The following contains spoilers for Ahsoka Episode 4, “Part Four: Fallen Jedi,” streaming now on Disney+.
There are a lot of Star Wars traditions at play in Ahsoka, and the title of the fourth episode, “Fallen Jedi” is one of them. Back in 1999, fans had many questions after Episode I debuted, but chief among them was “what was The Phantom Menace?” The answer was revealed to be Senator Palaptine and his Sith-y ambitions. In this episode, there are number of candidates to whom the title could refer. This means that while fans might think “Fallen Jedi” refers to Baylan Skoll, it could refer to almost any other character in the episode.
The one character it likely didn’t refer to, at least not explicitly, is fan-favorite villain Marrok. Rather than some legacy figure or canonized Legends character, he was an undead character raised by Nighsister magic. Fans of The Clone Wars and Jedi: Survivor likely recognized the sickly green smoke that accompanies the dark side magics of the denizens of Dathomir. Inquisitors, after all, are fallen Jedi who agreed to serve the Empire and hunt down the survivors of their order. The title could refer to the (not-really-a) surprise appearance of Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka’s former master and the saga’s most notorious fallen Jedi. Again, the smart New Republic credits is on Baylon Skoll as the Jedi in question. However, his dialogue during the final lightsaber battle casts some mystery over that idea. From what he said, the episode could refer to Ahsoka Tano herself. After all, she is no Jedi, and from what Skoll suggests that might just be her problem.
Is Ahsoka Tano the Fallen Jedi in the Episode’s Title?
In earlier episodes this season, the subtext around Ahsoka’s conversation about and with Sabine Wren is all about Anakin. While talking to Hera in the premiere, she explicitly revealed the burden of guilt at his fall she still bears. However, she still fights for what see understands is the side of the light. She is angry with Baylon for his part in helping Thrawn return to start a war. When she asks him what he wants, Baylon replies to “secure the future” for “something far greater” than himself. He also questions her about Anakin’s fall, saying he spoke highly of her, then saying his turn to the dark side must have left “a mark.” He doesn’t want to fight her. When Ahsoka draws her lightsaber he remarks, “How inevitable,” and clearly sounds disappointed.
In both Ahsoka’s lightsaber fights in “Part Four: Fallen Jedi,” the person who strikes first ultimately loses. Perhaps this is because, as Yoda said, “a Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.” When Ahsoka becomes a “falling Jedi” after he knocks her off the cliff, Baylon closes his eyes before revealing to Sabine he knows what she wants. Of the two Jedi, Baylon was the one using the Force for defense and knowledge. “Your legacy, like your Master’s, is one of death and destruction,” he tells Ahsoka during their fight. Does this refer to her many battles in the Clone Wars? Is he talking about the bloodshed required to bring down the Empire? He may even be talking about her travels across the galaxy since, especially her brutal hunt for Morgan Elsbeth as shown in The Mandalorian. Ahsoka killed a lot of faceless baddies who, likely, didn’t have any choice to serve their “Magistrate.”
“It didn’t need to come to this, but you know no other way,” Baylon tells Ahsoka before delivering, what he believes is, the death blow. The implication here is clear. Ahsoka never learned the right way to be a Jedi, because her Master was the violent, impulsive and, inevitably, evil “Chosen One.” The normal dark side modus operandi is to try to turn whatever light side people try to stop them. However, Baylon’s appeal to Sabine seemed more than that. Disgusted by the Jedi, he may be trying to create a new galactic order based on what he believes are the principles Jedi should’ve operated by.
Ahsoka Tano Said She Is ‘No Jedi,’ but Is She Really a Villain?
If Ahsoka Tano is the fallen Jedi the episode title refers to, this does not mean she is a villain. Like many Force users who struggle, she merely lacks balance. Ahsoka picks up very shortly after her appearance in The Mandalorian. The Star Wars timeline is tricky, but her appearance in The Book of Boba Fett appears to be set well after the events of this show. In what may have seen like narrative inconsistency, Ahsoka’s demeanor changed in those appearances. She was quiet, reserved and rarely smiled when she first met Din Djarin and Grogu. When Din came to give his gift to Grogu, she seemed lighter and more serene. Put another way, Ahsoka seemed to have found her balance in the Force.
In his post-Return of the Jedi on-screen appearances in the Disney+ series and Battlefront II, Luke Skywalker doesn’t kill anyone. In this episode alone, Ahsoka wracks up a body count of Morgan Elsbeth’s masked henchpeople. Baylon isn’t exactly a pacifist, as his The Phantom Menace-inspired introduction showed. Yet, unlike many dark siders Star Wars fans meet, he doesn’t actively seek violence or cruelty. He has a goal, and he doesn’t seem to care if people get hurt achieving it. Nonetheless, he believes he’s serving “the greater good,” as most fictional megalomaniacs do.
It’s also not an accident or storytelling flaw Ahsoka ended up in the World Between Worlds, face-to-face with another fallen Jedi, Anakin. This will likely begin the process of Ahsoka unburdening herself of her guilt and learning to execute the will of the Living Force without anger or fear. If Ahsoka Tano is this episodes titular fallen Jedi, it’s only so fans can watch her get back up.
Ahsoka debuts new episodes Tuesday at 6pm PT/9pm ET on Disney+.