Ahsoka's Baylan Skoll May Be Connected To Star Wars' Most Disappointing Villain

Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) is one of many mysterious elements on Disney+'s "Ahsoka," with only a few small details about him revealed in the show's first few episodes. We know that he's a dark Jedi who knew Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christiansen) before his transformation into Darth Vader, he believes in Grand Admiral Thrawn's (Lars Mikkelsen) mission, and he has taken on Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) as his apprentice. Otherwise, we know nothing else substantial about him, which has led "Star Wars" fans to speculate on what lies beneath Skoll's stoic, icy demeanor.

For instance, Twitter user @StarWars0nly has potentially tied Skoll to one of the most intriguing yet mysterious villains in the "Star Wars" franchise: Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis). In their tweet, they pointed out that Skoll wears a ring similar to the one Snoke has on his hand in "Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi." While they're not outright proposing that Skoll and Snoke are one and the same, they are wondering if Skoll could've gotten his ring from the same place, that being the Sith cave underneath Vader's castle on Mustafar. This would create a litany of other questions about him in need of answers.

Perhaps there is some kind of link between Skoll and Snoke, but ideally, the two should be kept far, far away from each other.

Since making his "Ahsoka" debut, Baylan Skoll has proven a hit within the "Star Wars" fan community. Not only are folks cherishing what is one of the late Ray Stevenson's final performances, but between his line deliveries, overall look, and lightsaber work, he's giving them plenty to praise. At the time of this writing, it's unknown where Skoll's story goes and how it ends, but hopefully, it doesn't result in any more potential connections to Supreme Leader Snoke aside from their similar choice of hand accessories.

Going from "Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens" to "Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi," Snoke was the talk of the Internet. "Star Wars" fans awaited more information about the mysterious dark sider, pondering his true identity, his connection to Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), his power level, and his motives. However, in "The Last Jedi," he's handily killed by Ren after only a small handful of scenes, and in the following film, "Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker," his situation worsens. It turns out he's just an artificial being created by Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), who pulled the strings from the shadows all along.

In short order, Snoke went from an interesting new threat to the laughing stock of the "Star Wars" franchise — a status that no amount of ancillary material like books and comics will ever fully erase. For the sake of Baylan Skoll's reputation, it's for the best that he's kept as far away from the failed First Order figurehead as possible.