Credit: LucasfilmWarning! Spoilers ahead for Ahsoka “Part Six: Far, Far Away.”
In perhaps one of the most overseen lines in the latest episode of the Disney+ Ahsoka show, Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) reveals some pretty interesting information about former Jedi Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson), particularly, his connections to the Grand Army of the Republic.
Related: Despite Epic Return, ‘Star Wars’ Officially Replaces Darth Vader
It’s widely agreed upon that Baylan Skoll and his apprentice, Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno), are two of, if not the most interesting characters in Dave Filoni’s Ahsoka series thus far. The pair walk a thin line between Light and Dark, meaning they aren’t quite Sith and aren’t entirely Jedi either.
We don’t know much about Baylan other than the fact that he chose to walk away from the Jedi Order post-Order 66, and not only knew Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), but was also aware of his fall to the Dark Side and subsequent rebirth as Darth Vader after the Clone Wars. And now, he’s trying earnestly to fix the galaxy, but along the way, is getting duped by more evil and clever people like Thrawn.
Related: Baylan Skoll’s Lightsaber Is More Important Than You’d Think
Based on what we know, it seems like Baylan still has a level of admiration for the Jedi but believes that “there was no future” for the Order and that the fall of the Jedi and the rise of the Empire was “inevitable.” Until we can uncover his true motivations, it seems like Baylan and Shin are playing the long game, helping to set up the shadowy leaders that will one day rule the galaxy to ultimately bring themselves into power.
Despite being loyal to Nightsister Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) during her pursuit of ex-Imperial warlord Grand Admiral Thrawn, it seems like Shin and Baylan won’t hesitate to turn their back on their employer when push comes to shove—a sentiment echoed by Thrawn himself in “Part Six: Far, Far Away.”
With betrayals and double-crossings seeming imminent now that Thrawn is staged to make his comeback in the known Star Wars galaxy, Shin and Baylan’s intentions are murkier than ever. But it looks like the master-padawan duo will get their eagerly-awaited rematch with Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and Star Wars Rebels’ Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) in the coming episodes, with the former currently en route to the distant planet of Peridea, thanks to a hyperspace-traveling purrgil.
During their initial meeting in the latest Ahsoka episode, Thrawn seems skeptical of Baylan when Morgan introduces him and his apprentice as “mercenaries.” After hearing Baylan’s name, Thrawn immediatley recognizes him, and says, “Then you must be General Baylan Skoll of the Jedi Order.”
While we already know that Baylan once belonged to the Jedi Order, including the title “General” gives us a compelling new insight into his backstory. This small detail means that Baylan, who would’ve been a Jedi Knight around Anakin’s age by the time Order 66 was executed, actually led Clone Troopers into battle throughout the Clone Wars, fighting for the GAR against the separatist droid army.
Of course, we never meet Baylan Skoll in all seven seasons of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show, which implies that he was somewhere off-world during the conflict and didn’t hang around the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Or, the more likely scenario is that we just never saw him fighting alongside Anakin (Matt Lanter), Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor), and Ahsoka (Ashley Eckstein), which makes sense considering the Jedi Order was 10,000 strong at the start of the Clone Wars.
It might’ve been easy for him to slip into relative obscurity during the Clone Wars, but now that the time of the Jedi is over and Thrawn’s rule is on the not-so-distant horizon, Baylan Skoll has never played a more pivotal part in the Star Wars galaxy.
It’ll be interesting to see if we learn more about his murky past as a GAR General in the remaining episodes of Ahsoka and if he and Shin will keep their allegiance to Thrawn as her pursues his mysterious endgame—even if it costs him everything.
New episodes of Ahsoka premiere on Disney+ every Tuesday at 6 p.m. PT.
Did you catch this subtle nod to Baylan Skoll’s history in Ahsoka? Are you excited to learn more about his backstory? Share your thoughts in the comments below.