Baylan Skoll continues to be one of the most intriguing new characters in Ahsoka. The former Jedi is a mysterious presence in every episode, choosing to speak only a few words but each line seems steeped in meaning and tragedy. So what exactly happened to Baylan that made him turn his back on the Jedi Order? A new Star Wars theory suggests a heartbreaking first in the franchise.
When we meet Baylan Skoll, he is working for Morgan Elsbeth and appears to be determined to find Grand Admiral Thrawn. We don't know much beyond that, but it's clear he is someone with a dark past, dark enough to force him to flee to the Unknown Regions as a Dark Jedi. But what happened to Baylan during Order 66? A Reddit theory points out it must be a twist to the tried-and-tested Jedi tragedy in the Star Wars Universe.
"I wonder if Baylan had an apprentice that was killed during Order 66," the Redditor writes. They continue by pointing out that there have been several stories of Padawans surviving the Jedi Purge. For instance, there's Caleb Dume who would go on to change his name into Kanan Jarrus and take Ezra Bridger as his own apprentice in Star Wars Rebels. "We’ve never, to my knowledge, seen a Master survive and their Padawan is killed," the post continues. "Perhaps he’s carrying some guilt that he couldn’t protect his Padawan."
It would certainly make sense considering that Baylan is too old to be a Padawan. Although it is still possible that Shin Hati has been his only Apprentice all this time, Baylan's decision not to kill Sabine Wren, a freshly Masterless Padawan, also suggests otherwise. He seems eager to take her in and maybe turn her into another Dark Jedi but the mercy is certainly out-of-place for someone determined for Grand Admiral Thrawn to take control of the Empire.
Baylan's lines in Ahsoka Episode 4 also suggest a major loss for the man. When Morgan tells him to have faith, he points out that he lost that a long time ago. Moreover, his words to Ahsoka Tano about only a few seeing what happened to Anakin Skywalker also suggested his loss. With that in mind, we're eager to learn more about Baylan in the upcoming episodes.
Ahsoka Episode 5 will premiere on Disney+ on September 12, 2023.
