Warning! This article contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode 8.
Summary
- The final episode of Ahsoka features intense lightsaber action and introduces the Blade of Talzin, a Nightsister sword with powerful abilities.
- The Blade of Talzin is not a traditional lightsaber but a Force-imbued blade made of indestructible metal, connected to the Force through spiritual means.
- Morgan Elsbeth receives the Blade of Talzin as part of her initiation into the Nightsister coven but is ultimately a pawn in Thrawn’s plans and dies in the episode.
Elsbeth quickly shows great mastery with this blade and uses it to fight Ahsoka Tano as her, Ezra Bridger, and Sabine attempt to infiltrate the Nightsister stronghold to get onboard Thrawn’s Star Destroyer. The blade is made of metal and is lit with green flames, but also capable of withstanding the blade of a lightsaber. It’s clearly shown to be very powerful, and is used well by Elsbeth. But this isn’t the first time a flaming, metal Nightsister sword is seen. This blade is familiar to Star Wars, appearing before in The Clone Wars.
The Blade Of Talzin’s History & Previous Appearances In Star Wars
The Blade of Talzin, as it appears in Ahsoka, is the first time the weapon has been given a formal name, but the sword has actually seemingly appeared before in The Clone Wars season 6, episode 9 The Disappeared, Part II. In its original appearance, it was a sword wielded by Mother Talzin in a duel against Mace Windu on the planet Zardossa Stix. Talzin also summons it in a similar way in the episode it appears in, and the blade is used in combat against a Jedi. The fact that it is summoned so easily by the Great Mothers must mean this is some sort of technique that can be learned, and possibly even created by Mother Talzin, hence the name. Given the immense power of Mother Talzin, the fact that she first created this weapon is absolutely believable.
How The Blade Of Talzin Is Different To A Lightsaber
The interesting thing about the Blade of Talzin is that it is not a real lightsaber, and more resembles a Force-imbued blade. This is a kind of weapon that previously appeared in Star Wars Legends during the very ancient dawn of the Jedi. These Force-imbued blades were made of an indestructible metal and were in tune with the Force through spiritual means, rather than physical qualities. This might mean that the Blade of Talzin is of ancient origin.
It definitely makes clear that the Nightsisters are very different culturally from both the Jedi and Sith, using physical blades more like ancient Force users. This could also be a hint at the Nightsisters being much more ancient of a culture, hailing from a separate galaxy altogether. The same can be said of Mandalorian culture, with the use of Beskar in their weaponry to repel lightsaber attacks – perhaps the same reason the Blade of Talzin is lightsaber-proof.
Why Morgan Elsbeth Gets The Blade Of Talzin & What The Great Mothers Do To Her
The Great Mothers only grant Elsbeth the Blade of Talzin immediately after they perform some sort of spell on her. This is a spell that lit her eyes on fire, turning her into a full Nightsister, black face-tattoos and all. This seems to be a form of initiation, maybe revealing that she was only an apprentice before, and is finally worthy of the Blade. They knew she was going to stay, and wanted her to be the most powerful she could be in stalling Ahsoka.
Elsbeth was also very prepared to wield the Blade of Talzin because of her previous combat, specifically in The Mandalorian. In Chapter 9: The Jedi, the Mandalorian Din Djarin encounters Elsbeth wielding a Beskar spear, and she duels Ahsoka in that very episode, which was also her first appearance. The Nightsister is clearly confident in dueling against a lightsaber with a metal weapon, and can be trusted by the Great Mothers to do so again.
Why Morgan Elsbeth Still Had To Die Despite Getting The Blade Of Talzin
Morgan Elsbeth’s downfall and death at the hands of Ahsoka was a surprise to many, but makes sense considering her role in the greater mission. From the beginning, it’s seemed like Morgan was just a tool used by the Great Mothers and Grand Admiral Thrawn to get what they wanted. She, in this episode, is described as someone who received the Great Mothers’ dreams and made the entire trip to Peridea happen. Despite wielding the Blade and having much training and previous history with Ahsoka Tano, Morgan was still just a lower level Nightsister. She was only recently initiated, and was simply a sacrifice to buy Thrawn time to escape from the far away Peridea in Ahsoka.
But Morgan’s stalling using the Blade of Talzin eventually did work, as Ahsoka and Sabine were abandoned on Peridea. This cliffhanger ending leaves many of the characters in very different places from where they began, and will certainly be very interesting leading into Ahsoka Season 2. The Blade of Talzin may even reappear in future storylines set in this time period involving Thrawn because of the Great Mothers, such as The Mandalorian. They seem to be on his side, and will be a major threat for the New Republic in future seasons of Ahsoka, maybe even using more Blades of Talzin.
All episodes of Ahsoka are available to stream on Disney+.
