Baylan Skoll could have been a Ned Stark-like character that perfectly fit Ahsoka’s fantasy Star Wars vibe, but instead his messy plan lacks a lot of motivation.
Motivations in Star Wars aren’t often complicated. Sure, plenty of characters change their minds between the Dark Side of the Force and the Light Side, or between the Sith and the Jedi, but for the most part it’s only those two sides. Which is making Ahsoka’s Baylan Skoll feel like a complete mystery — and probably a huge missed opportunity.
[Ed. note: This story contains spoilers for the first six episodes of Ahsoka season 1.]
Baylan is Ahsoka’s primary antagonist, at least through its first five episodes. An ex-Jedi who survived both Order 66 and the reign of the Galactic Empire, Baylan now seems to have struck out on his own, away from the rules of the Sith or the Jedi. Based on everything we’ve seen and heard for most of the show, it seems that Baylan is a kind of Count Dooku lite, an ex-Jedi who now works toward the aims of the Dark Side and is helping to set up the shadowy powers that will one day (once again) rule the galaxy.
But in episode 6 he tells us what he’s really after, explaining to his apprentice that he seeks an end to the cyclical wars between the two factions of the Force. That’s why he allied himself with the Witches of Dathomir (avowed Jedi-haters through and through) in order to bring Grand Admiral Thrawn (also a Jedi-hater) back from his accidental exile.
