Ahsoka's Nightsister Mother And Captain Enoch Are Both Played By Sci-Fi Veterans
This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Ahsoka."
You just never know who's going to show up in a galaxy far, far away these days. Whether it's "Cousin" Richie from "The Bear" (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) popping in to assist Cassian Andor on the Aldhani heist on "Andor" or Dr. John "J.D." Dorian from "Scrubs" (Zach Braff) playing the "Star Wars" equivalent of a MAGA supporter on "Obi-Wan Kenobi," the supporting cast of the "Star Wars" franchise is an eclectic collection of top-of-the-line character actors and fan-favorites. Sometimes, however, you might not even recognize them, as they're buried under layers of makeup or wearing a helmet the entire time. That was exactly the case on the latest episode of "Ahsoka."
Titled "Far, Far Away," the episode follows those aboard the Eye of Scion to Peridea, the extra-galactic homeworld of the Dathomiri and a planet so ancient it had fallen into myth. There, we finally got our much-ballyhooed introduction to the live-action Grand Admiral Thrawn, with Lars Mikkelsen reprising his role from the animated series "Star Wars Rebels." Since his defeat at Ezra Bridger's hands (well, that and the tendrils of the purrgil whom he called to his aid through the Force) during the Battle of Lothal in the "Rebels" finale, Thrawn has clearly gained a new appreciation for the Force and all its mysteries. As such, he's now aligned himself with the "Great Mother" and Nightsister Klothow and the other Witches of Dathomir on Peridea, giving him a shiny new weapon in his arsenal to go with his (dwindled but still deadly) army of troopers led by Captain Enoch.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, "Star Wars" just quietly added two more celebrated sci-fi veterans to its ranks with Claudia Black and Wes Chatham (who play Klothow and Enoch, respectively).
From one solar system to another
Black, for those not in the know, came to fame by playing Aeryn Sun in "Farscape," the hit '90s-born sci-fi series that, among other things, gave us one of the best Abed jokes on "Community." She would go on to play Vala Mal Doran on "Stargate SG-1" (which only makes that "Community" sub-plot all the more applicable here) and has since developed a habit of showing up for multi-episode stints on genre shows as varied as "Rick and Morty," "Roswell, New Mexico," and "The Nevers." Black is also a rather prolific video game voice actor, having voiced Chloe Frazer in the "Uncharted" series and Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh in the "Mass Effect" franchise.
No slouch himself, Chatham played Amos Burton across all six seasons of "The Expanse," prior to his turn on "Ahsoka." He also had a small role as the rebel cameraman Castor in the "Hunger Games" movies and briefly appeared as a SWAT agent in Christopher Nolan's "Tenet," further cementing his bona fides in the sci-fi genre. With Thrawn's old bodyguard and go-to assassin Rukh no longer in the picture, after his demise on "Rebels," that leaves a nice opening for Enoch to fill in the remaining episodes of "Ahsoka" and potentially beyond — giving Chathan another feather to add to his cap.
Thrawn's big move
Having been trapped on Peridea for a decade (and then some), Thrawn has undoubtedly spent that time devising an ingenious plan for what he intends to do upon returning to the known "Star Wars" galaxy and reuniting the remnants of the fallen Galactic Empire. That could well involve using the Nightsisters to create an army of the dead with their dark magic, much like they once did on the animated series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (and may have already done before on "Ahsoka" with the Inquisitor Marrok). If so, that will also leave it to Enoch to lead Thrawn's night troopers (as the grand admiral's stormtroopers are known), giving him a two-pronged means of attacking and potentially taking down the struggling New Republic.
To that very point, it's feasible that both Klothow and Enoch (and, as such, Black and Chatham) will have substantial roles to play in "Ahsoka" creator Dave Filoni's take on the Legends (aka Expanded Universe) Thrawn trilogy arc, starting with their brief introductions in "Far, Far Away." That could even extend to them being a key part of the movie Filoni is planning to direct down the line, which itself will serve as the culmination of the overarching story of "The Mandalorian" and its spinoffs ("Ahsoka" included). Failing that, it's just nice to see a pair of sci-fi aficionados getting their chance to play dress up and make a Star War of their own.
New episodes of "Ahsoka" drop Tuesdays at 9:00 PM EST on Disney+.