Ahsoka introduced several villains to the live-action Star Wars universe, including notable Star Wars Rebels baddie, Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). After being cordoned off in a faraway sector of the galaxy, Thrawn found himself some allies on Peridea and plotted his escape. These allies were none other than the supernatural Nightsisters, and their introduction proved the tables could easily be turned on Thrawn should the sisters have a change of heart.
The Nightsisters are known in Star Wars lore as an order of witches based on the rancor planet, Dathomir. The group is something of a dark mirror of the Jedi, trained in the ways of magick and the Force but with a hatred toward the Jedi Order. Ahsoka's first season showed off the Nightsisters' original homeworld on Peridea and introduced the Great Mothers (Klothow, Aktropaw, and Lakesis), who were awoken from stasis by Thrawn and ended up allying with him and helping him to leave the planet.
The thing is, while Thrawn is a major villain in Star Wars canon, his abilities simply don't rival those of the Nightsisters, particularly the Great Mothers. Thrawn is a Chiss and Imperial military leader known for his incredible intelligence and strategic mind. He has no inherent supernatural powers to speak of, and his influence over the Great Mothers came mostly from his charismatic and persuasive personality.
However, the Great Mothers do possess a great deal of power, tapping into old magic and elements of the Force that could easily overpower a mortal like Thrawn. Nightsisters, in general, have displayed abilities in necromancy, teleportation, mind control, alchemy, and magickal ichor. Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), a Nighsister and enemy of Ahsoka Tano, proved she was a formidable opponent in a lightsaber duel with the Togrutan Jedi.
It's not hard to imagine what kind of damage a Nightsister could do to anyone, let alone someone like Thrawn, who, unlike Ahsoka, isn't force sensitive.
Thrawn's greatest weapon has always been being one step ahead of his enemies. But physically, he doesn't stand much of a chance in a fight against a Jedi, nor a Nightsister. This means that while Thrawn is the greatest opponent in Ahsoka right now, he could be overthrown should the Nightsisters change their mind about him.
Ahsoka Season 2 is the next time fans can expect to see Thrawn and the Great Mothers (minus one key cast member). The Disney+ series is expected to debut in 2026, with Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lars Mikkelsen, and Eman Esfandi returning.
Will the Great Mothers Turn on Thrawn?
As it stands in Ahsoka right now, Thrawn and the Great Mothers are allies due to an agreement Thrawn struck with them in exchange for their help escaping Peridea. Thrawn says in Episode 6 that he offered to transport some cargo for the Nightsisters, but it's unclear what this might be.
Thrawn: "This is Enoch, Captain of my guard. He shall begin the cargo transfer as per my agreement with the Great Mothers."
Morgan Elsbeth: "I have seen the catacombs. It will take some time. At least three rotations."
Thrawn: "An acceptable timeframe."
The group ends up escaping Peridea with Thrawn's army and the cargo, with the final moments of Ahsoka revealing that Thrawn is headed for Dathomir, the Nightsisters' main home planet.
At the moment, Thrawn and the Nightsisters are working in tandem, although it's unclear what the Great Mothers' ultimate goals are. It can be assumed that they want to gain control of their planet, Dathomir, which suffered a massacre during the Clone Wars. It's possible Thrawn made a deal with the sisters to give them back their planet at the behest of the Galactic Empire, but whether he honors this deal remains to be seen.
Should Thrawn and the Great Mothers disagree on something, it wouldn't take much for the Nighsisters to overthrow him. Therefore, Thrawn has to act carefully around the Nightsisters, knowing that they possess power that could destroy him. Additionally, the Nightsisters may very well know that they can overpower Thrawn, but doing so could anger the Galactic Empire, so this may be why they've chosen to ally with him instead.
