‘Ahsoka’: What Is Baylan Searching for on Peridea? What Is He up To?

If there’s one thing that has always been a mystery in the ‘Ahsoka’ series since the character was introduced, it was Baylan Skoll’s goals. We know that he wasn’t in it to bring Thrawn back to the galaxy, as he simply wanted to help Morgan Elsbeth so that he could also get to Peridea. Baylan even went as far as parting ways with Shin Hati, his apprentice, to pursue his goals independently. So, what is Baylan seeking on Peridea?

Baylan Skoll is likely seeking a power that would allow him to return to the beginning of it all. That means that he might be looking for something similar to the World Between Worlds, which is essentially a time machine in Star Wars so that he could go back to the very beginning and end the cycle once and for all.

It is important to take note that there was never really a moment wherein Baylan was shown to be as evil as the Sith or any other dark Jedi in the history of Star Wars. In fact, he seems to be trying to undo something that has caused a lot of death and destruction in the galaxy’s history. So, with that said, let’s look at what Baylan Skoll is seeking on Peridea and what this mysterious power could be.

The unending cycle of war and destruction

When we first met Baylan Skoll, we learned that he was a mercenary working for Morgan Elsbeth. He and his apprentice, Shin Hati, were looking to help Morgan and her faction get to Peridea, where Thrawn was exiled ten years ago so that they could bring him back to the known galaxy and allow him to lead the Imperial remnants as one cohesive unit against the New Republic.

Then again, we learned that Baylan wasn’t exactly doing it for Thrawn or Elsbeth. He didn’t even want to do it for the Empire. Instead, he had an entirely different goal in mind, which was incredibly powerful.

Still, Baylan was never vocal about the exact power that he wanted to have. Still, it had something to do with Peridea because that was the only location where Baylan wanted to go after discovering that Morgan was looking to get there to find Thrawn.

On Peridea, Shin asked Baylan about what was in store for them on that barren wasteland. Still, Baylan was ambiguous about his goals, as he only talked about the power that was waiting for them in Peridea. When asked about the Jedi, Baylan said that he actually loved the idea of the Jedi but not the lies and false ideals that came with the Jedi Order.

Baylan, in fact, was not a dark Jedi or someone who had come to believe in the ideals of the Sith. He was simply a former Jedi who woke up to the reality of things after realizing the different problems and flaws that he saw in the Jedi Order. But there was one big flaw that he also saw in the history of the Jedi.

When discussing the Jedi and its history, Baylan realized that it was always a long cycle of death and destruction. That’s because the Jedi always rose up against a powerful force, such as the Empire, and ended up getting destroyed and reborn repeatedly. He was talking about how the Jedi Order always had to face many enemies in the past, including the Sith, and had been destroyed and reborn several times since its inception 25,000 years ago.

Death and destruction were two common factors that were ever present in the endless cycle of wars fought between the Jedi and their enemies. And when Baylan Skoll realized that this had happened endlessly throughout the long history of the Jedi, there was never going to be an end to this cycle of death and destruction.

Baylan seeks “the beginning.”

When asked by Shin about what they would get in the end, Baylan didn’t talk about them rising as the new power that the people needed to respect. He didn’t want to rebuild the Jedi Order in his image if Thrawn succeeded at re-establishing the Empire. Instead, Baylan wanted something more.

He was referring to a power in Peridea that he thought was calling to him. Baylan believed that this power was going to be what would allow him to end the cycle of hatred, death, and destruction associated with the Jedi Order and their enemies. And that was why he told Shin that he sought to return to the very beginning, although he was still ambiguous when discussing this.

If Baylan was referring to the beginning of the Jedi Order 25,000 years ago or to something that goes further than that, he could be referring to a power that could bring him back in time. The only power we have ever seen capable of doing so is the World Between Worlds, which is essentially a realm that exists outside of space and time and is said to be a conduit between life and death.

We know that the World Between Worlds opens up to other worlds and events in time, as that was how Ezra Bridger saved Ahsoka Tano from Darth Vader on Malachor V during the events of ‘Star Wars: Rebels.’ Only a few doorways lead to the World Between Worlds, and one of those was found in Lothal.

In the final episode of ‘Rebels,’ we also saw how Emperor Palpatine was trying to lure Ezra over to the dark side by telling him that he could see his parents once more, as he may have been trying to seduce him into helping him use the World Between Worlds. As such, the power of this realm tends to be quite mysterious yet unlimited in terms of its potential.

So, suppose Baylan wanted to go back to the beginning. In that case, he could be referring to the dawn of the Jedi 25,000 years ago or something similar so that he could stop the endless cycle of death and destruction that came with the establishment of the Jedi Order.

And if there really is a power that could allow him to travel through time and reach the beginning that he was referring to, it could be the World Between Worlds.

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