Is Baylan Skoll A Sith Lord? What "We Are No Jedi" Really Means

One of Ahsoka's primary foes is Baylan Skoll, a dark side user during the New Republic Era who might not be what he seems on the surface.

Summary

• Baylan Skoll survived Order 66 and became a mercenary in the service of Morgan Elsbeth, with goals beyond working with her.
• Baylan and Shin Hati are Dark Jedi, not Sith, as they adhere to certain practices of the fallen Jedi Order despite using the dark side.
• Baylan and Shin have visual parallels to Darth Vader and Darth Maul but are unique dark-side villains with their orange-red lightsabers.

One of Ahsoka's primary foes is Baylan Skoll, a new villain who on the surface appears to be a Sith Lord. However, the truth seems to be more nuanced. Together with his apprentice Shin Hati, it's been teased that Baylan has endured plenty of darkness, though he's become something new rather than being a traditional Dark Lord of the Sith in the upcoming Star Wars show.

As seen in the trailers for Ahsoka, Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) and Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) are in league with Morgan Elsbeth, an agent in service to Grand Admiral Thrawn, a former tactician of the fallen Empire now missing and set to make his return. Believing that Thrawn will offer great power, Baylan has also confirmed that he and his apprentice "are no Jedi" while slaughtering the crew of a New Republic cruiser. Combined with their orange-red bladed lightsabers, it's clear that Baylan and Shin wield the dark side as something beyond the traditional Sith. Here's what we know about Baylon Skoll and who he truly is.

Baylan Skoll Survived Order 66, And Has Become A Mercenary

Based upon what's been seen in the trailers and promotions, it's been confirmed that Baylan Skoll was once a member of the Jedi Order, having known and interacted with Ahsoka Tano's master Anakin Skywalker. This means that Baylan survived the Jedi Purge which aided in the rise of Palpatine's Empire. However, it seems as though Baylan didn't become a Rebel like other Jedi survivors or was corrupted to become one of Darth Vader's Imperial Inquisitors.

Instead, it's been revealed that Baylan became a mercenary having entered the service of Morgan Elsbeth during the upcoming Ahsoka show. Having also trained Shin Hati to be his apprentice, it's clear that Baylan has goals in the New Republic Era beyond working with Elsbeth. However, it's unclear what Baylan will do with any power he might receive when and if Grand Admiral Thrawn is indeed located.

Baylan & Shin Are Dark Jedi, Not Sith

Rather than being outright Sith Lords, Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati are better identified as Dark Jedi. Despite their use of the dark side, it does look as though Baylan and Shin still adhere to certain practices of the fallen Jedi Order. For example, Shin is featured wearing a Jedi Padawan's braid, though based on Star Wars' timeline she likely wasn't alive during the Jedi Purge to survive along with Baylan. Instead, she was likely found by Baylan and trained years later during the Empire's reign, making the braid a conscious choice by Baylan as part of Hati's training.

That being said, Baylan's desire for power is decidedly dark, as is his alliance with Elsbeth to bolster the strength of the Imperial Remnant via Thrawn's return as "Heir to the Empire". Still, neither Baylan nor Shin should be considered Sith. Furthermore, their lightsabers not being the full crimson of the Sith is a strong visual cue that they exist as a separate entity within the dark side of the Force. Seeing as how Sith lightsabers get their color after they've been bled, perhaps Baylan and Shin's saber color comes from some other process (or even just a natural orange kyber crystal).

Baylan Has Been Styled After Darth Vader, Shin After Maul

On the other hand, there are also strong visuals in the Ahsoka trailers that show Baylan and Shin mirroring the Sith. For example, there are parallels between Baylan Skoll and Darth Vader. The shots of Baylan walking down from the ramp of his ship is very reminiscent of Vader in the original trilogy of Star Wars films. Likewise, the trailers have teased Skoll receiving his own brutal hallway scene, cutting down soldiers of the New Republic just as Darth Vader did with Rebel troops in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

At the same time, Shin has a very aggressive and flourished style that's very reminiscent of Darth Maul in the prequel trilogy's The Phantom Menace. As such, both Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati are clearly dark-side villains, even if they aren't traditional Dark Lords of the Sith. To that end, it will be exciting to see if Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and her own apprentice Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) will be able to hold their own in their efforts to prevent Grand Admiral Thrawn's return to the Star Wars galaxy.

Episodes 1 and 2 of Ahsoka will premiere on Tuesday, August 22 on Disney+.