We still miss Ray Stevenson, though Ahsoka‘s Baylan Skoll is an excellent performance to go out on. He’s by far the best new character in the show, has gravitas to spare, and is quite distinct from most other Force users we’ve seen in Star Wars.
But what exactly is he? He doesn’t fit neatly into the Jedi or Sith category, so is he that rare and fabled thing: the Gray Jedi? First up, let’s quickly go over what the (often controversial) term “Gray Jedi” even is.
Fifty Shades of Gray
At its most basic level, a Gray Jedi is a Force user who rejects the Jedi/Sith dichotomy. They can either be Jedi who’ve become disillusioned with the Order and set out on their own path, or simply those talented in the Force who were never officially trained, or grew up on an isolated world with no knowledge of the Jedi.
Many familiar characters have been dubbed Gray Jedi, most prominently The Phantom Menace‘s Qui-Gon Jinn for his frequent opposition to the Jedi council. Heck, there’s even an argument that Ahsoka Tano herself is a Gray Jedi for rejecting the Order after they failed to defend her when she was falsely accused of bombing the Jedi Temple.
Most of the above is more fan theory than canon, with the Lucasfilm Story Group historically adamant that there’s no such thing. Lucasfilm’s Matt Martin said in 2017 that the concept “goes against what Star Wars is all about” and that Force users who so much as flirt with the Dark Side will eventually succumb to it completely. So, where does this leave Baylan Skoll?
A separate path?
Much of Baylan’s history is still shrouded in mystery, though we know he was trained within the Jedi Order and rose to the rank of Jedi Knight. His comments in episode four referencing his acquaintance with Anakin Skywalker (and knowing that Ahsoka is his padawan) indicate he was a member during the Clone Wars.
But, either during Order 66 or sometime before then, Baylan abandoned the Jedi and charted a new course for himself as a mercenary. Despite wielding an orange lightsaber and dressing in dark colors, he’s clearly not a Sith and doesn’t even appear particularly Dark Side inclined. He hasn’t used Dark Side-aligned powers like Force Lightning, seems to remain cool-headed under pressure and, in his duel with Ahsoka, wasn’t aggressive to the extent that she had to strike the first blow.
We’ll likely get a reveal of Baylan’s true ambitions in the remaining episodes, but whatever his reasons for abandoning the Jedi Order and its teachings, he seems to be sad that it was destroyed and mournful of the lack of Order 66 survivors. That said, Baylan himself no longer considers himself affiliated with the Order, explicitly saying “we are no Jedi” in episode one.
Even so, if a Gray Jedi really is a thing, then Baylan Skoll fits the bill. He’s neither Jedi nor Sith, has his own personal philosophy and ambitions, and hasn’t been corrupted by the Dark Side (as far as we know anyway).
What does the future hold?
Sadly, Stevenson’s death means Baylan’s story will likely end in this season of Ahsoka. So far, the show has dropped enough hints that he’s not entirely evil, so we’re expecting some kind of turn to heroism from him in later episodes. He also has an obvious emotional attachment to his apprentice Shin Hati, so if she becomes threatened by Morgan Elsbeth (or Thrawn), we think he’d side with Ahsoka to save her.
As for his ultimate fate? Sacrificing his life for the greater good after realizing the error of his ways would make narrative sense and allow him to die as a Jedi, perhaps inspiring Shin to calm down and behave more heroically.
A wrinkle could be that Ahsoka was in post-production when Stevenson died, meaning he may well survive the season after all. We hope not; we don’t want to see some uncanny valley CGI Baylan Skoll, the role shouldn’t be recast, and him randomly deciding to wear a face-concealing mask from now on would feel cheesy.
That said, this is Star Wars, and if there’s a dangling story arc out there it will get resolved. So, while Ahsoka may be the only live-action appearance of Baylan, we can all but guarantee the rest of his story will be told in painstaking detail across multiple comics and novels.