Ahsoka, Episode 6: Are Baylan Skoll and Grand Admiral Thrawn on the same side?

Grand Admiral Thrawn and Ezra Bridger finally join the party in Ahsoka, but we have to wonder, what motivates Baylan Skoll?

SPOILER WARNING AHEAD FOR ALL STAR WARS CONTENT!

Last week on Ahsoka, we got flashbacks and a heavy dose of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker.

This week, our titular character wasn’t around too much as the camera focused on Baylan Skoll, Sabine Wren and, yes, GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN, who has finally made his live-action debut.

If you’re unfamiliar with this mastermind strategist sporting blue skin and deep red eyes, he made his debut in the extended Star Wars’ universe in the 1991 novel by Timothy Zahn, Heir to the Empire. He quickly became a cult favorite among fans and was later officially brought into canon by Dave Filoni when he appeared in the animated series Rebels. Here, he is played by the same actor who voiced him in that show, Lars Mikkelsen (House of CardsThe WitcherHeadhunter). During the peak of the Empire’s reign, Thrawn was a brilliant and ruthless military leader with a keen sense of how to think several steps ahead of the Rebel Alliance. That is, until Ezra Bridger uses the purrgil to send himself and Thrawn into another galaxy for nearly a decade, bringing us to this episode.

A quick recap:

The purrgil are escorting Ahsoka and Huyang on an intergalactic mission as the search for Sabine, Ezra and Thrawn continues. Meanwhile, Sabine awakes on the Eye of Sion just as it exits hyperspace and approaches the planet Peridea, which, according to Morgan Elsbeth is the ancient home-world of the Dathomiri (the species Darth Maul belongs to). Baylan Skoll, however, says that Peridea is a “graveyard” and the end of the migration route used by the purrgil. Both could be true, as Elsbeth says her people were the first to harness the power of space whales and ride them.

Baylan, Sabine, Elsbeth and Shin Hati take a transport to the surface level of Peridea where they are greeted by three witches of Dathomir. The witches, unsettled by the Jedi vibes Sabine gives off – despite her inability to actually harness the Force – send her into solitary confinement while Baylan, Shin and Elsbeth await the arrival of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Soon, a Star Destroyer appears, stocked fully with Stormtroopers. No, wait – Night Troopers?

The troopers bring Sabine before Thrawn, who tells her she is free to go search for Ezra, but warns her: He may be dead, and once Thrawn’s ship leaves, Sabine may be stranded on this planet. Sabine mounts a beast of some sort – a Howler – and begins her search. Thrawn then reveals his larger plan for Sabine: Should she find Ezra, he intends to send Baylan and Shin after the pair to kill them. Thrawn also makes it clear to Elsbeth that his goal is to escape this galaxy, and he does not care if Sabine, Ezra, Baylan or Shin are left behind.

After fighting off a group of bandits with her lightsaber, Sabine follows a group of some alien species – something resembling a turtle called “Noti” – back to their encampment. Waiting for her there is a bearded Ezra Bridger. The two exchange a few barbs, then embrace in an emotional hug.

The Great Mothers – those witches – then inform Thrawn that another Jedi is on the way to Peridea.

Here’s what else we learned from the episode.