Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Ahsoka episode 6
Summary
- Star Wars acknowledges the criticism that the galaxy is locked in a cycle of light and dark, with various factions vying for power throughout history.
- The flaws of the Jedi Order are highlighted, with Baylan Skoll expressing that he misses the idea of the Jedi more than the reality, as they compromised their own principles.
- It remains to be seen whether Baylan’s quest to break the cycle of conflict will be successful, but the upcoming Star Wars movie featuring Rey Skywalker may also present an opportunity for a new beginning and the creation of a New Jedi Order.
Star Wars has admitted some of George Lucas’ biggest criticisms about the Jedi and Sith in a tremendous way. Through the new Ahsoka show and Lord Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson), the new Force-sensitive mercenary and his apprentice Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) have debuted as neither Jedi Knights nor Dark Lords of the Sith. This is due to Baylan’s deep-seated belief that the galaxy is inherently flawed with many of its problems having stemmed from the fallen Jedi Order.
As has been established in the new Ahsoka show, Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati are considered to be “Dark Jedi”. In essence, they believe themselves to be something more than the Jedi as they once were during Star Wars’ prequel trilogy, something Baylan has confirmed when referencing his training of Shin in Ahsoka episode 6. However, he also reveals what he misses most about the past Jedi Order, confirming a key criticism of not only the Jedi and Sith but also the entire galaxy at large and its complex history spanning thousands of years, something that served as a key focus in the films from Star Wars’ creator George Lucas.
Star Wars Admits The Galaxy Is Locked In A Cycle Of Light & Dark
While waiting for Grand Admiral Thrawn in Ahsoka episode 6, Baylan Skoll speaks with his Padawan about the fall of the Jedi Temple. In his younger years, Baylan Skoll was a Jedi Knight who watched his life and everything he once knew burn away with the Jedi Purge and the rise of the Empire that followed which paved the way for the Sith and the dark side to come into power. He then shares his belief that the history of the galaxy is an ongoing and inevitable cycle of light and dark continually struggling against each other without end.
As such, Baylan’s true goals are not for himself and Shin to ally with Thrawn as he returns to the galaxy to bring about an Imperial resurgence against the New Republic. That would just continue the cycle. Instead, Baylan is seeking something else that could break the vicious cycle for good, providing the galaxy with a new beginning and perhaps one that is more in balance with itself (or so he believes).
The cycle Baylan refers to is quite accurate, dating back all the way to the ancient fall of the Infinite Empire, then the Old Republic with the rise and fall of the Sith Empires, the High Republic’s gradual decline of the Jedi Order at their prime, and the prequels’ Republic that saw the Jedi wiped with Palpatine rising with his Empire. Now, the Sith have been defeated, and the Empire has become an Imperial Remnant in the wake of the New Republic, not to mention the First Order and Resistance in the sequels. The cycle of light and dark in conflict is why Star Wars is called Star Wars.
Baylan Skoll Is Right: The Idea Of The Jedi Is Better Than The Reality
While hunting for Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) across the extragalactic world of Peridea, Shin asks her master if he missed the Jedi Order he once belonged to. In response, Baylan replies that he misses the idea of the Jedi Order, rather than truth and the inherent weakness that had plagued the Jedi in actuality during the days of the Republic. As such, this further highlights the very real flaws that had plagued the Jedi Order, confirming the problems that led to its own downfall as was first shown by George Lucas in the prequels.
As seen in both the prequel trilogy and in the Clone Wars, the Jedi had indeed compromised themselves and had become weak. The Jedi Council was too prideful in their own power while also being plagued by hypocrisy. The biggest act of hypocrisy came from their decision to serve as the Republic’s general and commanders during the Clone Wars, effectively becoming soldiers which led to further hypocrisies being committed, rather than being keepers of the peace and guardians of justice as they were meant to be under their own code and tenets. Trying to hide their own fallibility, the Jedi made it very easy for the Sith to destroy them.
Star Wars Has Accepted Its Jedi & Sith Criticisms – But Can It Ever Correct Them?
Through Baylan Skoll in Ahsoka and past Star Wars media such as Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, it’s evident that the criticisms of both the Jedi and Sith with their ongoing cycle of light and dark have been accepted over time. Not only is it a part of the history of the Star Wars galaxy, but it’s also part of the franchise’s legacy at large. To that end, one has to wonder what Skoll intends to do and what kind of power Baylan’s looking for on Peridea to supposedly break the cycle and usher in a new beginning.
However, the future of the galaxy with the Resistance and First Order suggests that Baylan will ultimately fail in his quest. Likewise, this new power may ultimately be too powerful for Skoll to handle, especially given the teases that even the Great Mothers were trying to flee from it as something greater than themselves. Beyond Ahsoka, there may be other ways in which the cycle could be broken such as with the upcoming Star Wars movie starring Daisy Ridley’s Rey Skywalker. Set after the events of the sequel trilogy, it’s been confirmed that the upcoming movie will feature Rey as she seeks to create a New Jedi Order.
One would hope that Rey’s New Jedi Order will have learned from the mistakes of both Luke and the Jedi Order of the prequel era. Perhaps a new generation of Jedi as they’re meant to be could break the cycle of conflict for good. However, perhaps the cycle needs to be broken by something new entirely that’s more in line with what Baylan and Shin have become. Thrawn seems to have been a means to an end, and they believe themselves to be neither Jedi nor Sith. Perhaps a new group of Force-users more focused on the balance is what’s needed to beak Star Wars’ ongoing cycle of conflict.
Ahsoka releases new episodes Tuesdays at 6 pm PT / 9 pm ET on Disney+.