Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for the Ahsoka finale.
For many, Baylan Skoll was easily the highlight of the Ahsoka series, and his goal actually aligns with two other maverick Jedi. The late Ray Stevenson’s mysterious and enigmatic performance brought one of the most intriguing Star Wars characters to life, making it all the more difficult for another actor to play Baylan in Ahsoka season 2. Baylan stands at the precipice of an unprecedented discovery; he is on the cusp of changing the very nature of the Force in the galaxy. Yet his desire for change stems from his experience with Order 66 and the fall of the Jedi Order.
Based on the statues he finds at the end of the Ahsoka finale, Baylan is looking for the Mortis gods. These mystical beings have appeared in both Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, and they essentially control the Force itself. At one point, Baylan explains to his apprentice, Shin Hati, that his goal is to end the cycle of power in the galaxy. Baylan is fed up with the failure in the Jedi Order, prompting him to search for a way to redefine it. And while he’s vague on how he plans to do it, it likely has to do with finding the beginning of the Force.
Why Baylan Is Similar To Qui-Gon
Decades before Baylan saw the failure in the Jedi Order, Qui-Gon Jinn also felt the Order was going about things the wrong way. According to Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon was wise enough to be on the Jedi Council, but was never asked to join due to his disobedient attitude and radical ideals. Like Baylan, Qui-Gon believed the Jedi Order could be far more than what it was. And despite not always agreeing with the Council’s decisions, Qui-Gon still had a love for the Jedi Order and the idea behind it. He became obsessed with the prophecy of the Chosen One, and he was convinced Anakin Skywalker would bring balance to the Force.
Similarly to Qui-Gon, Baylan seeks to balance the Force in a different way. Rather than look into the Chosen One, Baylan seeks the source of the Force itself. Anakin’s ghost may be balancing the Force on Mortis, meaning Baylan and Qui-Gon seek the same person. Qui-Gon believed Anakin could be the one to reform the Jedi Order into what it was meant to be all along. But Baylan saw Anakin as the Jedi’s downfall, and therefore seeks to reform the Jedi by himself. In any case, both Qui-Gon and Baylan are maverick Jedi who think of the Order fondly, though they also believe it could be better.
Why Baylan Is Similar To Dooku
In addition to Qui-Gon, Baylan also shares a lot of resemblance to Dooku. Dooku believed the Order failed him in particular. The Order could not satisfy his thirst for power and prestige, driving him to look elsewhere for power. Nevertheless, there was still a part of him that tried to reform the Order and show the Council where their shortcomings were. In particular, he argued with Yaddle, who shared his belief that the Jedi Order was not what it once was. Like Baylan, Dooku chose to step away from the Order and chose to pursue his own path to power.
Both Dooku and Baylan severed ties to the Order, but Dooku foresaw what Baylan couldn’t. Long before the Jedi fell, Dooku left to become something more than a Jedi. Meanwhile, Baylan only saw the hubris and failure of the Jedi after their destruction. Baylan’s experience in Order 66 caused him to reimagine his allegiance to the Order, yet Dooku gave up on the Jedi because he became frustrated with reimagining it. Had Baylan seen the darkness within the Order before the Jedi Purge, he very may well have taken a path similar to Dooku.
Baylan Is In-Between Qui-Gon And Dooku
Star Wars has now given the audience three different versions of the same character. Qui-Gon Jinn was a maverick Jedi who remained within the Order to try and reform and reinvent it from within. On the other hand, Dooku became a Sith to try and beat the Order with force and reform it from the outside. And if Qui-Gon and Dooku are on opposite ends of the same spectrum, Baylan lies at the center. Baylan hasn’t totally given up on the idea of the Jedi Order as Dooku has, given how he allows Shin Hati to have a Padawan braid, which was traditionally the mark of a Jedi.
Nevertheless, Baylan has also made it clear that he is no longer a Jedi, which was something Qui-Gon wouldn’t have done. Qui-Gon remained in the Order, Dooku left the Order, but Baylan carries on their legacy by seeking to reimagine the Jedi. He longs to create “something more,” than the weakness and failure he experienced. All three of these mavericks saw the problem with the Order, and all three of them took differing courses of action to try and remedy the problem. Nevertheless, both Qui-Gon and Dooku ended up being killed by the Sith, whereas Baylan has come further than both of them in reinventing the Jedi.
How Baylan Can Create The Order Qui-Gon and Dooku Dreamed Of
Regardless of whether Baylan finds the Mortis gods, Anakin’s Force ghost, or the Abeloth from Star Wars Legends, he’s about to change the flow of the Force itself. If he holds to the same path, he may be able to reinvent or redefine the Jedi in a way that Qui-Gon and Dooku could only dream of. Luke Skywalker seeks to rebuild the Jedi, but this will ultimately result in its destruction once again. But Baylan seeks to take the best of what the Order had to offer and force it to evolve for the better. He’s looking to invent a new group of Force-users altogether.
Without the cycle of light and dark, Baylan’s new Order of maverick Jedi will be something in-between Jedi and Sith. They will seek power without being consumed by lust for it, all for the sake of keeping the peace. And while the sequel trilogy seems to make it clear that Baylan did not change the current Star Wars galaxy, he has plenty of real estate in Peridea’s galaxy to carve out a new Order. If Baylan succeeds in harnessing the power Mortis has to offer in Ahsoka season 2, he will be free to recreate the Jedi Order as he, Qui-Gon, and Dooku had all envisioned it.
All episodes of Ahsoka now streaming on Disney+.
