Star Wars is known for borrowing whatever makes it more interesting. George Lucas pulled from samurai movies and mythology, while The Mandalorian pays tribute to Westerns, pirate stories, and heist films. There are still countless genres the franchise hasn’t dipped its toes in yet, but one of the more obvious possibilities could soon be given its time to shine.
Lucasfilm recently released posters of the key characters in Ahsoka, from Snips herself to new characters like Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati. In a video detailing these posters, the official Star Wars Twitter account pointed out that Baylan Skoll wears “armor fit for a knight.” On closer inspection, it really does look like medieval armor. A look at his lightsaber also reveals something we’ve never seen in live-action Star Wars: an exceptionally large hilt akin to a longsword. Look at how much room he’s got down there, even though he’s holding his weapon with two hands.
These elements suggest Ahsoka is borrowing from medieval stories. Baylan is a mercenary, a wandering Jedi knight. It’s a little surprising that it’s taken this long for the franchise to debut a character like this. Surely, out of all the Jedi the galaxy has seen, at least a few have been tempted to wander the stars and sell their services as they go.
Knights cherish honor above all things, which meshes with the morality of the former Jedi. To be clear, Star Wars isn’t becoming Game of Thrones anytime soon, but we might have something of a space Jamie Lannister — someone who gets his hands dirty but still follows a code.
Maybe this is a sign Baylan isn’t a lost cause, that Ahsoka will be able to get through to him and the mysterious Shin Hati and set them both straight. And even if they can’t make peace, it will be fascinating to see how this aesthetic choice affects the rest of Baylan’s character and the tenuous world he lives in. Plus, his unique weapon should make for a great-looking lightsaber duel or two.
