‘Ahsoka’: Why Did Baylan Leave Shin? Their Different Goals Explained

All of the action that happened in ‘Ahsoka’ episode 7 could not be ignored due to how fun this episode was. But at the same time, some side stories were difficult for some of us to ignore, including the fact that Baylan Skoll left Shin Hati to deal with Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren all on her own. Of course, this messed up Thrawn’s plans and even forced Shin to flee the premises. So, why did Baylan leave Shin?

Baylan Skoll left Shin Hati because he sensed they had different goals in mind. We know that Baylan has been seeking a power on Peridea that could be useful for some mysterious goal that he has in mind. On the other hand, he sensed that Shin was more interested in becoming part of the Empire.

This was a subtle way for Baylan to tell his apprentice that he had sensed the doubts in her heart and that she didn’t entirely believe in the plan that he had in store for them. In that regard, instead of killing her or parting ways with her on bad terms, he allowed his apprentice to follow her own path while pursuing his own goals. Now, let’s look at this topic in greater detail.

Baylan had other goals in mind

Ever since he was introduced in the ‘Ahsoka’ series, Baylan Skoll was quite the enigma in terms of his overall goals in mind. We knew that he was looking to help out Morgan Elsbeth and her faction with their goal of getting to Peridea because Thrawn was there. But Baylan was never seemingly interested in Thrawn and what he could offer to the galaxy.

Instead, Baylan was more interested in a power that was greater than anything could ever be imagined. When he got to Peridea, he made Shin understand that he was looking to break the endless cycle of war and hatred between the Jedi and whatever empire they had to face in the past, present, and future. He even said that something incredibly powerful called him to Peridea, and that was the only reason he wanted to help Morgan get to that galaxy.

Nevertheless, Baylan was always ambiguous with his goals and what he wanted to achieve. He never vocalized his ambitions, and not even Shin was entirely aware of what the fallen Jedi had in mind. Of course, neither Morgan nor Thrawn was aware that Baylan had different goals that he wanted to achieve, and that was why he remained a wildcard.

In episode 7, Baylan continued to wear the cloak of ambiguity about his goals. But he made sure that he would pursue his ambitions all on his own with one simple yet very loud action about his apprentice.

After Baylan and Shin could locate Ezra and Sabine, the former Jedi ordered his apprentice to go after Shin all on her own so that she could take her place in the Empire. This puzzled Shin as she didn’t think that her master was going to leave her behind. But Baylan parted with his apprentice on good terms as he told her a parting lesson regarding how impatience for victory will guarantee defeat. Shin understood and decided to pursue Ezra and Sabine without the help of her master.

Of course, Baylan already understood that Shin was seemingly more interested in the power that the Empire could give her if Thrawn were to return to the known galaxy. He understood that his apprentice was seemingly not as interested in his goals as he was, so he decided to allow her to pursue her own goal: becoming part of the Empire that Thrawn wanted to re-establish upon his return.

So, in a way, Baylan realized he needed to leave Shin because he had to walk alone down a lonely path. He also wanted his apprentice to follow her own ambitions in life, regardless of how different their goals may be. And that was why he had to part ways with her on good terms.

The master sensed the apprentice’s doubts

While we have established that Shin Hati was more interested in becoming part of the Empire that she believed Thrawn would re-establish, there was another reason why Baylan needed to leave her behind to pursue different goals.

Since they started discussing what Thrawn’s return could give them, Shin was confused and unsure of what her master wanted. This became clear when they arrived on Peridea, as Shin’s doubts were obvious about Baylan Skoll’s goals and greater ambitions on that planet.

As mentioned, Baylan said that he felt that power on Peridea was calling to him and that he thought that this power could help him achieve his goal of stopping the endless cycle of death and destruction involving the Jedi and the different empires that they had to face throughout the history of the galaxy.

But Shin was vocal about her doubts regarding the power that Baylan sensed in Peridea. She knew that there was a good reason why the Great Mothers and even the Dathomiri of old were more than willing to leave that planet behind. And for her, this mysterious power was the one that the Great Mothers feared.

Baylan sensed this doubt in his apprentice, who was in the right mind to question whatever power they felt on Peridea. This doubt convinced Baylan that Shin wasn’t all-in in whatever goal he had in mind for them. And because there was no room for him to try to convince Shin to quell her doubts, the best course of action was for him to part ways with her.

The good part, however, was that Baylan and Shin didn’t part ways on bad terms. Baylan decided to leave his apprentice on good terms because, for all of the evil things that he did, there was still a sense of nobility in him. Of course, with Shin feeling lost and abandoned at the end of the episode, we aren’t sure whether or not she would take Baylan’s departure well enough.

Shin probably doesn’t know what she wants

At the end of the day, the one thing that we noticed about Shin Hati was that she was always doing whatever Baylan Skoll wanted her to do. It was as if she was only there for the ride because her master kept her around. And in some ways, Baylan probably sensed this as well.

Baylan may have aligned himself with the bad guys and has been doing evil things for his goals, but he has always been noble and honorable for a fallen Jedi. In fact, he also cares well enough for Shin. And we know that the Sith or even the dark Jedi don’t care about the well-being of their apprentices.

In that regard, it is possible that Baylan also left Shin so that she could find her own path instead of simply following orders, whether they come from Baylan or Thrawn. Baylan may have wanted his apprentice to grow on her own so that she could find what she wanted in life. And this was probably the true parting gift that Baylan left when he decided to go on a different path from where Shin was headed.

Shin’s inner conflict was also visible at the end when Ahsoka offered to help her out as long as she gave up. While she may have done bad things, it was never clear whether Shin was evil or had evil desires and motives. As such, there’s still hope for her, especially if Dave Filoni plans on writing a redemption storyline for her character.

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