Gethzerion Gethzerion was the founder and leader of the Nightsisters from the planet of Dathomir . She was the daughter of Clan Mother Augwynne Djo and sister of Barukka , Kara ' Teel and Allaya Djo . A ruthless and tyranical matriarch , Gethzerion ruled the Nightsisters with an iron fist and terrorized the other Dathomiri for years . Biography . Early life . Born on the planet of Dathomir many centuries before the start of the Galactic Civil War , Gethzerion belonged to the Daughters of Allya , a society of Force - sensitive females who used " magic " to control the Force , with the male population serving as servants and mates . Her mother was none other than Augwynne Djo , respected matriarch of the Singing Mountain Clan . Unlike her mother , who was a full - blooded Human , Gethzerion belonged to the Dathomirian species , which resulted from the hybridization of Humans and Zabraks . One of four sisters , Gethzerion was by far the most talented with the channeling of the Force . During her formative years , she realized that she could use the Force without the ritual chantings prescribed by her people ' s customs and traditions , a feat only Mother Augwynne and Clan Protector Tannath had achieved until then . Because of such exceptional skills , Gethzerion was openly adored not only by her younger siblings , Allaya and Kara ' Teel , but also by her older sister Barukka . The Nightsisters . Traditionally , those who broke their laws and codes were exiled to live out their lives in the wilderness in solitude and contemplation . Some of those clans who were devoted to the dark side were known as Nightsisters . However , at some point during the waning days of the Galactic Republic , Gethzerion and another sister named Baritha were exiled after attempting to assassinate Mother Augwynne . The two exiles began to gather together other outcasts to form their own clan , which eventually became the Nightsisters . The Nightsisters did not fear the dark powers forbidden by the ancients , but reveled in them and raised their daughters in the dark side , although they did not understand it as the Jedi did . During the reign of Gethzerion , many of the Dathomiri were killed or captured by her clan , which grew ever more powerful and was aided by the other Witches ' indecision in dealing with them . At some point Gethzerion noted that a fellow Nightsister Kyrisa had showed exceptional promise in her ability to control the beasts of Dathomir . However , Kyrisa became so convinced in her own superiority , that she choose to directly confront Gethzerion in combat . During the fierce clash for leadership , Kyrisa openly declared her intent to slay the Clan Mother and to take her place as the leader of the Nightsisters . However , her challenge of Gethzerion failed and for her attempt Gethzerion banished Kyrisa not only from the Nightsisters , but from the planet itself . While the Nightsisters believed that they had to perform rituals to unleash their Force powers , only Gethzerion realized the true power that she could control . Emperor Palpatine knew of her power while he was alive and ordered that she be kept trapped on Dathomir where she could still rule but not use her power elsewhere . Zsinj , who would later become a ruling Imperial warlord , was assigned to keep an eye on Dathomir . When Han Solo crash - landed the " Millennium Falcon " on Dathomir , Gethzerion was contacted by Zsinj and the two of them managed to capture Han Solo and Leia Organa . Gethzerion finally met her match in Luke Skywalker and Teneniel Djo ( a Dathomiri from Gethzerion ' s former clan and her niece ) when they turned up to rescue their friends . Gethzerion fled in a space carrier but was killed when two of Zsinj ' s Star Destroyers opened fire under his orders . With the ship ' s destruction along with its occupant , the Dathomirians were free of Gethzerion ' s tyranny . Powers and abilities . Gethzerion was extremely powerful in the Force , to the point that even Emperor Palpatine was wary of her , stranding her on Dathomir and allowing no ships to land in an effort to isolate her . She was able to generate weather - based Force storms merely through anger , had very advanced telekinetic abilities , killed General Melvar along with 100 Stormtroopers effortlessly , and near - fatally injured Luke Skywalker using Force Lightning . In addition she could perform Telepathy and had a decent ability in Force Jump and speed despite her advanced age . Furthermore , Gethzerion was a fierce and deadly combatant and was also one of several Nightsisters known to use a lightsaber . It was believed that at some point Gethzerion wrote the Book of Shadows , containing details of the spells and rituals of her Nightsisters . Behind the scenes . " The Essential Guide to Characters " mistakenly lists Gethzerion as " Gethzerionb " in the title for her entry , likely a typography error , although other instances of her name are correct . Gethzerion appeared as a non - player character in the video game Star Wars Galaxies , a massively multiplayer online - role playing game developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts , prior to its closure on December 15 , 2011 . While the 1995 guidebook " The Essential Guide to Characters " listed Gethzerion ' s species as Human , she was retcon ned into a Dathomirian following the release of " The Essential Reader ' s Companion " in 2012 .