What’s calling to Baylan Skoll? Throughout the new Disney Plus series Ahsoka, there’s been plenty of mentions of something ‘calling’ to our heroes.
Now, this is nothing new for Star Wars fans, and you don’t need to have sat down and watched the Star Wars movies in order multiple times in order to know that the Force often calls to certain Star Wars characters when the plot needs them to do something. It’s a lovely tool for a storyteller to have.
And yet, we can’t help but notice how often it was mentioned in Ahsoka, so much so that even the new Star Wars villains Morgan Elsbeth and Baylan Skoll started talking about it. Morgan seemed to believe that it was Grand Admiral Thrawn calling to her, but Ahsoka episode 6 suggested Baylon was sensing something else. So what’s calling to Baylan Skoll, and did Ahsoka episode 8 finally answer the mystery?
What’s calling to Baylan Skoll?
The Ahsoka finale didn’t clearly explain what’s calling to Baylan Skoll, but he was perched on a very familiar mountain range during the Ahsoka ending, suggesting it has something to do with the Mortis gods.
Ahsoka hasn’t specified exactly what’s calling to Skoll. The lightsaber-wielding baddie didn’t make much of an appearance in the climactic episode and, in fact, only appeared in a single shot at the very end. But crucially, that shot featured him standing atop a mountain range on Peridea carved into the distinctive shapes of the Mortis gods.
Based on all of this, we have a theory that Dave Filoni might be about to surprise us all and introduce a powerful new threat to a galaxy far, far away in the future. Who’s this new villain? Well, it’s Abeloth.
Who is Abeloth?
Now, if you’ve never heard of Abeloth, don’t worry. We know not everyone does the homework you’re expected to do before watching Star Wars these days, so we’ll explain what you need to know about the character.
Abeloth, also known as the Bringer of Chaos, is an exceptionally powerful and malevolent Force entity that was introduced to the Star Wars continuity in the old Expanded Universe content, now known as Star Wars Legends. In the Legends Canon, Abeloth began life as a mortal woman who was transformed into a cosmic being known as The Mother.
Alongside two other entities, The Son and The Daughter, she helped to maintain balance in The Force. Yet, as a mortal, she feared death and sought to extend the life of herself and her family. This led to Abeloth drinking from the Font of Power while also bathing in the Pool of Knowledge, which turned her to the Dark Side.
Fearing her new powers, Abeloth’s family moved against her and sealed her away, although she was ultimately freed and battled against the Skywalker clan after the fall of the Galactic Empire. Thankfully, Luke Skywalker was ultimately able to defeat the creature, but he feared she may return one day.
What’s this got to do with Ahsoka?
Of course, when Disney took over, they struck all this from the Star Wars timeline, and Abeloth was rendered non-canon. Yet, Dave Filoni’s never forgotten a Star Wars book he liked, and he’d already introduced some of the deeper aspects of the Force to the canon.
Specifically, during season 3 of The Clone Wars, he introduced The Father, The Son, and The Daughter during a popular storyline known as The Mortis Arc. That story saw The Father asking Anakin to take his place in the Triad to ensure a balance between The Daughter and The Son, who represent the Light and the Dark, respectively. It’s a great story and introduces some intriguing spiritual concepts to Star Wars that hadn’t been explored in the movies… yet.
Yes, we believe that Filoni’s pulled the old bait and switch on us. This whole time, we’ve thought he’s been setting up an epic battle against Thrawn in his new Star Wars movie, but what if the true threat to a galaxy far, far away is Abeloth?
It kind of makes sense both in world and out of world. The voice that’s been calling to our heroes and villains isn’t Ezra or Thrawn; it’s Abeloth. Perhaps this creature had been imprisoned at Peridea by the ancient order of Nightsisters, and she’s drawing force sensitives to her in the hope they free her? It would be a cool twist, and as we say, it fits with Filoni’s modus operandi.
After all, he loves to pull characters from legends into the canon (like Thrawn), The Mortis Arc proves he’s clearly interested in the deeper meaning of The Force, and it will give him an antagonist worthy of a movie (Sorry Dave, we don’t care about Thrawn as much as you do).
Also, and this is pure speculation on our part, but we imagine there would be a certain satisfaction in pulling the rug from under fans (like me) who’ve been moaning about him so obviously adapting ‘Heir to the Empire’.
Ahsoka episode 7 nodded again to the unique quest Baylan is on, with the master offering Shin Hati the chance to capture Ezra and Sabine. He told his apprentice that her ambition carries her in one direction, while his “path lies in another”. We now know that path has something to do with the Mortis gods, which moves us a step closer to Abeloth.
We’re pretty confident we’re right about this (Although our Spider-Verse 2 predictions left a to be desired), and the only way you’re going to know if I’m right is to stay up to date on the future and the possibilities of Ahsoka season 2.
We’ve also got a detailed breakdown of the Star Wars cast and ranked all the Star Wars series. And if you’re still scratching your head at some of the revelations in the Ahsoka finale, find out more about Ahsoka’s white owl, the Blade of Talzin, and why Thrawn is going to Dathomir.
If that’s not enough space action for you, we’ve articles breaking down the Skeleton Crew release date and The Acolyte release date. Finally, be sure to read our list of the best TV series of all time or our article about one of the most anticipated new movies of 2023, The Marvels.