth, The Mother, if she appears in Canon. There could be an accepted theory Anakin Skywalker will become the new Father of Mortis to guard the Force and its balance, with Ahsoka becoming the new Daughter of Mortis due to having a powerful spiritual affinity to the deceased Daughter and her incarnation, Morai. In other words, Ahsoka might face the Mortis trials on Peridea to prepare her to become the next Daughter to represent the Light Side of the Force, while Anakin represents the Force and its balance.
Abeloth was a servant of the Mortis Gods who raised the Son and the Daughter as her children alongside the Father. They were a family until Abeloth grew old due to mortality, causing the Son and the Daughter to resume their light and dark conflict. Attempting to bring peace and love back to her family, Abeloth tried to become immortal by drinking from the Font of Power and bathing in the Pool of Knowledge. Her actions transformed a kind and loving Abeloth into a Dark Side twisted HP Lovecraft monster. The Son and the Daughter had to spend many years imprisoning Abeloth in a location called the Maw due to how conflict across the Galaxy empowered the Mother. With the Father, the Daughter, and the Son dead during the events of The Clone Wars, Abeloth could escape the Maw, forcing Ahsoka and Baylan’s groups to team up to defeat her and prevent her invasion of the Known Galaxy, giving reason why Ahsoka did not appear in the events of the Sequels.
Regarding Dathomir, Morgan Elsbeth possibly wanted to end Thrawn’s exile because he could help the Nightsisters of Peridea and their likely asleep coffined Nightsisters to rebuild Dathomir and its society. Thrawn is an antagonist, yet loyal and kind to his allies and those who aid his endeavors. A revived Dathomir will likely help the Grand Admiral and empower his forces to become strong enough to convince the Imperial Remnant to accept Thrawn as the Heir to the Empire, the new Empire’s new leader and face.
Rating: 9/10