Star Wars: Why Is Baylan Skoll So Powerful?

As Dave Filoni's Star Wars universe continues, there seems to be no shortage of exiled Jedi who survived Order 66. Even if fans are tired of seeing the same story rehashed over a few different series, "Ahsoka" does give us the gift of Ray Stevenson in the role of morally gray Baylan Skoll. One of Ahsoka's (Rosario Dawson) adversaries, Skoll was once part of the esteemed Jedi Order — it was only after the downfall of the Republic that he stopped adhering to the teachings of the society and branched out. With this new lease on life, he discovered an apprentice in Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) and a newfound conviction.

As Anakin Skywalker's (Hayden Christensen) former padawan, Ahsoka has been a benchmark for Jedi ability, and Skoll besting her in battle proves how powerful he is. While this can partially be attributed to his aptitude for the Force, his lightsaber strategy is also a contributing factor. Unlike the defensive style of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Skoll is more aggressive, employing the two-pronged Form V approach, which gives equal weight to offense and defense. And he garners results by using his physical strength and stature to his advantage, overpowering the smaller-framed Ahsoka.

Baylan Skoll's primary goal may also contribute to his power. Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) has a very straightforward desire to get home — though he doesn't pass up the opportunity to throw some wrenches into the heroes' plans along the way. Conversely, Skoll is largely mysterious until the end of "Ahsoka." After he and his apprentice part ways, Skoll journeys to statues of the unspeakably powerful Mortis gods known as the Father, the Son, and the Daughter, figures of the Force previously explored in Dave Filoni's animated series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."

Disillusioned with the Jedi Order, the former peacekeeper seeks to destroy the endless cycle of dark vs. light — after all, it is this constant struggle that has killed so many people and led to the fall of both the Galactic Republic and the Galactic Empire. Making contact with a mystical realm of power seems to be the only way he sees to make a difference, and when someone has strength of conviction, it's difficult for anyone to talk them down. It would therefore make sense that Skoll's adherence to this grand design is how he keeps cutting through his adversaries.