Star Wars: Ahsoka – What Is Balyan Skoll’s Plan to Break The Jedi Cycle?

The Ahsoka Disney+ series has introduced what is arguably one of Star Wars’ best villains yet in Baylan Skoll (the late Ray Stevenson), a former Jedi who survived Order 66 and the Jedi purge by fleeing to the unknown regions of the galaxy. Baylan returned from that exile as a “Dark Jedi” working for Thrawn loyalist Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto); however, as the plot of Ahsoka has unfolded, it’s become clear that Baylan has his own agenda independent of Thrawn – but what is it? 

What Is Baylan Skoll’s Ultimate Goal?  

Ahsoka has been full of breadcrumb clues about Baylan Skoll’s views and goals. He’s not a Sith, he’s not a Jedi, and he seems unnervingly calm and clear in his ability to see through the Force, summon the power of the dark side, and do what he must in battle sometimes with clear reluctance in his heart. He is aligned with Morgan Elsbeth both for the monetary gains, but also because he indeed believes that Grand Admiral Thrawn and his war can help progress the galaxy in the direction that Baylan wants to see it go. 

Episode 6 of Ahsoka had Baylan state his views more plainly than ever. The storyline of “Far, Far, Away” saw Baylan and his apprentice Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) meet Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) and get tasked with a new mission: Honoring Sabine Wren’s (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) bargain to find Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) just long enough to have the former Rebels be united in death. During the hunt, Baylan speaks to Shin about how Ezra Bridger comes from a line of “Bokken Jedi” – i.e. those “trained in the wild” after the Jedi Order fell during Order 66. He makes sure to let Shin know that “I trained you to be something more.” 

Elsewhere in the episode, Baylan talks about the never-ending cycle of history – the fall of the Jedi and the rise of evil like the Empire – and his desire to break that cycle for good. He openly states that Thrawn’s power is “fleeting” and that he seeks the “beginning, so I may finally bring this cycle to an end.” According to Baylan, the planet Peridea possesses a power even the Nightsisters fear – one that is the “beginning” of that could finally break the cycle as we know it. 

Baylan Skoll has been described as a “Dark Jedi,” which is a term that has many meanings in the franchise –  most often for Jedi that fell to the dark side. It doesn’t seem like Baylan is interested in building an entire order of Dark Jedi – but it’s equally unclear what he hopes to build in place of the cycle he seeks to break – or what power he can harness to do it.

Moreso than Thrawn and Ezra’s return, Star Wars: Ahsoka seems poised to introduce a pivotal new power or alternative to the light and dark side of the Force to introduce through Peridea and the Dathomiri Witches. Of course, whatever game-changing power that is still has to fit within a framework that will ultimately pull us back into the same cycle (almost literally), when the First Order and its Sith Cult inner circle rise to power decades later. 

Some fan theory points to the caveat of Baylan’s story ending (death) before he gets to achieve his goal. In that scenario, the mention of the power hidden on Peridea is being viewed as a possible springboard for Star Wars’ upcoming James Mangold (Logan) movie about the First Jedi. Which is entirely possible as the reason it’s being introduced here. 

Star Wars: Ahsoka is now streaming on Disney+.