Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) has been shrouded in mystery since he arrived in Ahsoka. He’s one of the few original characters created for the series, meaning not much of his backstory is known. Additionally, for most of the series, he has kept his true motives and allegiances shadowy. While he works for Morgan Elsbeth (Diane Lee Inosanto), he doesn’t seem very captivated by the idea of Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). His orange lightsaber and past as a Jedi suggest he’s not entirely devoted to the dark ways of the Sith.
Fortunately, Ahsoka episode 6, “Part Six: Far, Far Away,” delves deeper into Skoll’s motives. The only problem is he’s way more ambitious than we ever expected; thus, what he wants doesn’t entirely make sense—yet. While on the planet Peridea, Skoll confirmed that he did not care about Thrawn. He was looking for something else on the planet, something he could hear calling to him. However, he could only describe this thing as “power.” Meanwhile, he wants to use this unnamed power to finally solve the cyclical violence in the Star Wars universe between the Sith and the Jedi. Again, how he plans to do this is unclear.
Based on the way he’s talking, though, he might be willing to do something drastic, like try to end the Jedi and Sith altogether. We’ll have to wait and see his actual plans, but we have a few theories about what he’s looking for and what he might do with it.
Abeloth
A popular fan theory is that Abeloth is calling to Skoll. Abeloth is a potent entity that belongs to the Legends canon. However, Dave Filoni has a reputation for bringing Legends into the main Star Wars canon, such as with Thrawn’s Heir to the Empire storyline. In Legends, Abeloth was a mortal woman thousands of years ago, serving the Mortis gods as the Mother. Her desperation to become immortal, though, led to her corruption and transformation into the dark entity known as Abeloth. She’s considered one of the most powerful wielders of the dark side of the Force, with her main goal being to bring chaos to the galaxy.
Ahsoka could change Abeloth’s story to fit the official Star Wars canon, meaning it’s entirely possible Abeloth has been banished to Peridea for all these centuries. She may be manipulating Skoll, hoping to use the promise of power to get him to free her so she can unleash her chaos on the galaxy.
Mortis/Mortis gods
Skoll may also be trying to find Mortis and/or the Mortis gods. Mortis is an ethereal realm within the Force, sort of like the World Between Worlds. However, this realm is more mysterious and is home to the Mortis gods, three extremely powerful immortal Force-wielders. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter), and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) were all pulled into Mortis and briefly met the Mortis gods. The storyline did end with all of the Mortis gods seemingly dead, but given that they’re gods, we’re not wholly convinced they’re gone for good. What’s especially interesting about Mortis is that rumors suggest it’s the origin of the Force itself. If Skull wants to end the problem between the Jedi and Sith, it would make sense that his focus is on the Force and that he sees its source as a potential key to ending the conflict.
The World Between Worlds
There’s also a possibility Skoll is searching for a more familiar mystical plane—the World Between Worlds. We saw this realm earlier in Ahsoka, and it brought us the return of Ahsoka the White (Rosario Dawson). It wouldn’t be surprising if Skoll is searching for a gateway into the realm and senses one on Peridea. The fact that one can use the realm to travel between various points in time would make it especially appealing to Skoll because it would truly give him the power to change the course of the galaxy by changing the past or future.
Kujet’s Tomb
Another fan theory is that Kujet’s tomb is calling to Skoll. Kujet’s Sarcophagus appears in Jedi: Fallen Order, a game believed to be part of the Star Wars canon. Meanwhile, Kujet was a Zeffonian who ruled Dathomir in ancient times. He was an extremely powerful wielder of the dark side of the Force and was also a horrifically cruel ruler. Kujet gained followers by promising them extreme power, but he massacred them instead of giving them power. Upon his death, he was buried in a tomb on Dathomir. Even centuries later, anyone who came near the ruins of his palace and tomb could feel the presence of evil.
It’s unclear how the tomb would’ve ended up on Peridea, but fans believe they’ve spotted Zeffonian runes in Ahsoka. Perhaps the remaining Zeffonian followers relocated Kujet’s tomb to Peridea since there does seem to be a connection between Peridea and Dathomir. This could be similar to the theory about Abeloth, where Kujet is a powerful dark force trying to mislead Skoll into freeing him with promises of power.
Yoda’s species
One last theory is that Skoll is searching for Yoda’s race on Peridea. Yoda’s species has remained a mystery throughout Star Wars history. Besides Yoda, the only other members of his species we have seen are Grogu and Yaddle. We have no idea where they come from, just that they all seem to boast a very powerful connection to the Force. Meanwhile, in the latest episode of Ahsoka, we saw a group of small turtle-like species dwelling on Peridea. They don’t look or sound too much like Yoda, but they could be a distant relation to him. Perhaps Yoda’s species has been dwelling on Peridea all this time. If they’re from another galaxy, it would explain why they’re so rare and mysterious in the Star Wars universe. Additionally, Skoll may believe that their keen connection to the Force is his key to solving the galaxy’s problems.
(featured image: Disney+)
