Star Wars Theory Reveals The Forgotten History Of Ahsoka’s Intergalactic Empire

Summary

• The ancient Nightsisters of Peridea were the first to use purrgil to travel between galaxies, suggesting a vast intergalactic empire once existed.
• Kujet, a fallen Zeffo, ruled this intergalactic empire and desired his reign to last forever.
• The empire likely fell due to its association with the dark side, resulting in the destruction of Peridea and the displacement of the Nightsisters.

It’s possible to piece together the ancient history of Ahsoka‘s intergalactic history, revealing the forgotten past of the Star Wars galaxy. The Ahsoka Disney+ TV show rewrote Star Wars history, with Ahsoka Tano traveling the pathway to Peridea – a distant world in another galaxy. According to Jedi legends taught to younglings in the Temple, Force-sensitives once traveled between the galaxies thanks to Star Wars‘ space whales, the purrgil.

Ahsoka hinted at the existence of a vast intergalactic empire. This incorporated the Nightsisters of Dathomir, who apparently originated from Perilea and were the first to travel by purrgil, and a race called the Zeffo. The Zeffo were a race of Force-sensitives, and their history is explored in Jedi: Fallen Order. A mural seen in Ahsoka hints that one dark side Zeffo, Kujet, became ruler of this intergalactic empire. But what happened to this empire?

Related Ahsoka Ending Explained In Full The Ahsoka finale brings the story to a triumphant close, with subtle reveals that promise great things for Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan and Thrawn.

Peridea Wasn’t Always A Place Of Death

When Ahsoka arrived at Peridea, it was a place of death. It was the place where purrgil came to die, explaining why both Grand Admiral Thrawn and the Great Mothers had been exiled there for years. But this had not always been the case; according to Ahsoka, the Nightsisters of Peridea were the first to use purrgil to travel between galaxies. This means that, at one point, this star-system must have been one the purrgil visited before moving on – allowing these ancient Nightsisters to hitch a ride.

Peridea Became A Crucial Part Of An Intergalactic Empire

Precious little is known of the ancient intergalactic empire Peridea became part of. Runes inscribed in Peridea’s fortress reveal it was ruled by Kujet, This reference is an important one, because it confirms the ancient Nightsisters of Dathomir were in fact ruled by Kujet, a Zeffo who fell to the dark side of the Force and seems to have established an empire. The translated runes appear to express a desire for Kujet’s rule to last forever, but it did not; he would eventually die, and was buried in a tomb on the planet Dathomir in the main Star Wars galaxy. This, too, suggests the high esteem Kujet was held by the Nightsisters; Dathomir remained their world until the time of the Clone Wars, when they were almost wiped out by Palpatine’s agents.

The extent of this mysterious dark side intergalactic empire is unknown. It is possible, however, that the purrgil were used to travel between many other galaxies – and that Kujet ruled (or at least had outposts) in several. This is subtly hinted at by Ahsoka’s droid Huyang, who refers to Jedi legends that purrgil were used to travel between several galaxies in the distant past.

Was Peridea Ruined By The Dark Side?

The Nightsisters use the dark side of the Force, and Kujet was a fallen Zeffo. This means it is reasonable to assume the entire empire was rooted in the dark side, an intergalactic empire on a scale that would make Palpatine drool with envy. But this in turn is likely to explain the reason the empire fell; because the dark side is destructive in nature, tarnishing everything it is associated with. This was perfectly illustrated when Rey studied the worlds of the Sith; according to the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker junior novelization, she discovered a Jedi text that reads:

“The Prime is One, but the Jedi are Many. The Sith were Many but often emerge Ruled by Two. The Seeds of the Jedi have been Sown throughout the Galaxy, on Ossus, Jedha, Xenxiar, and Others. The Sith have no Seeds, since what they Bury does not Grow. They are the Despoilers of Worlds, and have Laid to Waste once Fertile Habitats such as Korriban, Ziost, Ixigul, Asog, and Others.”

The Sith are the Despoilers of Worlds simply because they are rooted in the dark side. They consume without giving back, laying waste to countless worlds. The same will be true of Kujet, and this would explain why Peridea became a place of death. Almost all life and light were destroyed, leaving Peridea nothing but a barren wasteland. Somehow, perhaps through a Force vergence of some kind, even the purrgil were affected; the area around this planet became their graveyard, the place they go to die. This would have been the end for Peridea, because it would no longer have been possible to travel there and return. Any Nightsisters who traveled there by purrgil would be stranded.

Almost all life and light were destroyed, leaving Peridea nothing but a barren wasteland.

Peridea’s Empire Was Overthrown By The Light

There’s subtle evidence the ancient Peridean empire was eventually overthrown by the light side. When Baylan arrives on Peridea, he describes it as the place where the great cycle of light versus dark first began – the cycle that has most recently manifested in the conflict between the Jedi and the Sith, but that is in fact apparently much older than either order. As Supreme Leader Snoke would observe in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, “Darkness rises, and the light to meet it.” This is the pattern of the ages, and it seems to have played out with the Peridean empire as well.

What is unclear, however, is whether Peridea’s empire was only overthrown in the one galaxy – likely the main Star Wars galaxy – or whether it happened elsewhere as well. As previously noted, Huyang’s words imply there was once travel between multiple galaxies courtesy of the purrgil, which means it is entirely possible champions of the light traveled between the galaxies waging war against the dark. The Dai Bendu, precursor of the Jedi Order, seem to have appeared across the entire galaxy at once; the Jedi themselves originated both in the Unknown Regions near the Outer Rim, and near the galactic core. These oddities may be explained by both the Dai Bendu and the Jedi being of extragalactic nature, arriving in the main galaxy as a resistance force.

Whatever the truth here may be, Ahsoka‘s Peridean empire fell. According to Jedi: Survivor, the Zeffo themselves disappeared from the galaxy, heading to the Outer Rim and vanishing – perhaps a mass exodus with the help of purrgil. Now, Peridea is the last vestige of the ancient Nightsister and Zeffo empire, and it holds clues to the ancient history of the entire universe.

• Ahsoka Release Date: 2023-08-23 Cast: Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Hayden Christensen, Eman Esfandi, Ivanna Sakhno, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ray Stevenson, Genevieve O’Reilly, Lars Mikkelsen, Diana Lee Inosanto Genres: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi Seasons: 1 Creator(s): Dave Filoni Writers: Dave Filoni Streaming Service(s): Disney Plus Franchise(s): Star Wars Directors: Dave Filoni, Steph Green, Rick Famuyiwa, Geeta Vasant Patel, Peter Ramsey, Jennifer Getzinger Showrunner: Dave Filoni