The third episode of Star Wars: The Acolyte have some fans speculating that the witch coven hails from the planet Dathomir. The Witches of Dathomir, otherwise known as Dathomirians, are female-dominated clans that descend from the Jedi Allya. Specifically, there is speculation that the clan on Brendok, which Osha and Mae are raised in, might actually be Nightsisters, a sect of witches that are more aligned with the Dark side of the Force. Here’s whether the theory that the witches in The Acolyte might be true.
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Are the witches in Star Wars: The Acolyte Nightsisters from Dathomir?
It’s feasible that the witches in Star Wars: The Acolyte are Nightsisters from Dathomir, though the show never reveals any specifics about where they come from.
There are various hints throughout The Acolyte episode 3 that something is off about the clan of witches on Brendok. Mae is seen doing rather dark actions, like holding a flying creature still in the opening scene, that are more closely aligned with the Dark Side. In the middle of the episode, Mother Koril tells Mother Aniseya not to trust the Jedi in part because they wouldn’t like how Mae and Osha were created using the Force. Thus, it is insinuated that conceiving a child through this method is something closer to the Dark Side, which might explain why Jedi might have fought with the witches in the mostly unseen battle at the episode.
Like Anakin Skywalker, who later becomes the infamous Darth Vader, Mae and Osha do not have a father. From what we know in Revenge of the Sith, which takes place after The Acolyte, Emperor Palpatine explains that his master, Darth Plagueis, had powers that could create life using Midi-chlorians. This provides a connective thread suggesting that the witches on Brendok are Nightsisters, or at least some of them might be. A handful of witches during the council meeting suggest killing the Jedi.
That said, it’s possible that this clan is some hybrid of Nightsisters and The Path of the Open Hand, an order (or extremist cult, depending on whom you ask) during the High Republic era that believed no one should use the Force as it disrupted the balance of the galaxy. However, something happened near the end of the episode that caused a conflict between the witches and the Jedi, something that Mae is willing to kill for 16 years later and something the four Jedi feel guilty about. Hopefully, we will get more clarity in future episodes of the series.
