Star Wars: The Acolyte’s Mother Aniseya actress Jodie Turner-Smith revealed brand-new details about Star Wars’ newest Force cult in an exclusive interview with Screen Rant. Updates on The Acolyte have already suggested that it will be one of the most thrilling of Star Wars’ upcoming TV shows. Set 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte will explore the High Republic Era, undoubtedly unveiling secrets of the Jedi, the Republic, and the Sith. Now, however, Turner-Smith has indicated that Star Wars’ newest coven of witches will also be major players in this era.

In fact, according to Mother Aniseya actress Jodie Turner-Smith, this coven is feared by the Jedi themselves, who believe the witches’ Force abilities pose a threat. Speaking exclusively with Screen Rant, Turner-Smith explained:

“I wouldn’t compare them to the Nightsisters. I think it’s best not to, and to just walk in with an open mind about who they are. But basically, Mother Aniseya has created a community on the planet of Brendock for this coven of witches. We are existing in a time where, according to the Jedi, the power that we have to manipulate the Force is to be feared and wrong. We are, by annexing ourselves on Brendock, in resistance to that idea. I want to say it in that way because it’s not like we’re sitting here being like, ‘We want to fight Jedi.’ We don’t. We want to live in peace, and we want to find a place where we are not persecuted for possessing powers that we feel are natural to us and that we should have, and that we don’t need to be Jedi in order to have. But perhaps the establishment can find our existence, just like anything that exists outside of the binary, threatening. And that is what makes it so dangerous for us for a Jedi to come across our paths.”

This update from Turner-Smith is absolutely fascinating, suggesting that The Acolyte will introduce Force-sensitive beings who don’t fit into any other category of Force-users in Star Wars movies and TV shows.

How Does Mother Aniseya’s Force Cult Fit Into The Force?

Turner-Smith’s comments about this new coven of Force-sensitive witches suggest that they will be unlike anything Star Wars has shown before, falling outside the binary of the light and dark side of the Force. To a certain extent, this was also true of the Nightsisters of Dathomir, who weren’t aligned with the Jedi or the Sith. However, Turner-Smith was also clear that The Acolyte’s witches shouldn’t be compared to the Nightsisters—instead, they are something else entirely.

Star Wars has become more flexible and creative with the rules and definition of the Force since the original trilogy. Yes, in A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi explained that the Force was in all things, it nevertheless seemed like a power wielded only by the Jedi and the Sith. This dichotomy also implied that there were only two sides to the Force, light and dark. The Phantom Menace then added to this understanding, explaining that, according to the Chosen One prophecy, Anakin Skywalker was meant to bring ‘balance’ to the Force.

However, TV shows such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Ahsoka have expanded the rules of the Force even more, with The Clone Wars introducing the Nightsisters and Ahsoka presenting the Force as something anyone can learn and wield regardless of their natural aptitude. The Acolyte seems primed to build upon this history with Mother Aniseya’s coven of witches. Indeed, it isn’t clear whether the witches tap into the light side, the dark side, or something else entirely.

Moreover, it’s intriguing that the Jedi seem afraid of and strongly opposed to the witches’ ability to wield this power, suggesting a defensiveness that doesn’t cast the Jedi in the most positive light. Given The Acolyte’s place in the Star Wars timeline, the show will likely uncover the cracks in the Jedi Order that led to its eventual fall, and this may be one such crack. Although Star Wars: The Acolyte undoubtedly has many more secrets to reveal, this insight from Jodie Turner-Smith offers a sneak peek into Star Wars’ fascinating new coven of witches.

The Acolyte premieres on June 4 on Disney+.

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