Ahsoka may not be perfect, but the last few episodes have given fans a lot to chew on. We saw an extended dream flashback to Ahsoka’s past during the Clone Wars, the live-action debut of Grand Admiral Thrawn, and the long-awaited return of Ezra Bridger. As of today’s installment, most of the cast’s motivations are clear; they all want to return to the core systems.
But there’s a wild card in the mix: Ray Stevenson’s Baylan Skoll. In a speech in episode 6, he made clear his thoughts on the Jedi, saying he missed “the idea” of the Order but not “the truth of it”. The clearest indication of what he’s seeking came right afterwards when he mentioned a great power “that calls to me”.
So, what is this power, and what does Baylan Skoll want?
Breaking the cycle
Recent episodes have underlined that Baylan is despondent about the cyclical nature of the galaxy. Earlier in episode 6 he bemoaned that nothing ever truly changes:
“When I was a bit older than you are now, I watched everything I knew burn. I couldn’t make sense of it at the time, as you get older you look at history and realize it’s all inevitable. The fall of the Jedi, the rise of the Empire. It repeats again and again and again…”
Shin says that an alliance with Thrawn will finally bring them power, but Baylan has grander plans:
“That sort of power is fleeting. What I seek is the beginning, so I may finally bring this cycle to an end.”
So, Baylan is essentially waging a metafictional war on the core concept of Star Wars. This franchise can’t function without conflict, which also means there can never be any true victory. Many fans have noted the celebrations after the Battle of Endor feel hollow after we’ve seen the sequel trilogy, but hey, you can’t make a billion dollars per movie out of “Star Peace.”
So, how could he break the cycle?
An attack on the Force itself?
One obvious way to break the cycle would be some kind of assault on the Force itself. We don’t know much about the extragalactic planet of Peridea, though there’s evidence it’s a powerful place in the Force. It was the center of the Witch Kingdom of the Dathomiri and according to Baylan, it’s a part of Jedi folklore that younglings share tales of.
Peridea may prove to be a foundational place in the Force, with Baylan’s comment about seeking “the beginning” meaning something here may be involved with the origins of the Jedi and Sith “if the old stories are true”. I think that whatever’s hidden on Peridea may be some kind of powerful MacGuffin he could use to damage or destroy the Force itself.
This isn’t without precedent in Star Wars. In Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, Darth Traya seeks to effectively destroy the Force by removing its ability to influence life in the galaxy, and severing everyone’s ties with it.
Something like this wouldn’t necessarily bring about a peaceful utopia, but without the Light and Dark Sides of the Force being in fundamental opposition to one another, the “cycle” Baylan hates would come to an end and be replaced by something new.
Consequences
Grand Admiral Thrawn is no fan of the Force, and would likely be relieved if it were gone for good, but everyone else in the story won’t be so happy. Baylan’s student Shin clearly wants to be a powerful Force user, so if she senses he’s going to snatch that away from her she may resist. Presumably, the rest of the Jedi-aligned characters like Ahsoka, Ezra, and Sabine (not to mention the Nightsisters) would be similarly horrified at his plan to, effectively, kill God.
All that said, we know Baylan is doomed to fail. Ahsoka is set before the sequel trilogy in which the “cycle” continues anew with the First Order, and with the Force clearly still very powerful. Even so, it’s rare to see a Force-using Star Wars character who stands so far outside the Jedi/Sith dichotomy and has so little desire for personal power that he’s willing to burn down the whole system and start from scratch.
We have to end on a sad note, though. Ahsoka‘s finale will air next week, with Ray Stevenson’s tragic death meaning that episode will likely be the last time we ever see Baylan Skoll in live-action. Stevenson brought gravitas, dignity and complexity to Star Wars, and we’re really going to miss him when he’s gone. Fingers crossed he goes out in style.