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The ending of Ahsoka gave another pointer connecting it to the larger Mandoverse when a connection between Baylan and the Mortis Gods was hinted at. The show was always meant to position the characters for the next stage of the story, whether another season of the series, another series, or the next movie of the franchise.
However, the brief reference came in one shot where Baylan stood on a rockface statue of Mortis Gods, the Father and the Son. This comes as a surprise since the planet of Peridea was not known to be connected to the gods. As such, their presence on Peridea explains the bigger power Baylan was searching for.
While it was clear that Baylan had a separate motive throughout the series, his abandoning Shin Hati, his apprentice, was unexpected. However, the motive must have been significant enough to make such a harsh move. His discovery of the statues of the gods at the end of Ahsoka episode 8 seems to point towards a thread that leads to a storyline forward.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode 8.
Who are the Mortis Gods shown as statues in Ahsoka episode 8?
The statues shown in Ahsoka episode 8, a spinoff from the original franchise, are of the Mortis Gods. They have an older connection to the Star Wars universe.
In the third episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano got stuck on an unknown planet called Mortis. This was not a real planet but an anomaly in the Force. They met three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Daughter. As gods, they were very powerful, but the Father selected Anakin as the Chosen One after he was gone.
However, the Son, who represented the Dark Side, killed Ahsoka in the time arc and fatally injured his sister, The Daughter. The Daughter, who represented the Light Side, offered her life force to resurrect the dead warrior. After bringing his apprentice back to life, Anakin refused The Father’s offer to take over the role of the Chosen One and left Mortis with his team.
Where were Baylan and the statues seen in the episode?
While Ray Stevenson's Baylan seemed to be following his own path despite working for Thrawn in Ahsoka, he confessed to Shin that his purpose for coming to Peridea was to look for the larger power calling him. In the seventh episode of the Jedi Knight's storyline, he finally left to chase his dream, which was not clearly articulated in the series.
As such, he appeared in only one shot of Ahsoka episode 8, which told a lot about the dilemma the former Jedi was facing. The scene, almost at the end of the episode, had only a couple of shots. In the first one, Baylan Skoll was seen walking up a huge stone edifice. The second shot faced Baylan from the front, where he was seen standing on the huge statues of the Mortis Gods engraved in stone.
The statue on which the fallen Jedi stood looked exactly like the statue of The Father, as shown in the Mortis arc of The Clone Wars. The statue of The Son from the same arc was visible right next to The Father. Both the edifices showed the kind of dress and accessories as The Clone Wars characters. The Father’s statue had the same pointy crown headgear and long beard, while The Son’s statue sported a similar bald head with special neck armor.
However, the statue of The Daughter was not visible. Either the head of The Daughter’s statue was missing, or it was intentionally not there, implying a hidden meaning. After all, Anakin had used the Daughter’s spirit to revive Ahsoka when The Son killed her.
How is Baylan Skoll in Ahsoka connected to Mortis Gods?
Baylan Skoll had repeated many times in the episodes of Ahsoka that something very powerful was calling him, something he could not resist. While the bigger power could be the Mortis Gods, it would be either The Father or The Son. Father represents balance and fairness, while The Son represents dark qualities.
A look at Baylan’s character makes it clear that he has a balanced personality with no greed for personal power like the Sith. While sometimes it seems he holds an empathetic, good heart, he leans towards the Dark Side. Either of the gods could have been pulling him. However, both The Father and The Son died in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Moreover, the place of Mortis is an enigma since nothing concrete is known about it, just like the World Between Worlds. It may be an anomaly in the Force as it neither has a fixed shape for things nor does time pass in the place. However, the Mortis Gods may have had an influence on Peridea to occasion the building of statues.
It can also mean that The Father and The Son may be alive in some form on Peridea and have plans involving Baylan on this planet. Now, with Baylan feeling a call of destiny from the gods and the will of the Force bringing him to Peridea, there may be more to do with the gods and Baylan in Peridea in the future.
Viewers can get a glimpse of the statue of the characters that connect the series with the larger Star Wars universe. Watch Ahsoka episode 8 and previous episodes streaming on Disney+.
