Ahsoka: What Was Baylan Skoll’s Plan for the Star Wars Universe?

Early on Star Wars: Ahsoka hooked a lot of viewers with one big mystery: what was Baylan Skoll’s (Ray Stevenson) plan to break cycle of the Jedi vs The Sith, theEmpire, or whatever dark side manifested to rival the light? Unfortunately, the answer to that mystery wasn’t fully revealed by the time Ahsoka’s finale reached its end – but there were some big clues as to where Baylan’s storyline could be headed.

Here’s everything we know about Balyan Skoll’s plan to disrupt the cycle of conflict in the Star Wars Universe. 

The backend of Ahsoka took us to another galaxy outside the main Star Wars Universe, and the Peridea, which is located there. Peridea turned out to be the ancestral home of the Nightsisters of Dathomir and the Dathomirian race, as well as their ruler Kujet. The full scope of that revelation won’t be explored until additional stories of the New Republic Era and Grand Admiral Thrawn’s plot to rebuild the Empire get told; however, it’s clear that the Nightsister, Dathomir, and Peridea are all being repositioned as much more important figures in the Star Wars franchise. 

Theory: Baylan’s Plan Is to Become A New Mortis God

Ahsoka Episode 8: “The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord” included just one final epilogue scene of Baylan Skoll, as he made a discovery about the power he sensed deep within Peridea. That power was represented by a massive set of statues carved in the likeness of The Ones – aka the Mortis gods. That family of powerful Force users – The Father, The Son, and The Daughter – influenced the Force from their mystical realm within the Force, Mortis. The Daughter drew her power from the light side of the Force, while the son drew his power from the dark side. The Son and the Daughter remained immortal so long as The Father existed to maintain a balance between them. It was rumored in legend that origins of the Force and its users started with Mortis and The Ones. 

Clone Wars had a story arc set on Mortis, where Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and Obi-Wan Kenobi were drawn to Mortis, and encountered The Ones. It was Anakin’s presence and role as “The Chosen One” that disrupted the balance of the Mortis gods and the Force; The Father wanted Anakin to replace him, and become the new maintainer of balance between the light and dark side of The Force; instead, The Son corrupted Anakin, sparking his fall to the dark side much earlier (until The Father erased his memory). Ultimately, Anakin’s presence and the disruption it caused ended the lives of the Mortis gods. However, it was implied that Ahsoka left Mortis linked to The Daughter (through a white owl that follows her), while The Son set Anakin’s fall to the dark side in motion. The Father’s death was implied to be a spiritual event that would eventually cause The Force to fall out of balance (when Anakin becomes Vader and the dark side reigns for years). 

The implication from the ending of Ahsoka’s finale is that Baylan Skoll is being guided by the power of The Ones, much like Anakin Skywalker was. The Father and The Son are the only two statues still intact, indicating that Baylan could end up becoming a vessel for one or both of those entities – or is being led toward some purer, singular power of the Force (the starry sky beyond the valley). If Baylan gains the power of The Father, he could theoretically master control of both the light and dark sides of the Force – and their influence on the galaxy. That would take Baylan Skoll from a fan-favorite henchman to a game-changing antagonist of the Star Wars franchise (whoever plays him after the late Ray Stevenson). 

We previously broke down how the legend of the Mortis gods – and their experience with Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and Obi-Wan Kenobi in Clone Wars – was shaping Ahsoka’s storyline. Now it’s clear that Ahsoka and Clone Wars showrunner Dave Filoni is weaving the Mortis Gods into the backstory of the Nightsisters while setting up some potential big twists in future stories of Star Wars Force users. 

Star Wars: Ahsoka is streaming on Disney+.