Massacre

"One must let go of the past to hold onto the future."

- Moral

"Massacre" is the nineteenth episode of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series' fourth season. It aired on February 24, 2012.

Official description
"Count Dooku is determined to have revenge against the Nightsisters of Dathomir after their betrayal. General Grievous launches an all-out droid attack against the magic-wielding witches, and Mother Talzin and Asajj Ventress lead the defense with all the dark powers at their command."

Synopsis
After a period of hiding following her betrayal by Savage Opress amidst her retaliation against Count Dooku, Asajj Ventress returns to the headquarters of the Nightsisters on Dathomir, where Mother Talzin welcomes her back with open arms. Talzin recommends that Ventress should cast off her ambitions to become a Sith and fully reintegrate herself in the ranks of the Nightsisters. Ventress agrees and undergoes the initiation ritual, becoming a fully accepted member of the order once again.

But Dooku has neither forgotten about nor taken the attempt on his life lightly, and he commands General Grievous to proceed to Dathomir and eradicate the Nightsisters. The droid forces descend upon the initiation festivity in full force, and the Nightsisters prepare for battle. The Nightsisters begin to mount a counterattack under Ventress’ leadership, but as soon as Ventress appears on the battle field, Grievous sends out a group of defoliator tanks to wipe out their opponents with one stroke. Ventress manages to destroy the defoliators and fights her way right up to Grievous, challenging him to single combat, which Grievous readily agrees to.

In the meantime, Mother Talzin calls upon her order’s venerable elder, Old Daka, to allow the reviving of the past Nightsisters with their dark magic, thus creating an army of the dead to repel the Separatists. Old Daka casts forth her power, and the remains of the dead rise from their burial pods and join their living sisters. Talzin uses a lock of Dooku’s hair she had previously taken and stashed away in secret; using it to create a magical voodoo figurine likeness of Dooku, she conducts her magic through it to torment him into rescinding his attack or else suffer an agonizing death.

In a lightsaber duel, Ventress gets the better of Grievous, but the cyborg deviously orders his droids to recommence the attack. Grievous is then about to kill her but the army of the dead start attacking Grievous. Wounded and with her sisters dying around her, Ventress is forced to flee, and summoned by Dooku, Grievous tracks down the origin of Talzin and Daka’s magic. He first kills Daka, disrupting the resurrection magic, and without reinforcements the remnants of the Nightsisters are helplessly slaughtered. Before she can be executed by Grievous, Talzin turns into smoke and vanishes, later appearing before Ventress. The apparition of Talzin encourages her to follow a new path before she dissipates, leaving the desolate Ventress to face an uncertain future.

Cast

 * Barbara Goodson as Mother Talzin
 * Nika Futterman as Asajj Ventress
 * Matthew Wood as General Grievous and Battle droids
 * Corey Burton as Count Dooku
 * Catherine Taber as Karis and Nightsister
 * Kathleen Gati as Old Daka and Nightsister
 * Cara Pifko as Nightsister
 * Jaime King as Luce and Nightsister
 * Tom Kane as Narrator

Continuity
The episode's Director's Cut was included in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Complete Season Four DVD and Blu-Ray.