This article contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode 8.
The Ahsoka finale showed the true strength of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s alliance with the Nightsisters, with the Night Troopers becoming a zombie stormtrooper army. Viewers were thrilled when Ahsoka introduced Lars Mikkelsen’s live-action Thrawn, and even more excited by his partnership with the Nightsisters. Thrawn’s forces had been depleted over the last nine or so years, but it didn’t take long for his Night Troopers – enhanced by the Nightsisters – to prove themselves a force to be reckoned with.
The Night Troopers initially attacked the Jedi like normal stormtroopers, and of course they were outclassed. But Ahsoka episode 8 took a twist fitting for the Halloween month when the Great Mothers resurrected these troopers. No matter how many times the Night Troopers fell, the Great Mothers would raise them again to continue the onslaught. It was immediately clear the Night Troopers would be the most dangerous army in Star Wars history.
The Nightsisters Can Resurrect Thrawn’s Night Troopers
The Empire always tended to throw an unlimited army of stormtroopers at its enemies, meaning an untold number of stormtroopers have been killed in the history of Star Wars. The idea of bringing back all of these fallen troopers means that Thrawn’s forces may be basically infinite. This is likely why he is aligned with the Nightsisters, as their magic is allowing him to access avenues of power previously inaccessible.
Nightsister magick can tap into the dark side of the Force in unconventional ways, helping Thrawn avoid his previous weakness: the Force itself. Thrawn’s losses in Star Wars Rebels mostly stemmed from the Force and its unpredictable nature. But with the Nightsisters and their abilities to resurrect, Thrawn effectively possesses the unpredictable element himself. This becomes even more clear as Thrawn arrives at the planet Dathomir in episode 8, the previously-known homeworld of the Nightsisters in the galaxy.
Zombie Stormtroopers Were A Terrifying Force In Star Wars Legends
The concept of zombie stormtroopers is not new to Star Wars; they appeared rather significantly in the 2009 Legends novel Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber. In this novel the ‘zombification’ is not the result of magick, but of a Sith-derived virus created long ago during the time of the Old Republic. There are thematic similarities to Ahsoka, in that this version were also derived from an ancient power.
Zombie stormtroopers were originally called “Death Troopers” (hence the book’s name), and they were a terrifying force. Star Wars has already paid homage to these Death Troopers, reinventing them for the deadly warriors seen in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Andor, and Star Wars Rebels. Ahsoka‘s Death Troopers show the same kind of immense strength when they face off against Sabine and Ezra, confirming just how terrifying they are.
How Many Fields Can Thrawn Fight On With Night Troopers?
The Night Trooper threat becomes even greater considering the mysterious cargo ferried from Peridea to the Star Wars galaxy by Grand Admiral Thrawn’s flagship, the Chimaera. They seem to have loaded hundreds of caskets onto Thrawn’s Star Destroyer Chimaera, and many suspect that these contain dead or dormant Nightsisters. Thrawn’s arrival at Dathomir means all these witches could be awoken, and then scattered across the galaxy to resurrect vast armies of stormtroopers. This would prove to be a serious threat to the New Republic and the state of the galaxy, with a shaky peace only newly in place.
Night Trooper legions covertly deployed throughout the galaxy would make a very dangerous adversary for the New Republic – especially if they are commanded by Grand Admiral Thrawn, finally on the offensive against the newly-defensive Rebellion. The roles are switched, and the Empire could have the former Rebels on their back foot due to Thrawn’s tactics. No matter what happens specifically, the Night troopers and their Nightsister masters are sure be a monumental threat in the potential second season of Ahsoka, and in the future of the Star Wars galaxy.
All episodes of Ahsoka are available to stream on Disney+.
