‘Ahsoka’: What Is the Meaning Behind Baylan Skoll’s Orange Lightsaber?

If there’s one thing that was quite noticeable about Baylan Skoll in the first two episodes of the ‘Ahsoka’ series, it’s that he wields an orange lightsaber. In fact, his apprentice, Shin Hati, also wields the same lightsaber color. However, the thing about the lightsabers that they wield is that it is closer to a blood orange kind of color than the bright orange that we saw in the ‘Star Wars Jedi’ video games. So, what is the meaning behind Baylan Skoll’s orange lightsaber?

Baylan’s orange lightsaber could mean that he has embraced the dark side of the Force but only did so in a manner that wasn’t entirely consistent with what the Dark Jedi and Sith believed. As such, there’s a good chance that he isn’t totally evil despite all the evil things he has done.

The thing about Baylan’s orange lightsaber is that Dave Filoni, the series creator, made it a point to use a darker shade of orange that is closer to red instead of simply using red. This means there was a clear purpose when he used this lightsaber color for Baylan and Shin. And now, it is up to us to see the reasoning behind this bold move by Filoni.

Baylan is closer to the dark side

One of the things that fans were quick to talk about upon seeing Baylan Skoll for the first time in the ‘Ahsoka’ teaser and trailer was the fact that he had an orange lightsaber. Of course, this caused quite a problem on the internet at first because the lightsaber Baylan Skoll wielded was actually close to the color red in terms of its shade. Some fans said that this was a red lightsaber that was affected by the lighting of the trailer, while others claimed that it was orange.

Nevertheless, Dave Filoni confirmed in a TikTok interview that these lightsabers were actually orange. He even said that he used a reddish shade of orange on purpose because there is a meaning behind this lightsaber color.

“I made it a little bit more orange. That’s really good eye. You’re the first person to catch that. That was very intentional. I didn’t make them just a stark red. I remember as a kid that Vader’s lightsaber kind of fluctuated from visual effects to being a little bit more orange. I didn’t want to go straight up orange, but it’s identifying a little bit of something to kids that they might not straight up be what you think they are in the beginning. It’s good you caught that. Nothing is accidental.”

As Filoni said, nothing is accidental. We all know that the things that Dave Filoni has been putting in his many different Star Wars projects, including ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ and ‘Star Wars: Rebels,’ have deeper meanings. And that is why there is a reason why he used a blood orange color for the lightsabers of Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati.

The first reason we can think of is the fact that Baylan Skoll has learned to embrace the dark side. We know that orange lightsabers exist in the Star Wars canon, as Cal Kestis can use an orange lightsaber in the ‘Star Wars Jedi’ video games. But we know that Cal’s orange lightsaber is actually bright instead of bloody. That would mean that the blood orange lightsaber that Baylan uses is different from the one that Cal uses, as this could indicate his affinity to the dark side of the Force.

We know that Baylan used to be a Jedi and was one of the survivors of Order 66. He eventually disappeared during the era of the Empire, only for him to resurface during the era of the New Republic. And there’s a good chance he experienced things that led him to the dark side while keeping a low profile.

In that regard, it was clear that doing evil things was not beyond him as he didn’t show remorse in killing the New Republic officers on the ship that carried Morgan Elsbeth. But the thing that is striking is that there doesn’t seem to be an air of malice and greed surrounding Baylan, unlike the Sith Lords and other dark-side adepts.

He doesn’t have the same kind of anger, hatred, and rage issues that the Sith or the dark-side adepts had. In fact, he has the same calm and logical demeanor that the Jedi are supposed to have. But the fact is that he is willing to go down the path of the dark side to achieve whatever his goals are, and this is probably the reason why Filoni used a blood-orange lightsaber color for Baylan.

It appears that Baylan isn’t a dark-side adept but actually believes that the ends justify the means. He may not be looking to rule over all life in the galaxy, unlike the Sith. But he may be willing to kill people to seek the fulfillment of his goals. That’s why the blood orange lightsaber symbolizes his willingness to use the dark side without necessarily completing his downfall to the dark side.

There might be some doubts in Baylan’s mind

Of course, one of the clues about Baylan’s nature as someone who isn’t totally evil can be seen in the fact that he had doubts related to Ahsoka Tano. During the final scene of episode 2 of ‘Ahsoka,’ he harbored doubts about killing Ahsoka, as Morgan Elsbeth quickly noticed.

Baylan revealed that he didn’t want to kill Ahsoka because it was a waste to kill a Jedi when so few of them were left in the galaxy. A Sith Lord or anyone who has completely embraced the dark side would never hesitate to kill a Jedi or destroy the entire Jedi Order. When Elsbeth asked if Baylan was sentimental, he said he was only telling the truth.

In that regard, there’s reason to believe that Baylan still thinks that the Jedi are in the galaxy for a purpose and shouldn’t be destroyed. But at the same time, he is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. And that includes the need to kill Ahsoka if he truly had no other choice.

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