They need to give Balin the animated backstory treatment. He's a perfect candidate for a Tales of the Jedi episode.

As Baylan started talking to Asoka I instantly thought back to hk-47 and that the best way to defeat a Jedi is to introduce self doubt and anger into them.

Ahsoka also definitely wanted one free hand to just grab the map when the time was right. Using two blades would’ve been tough to time in a heated fight

What's nice about the dueling choreography in this is that each strike is aimed at the opponent, not the opponent's blade. Very well done.

I don't think Baylan ramped up his attacks because Ahsoka touched the map, rather I think he got angry and scared when Ahsoka force-slammed Shin into the rock. He just knows how to use his own anger and fear, how to channel it, and thus his strikes remained controlled.

Something overlooked in this video was Ahsoka giving into her emotions when Shin returns and Ahsoka believes Sabine is hurt/dead. She proceeds to throw Shin against a rock, which, along with her getting the upper hand and grabbing the map, was when Baylan switched his attitude towards the fight.

when he said " your legacy like your masters is one of death and destruction" i was thinking ouch, that had to get under her skin.

It's Anakin's favorite stance. With her training Sabine she seems to be adapting a little bit of her Master's habits.

Ahsoka vs Baylan Skoll: Duel between Space Samurai and Space Knight in a nutshell.

I remember when I visited my grandmother in our small town, she dropped some serious wisdom on me. She said “Grandson, one day some people will waste their time reading your comment.” Today is that day.

The 'mind' tactic approach that Baylan does to Ahsoka is somebody in fear. You do see it too when Baylan answers Morgan's question in the episode.

I feel like a pretty major bit you missed in terms of Ahsoka tapping into the darkside was when she brutally slammed Shin against the rock, instantly knocking her out (and easily could have killed her). She was definitely hitting some dark chords in that fight

Ray Stevenson's acting was absolutely phenomenal in this duel. At first I felt as if his acting didn't necessarily come in equilibrium with his look as Baylan but then my mind was totally changed in this scene. From start to finish he held such a dominating and imposing demeanour, with great weight and dark prowess - *exactly* how you'd imagine a character of his stature and grandiosity to act. The way be stands up and takes off his cloak and cape so effortlessly and so nonchalantly as the camera pans around him is just simply badass but also, very indicative of his prowess. And this is all just BEFORE both him and Ahsoka duel; then, when they do duel, his acting is also fantastic as he progressively gets more and more agitated and angered by the fight. Those close-up shots of his piecering eyes and hardened face as he clashes with Ahsoka is enthralling. We then see his scene with Sabine which is almost jaw-droppingly good. He carries that exact manipulative Sith attitude to brainwashing Sabine, but at the same time - as symbolised with his saber and general personality - he isn't fully turned to the Dark Side, because his manipulation isn't achieved through fear, it is achieved through empathy. In a way, this makes Baylan smarter than every Jedi and Sith who tries to get what they want: he falls into some clever middle-ground. He feels Sabine's pain, empathetic like a Jedi, but he also knows how to use said pain to his advantage - to relate to her, to be tender, to make her feel wanted whilst also making her feel even more alone, only to offer her a solution which benefits them both. For a Jedi, it would benefit the greater good beyond individuals, but of all, absent from emotion; for a Sith, it would benefit solely them, the individual; for Baylan, it benefits both parties, *both *individuals,* at no cost to them both. There are so many dimensions to Stevenson's presence as Baylan. I absolutely adore this character. Ray Stevenson's last role as an actor seems to be, certainly, his absolutely best effort, which couldn't make me happier. He has given it his all and deserves all the love and praise. May God bless him.

He's a great character and really well acted, shame he's no longer with us

I'm fairly certain she went with form 5 as a stance to try to inflict heavy blows to stun Baylan, giving her a window to grab the map. She wasn't trying to beat him, just stop the coordinate transfer, which she almost did until Shen showed up and Ahsoka assumed the worst, throwing her entirely off-balance for Baylan's resurgence. I agree with the symbolism, but I don't think Ahsoka was beyond rational thought.

I'm really starting to love Baylan Skol. I never get the sense he is actually evil. The feeling I get from him is he has a regal sort of temple guard feeling to him, so I think your ambassador theory has a lot of merit. He moves like a chivalrous knight who blurs the line of "good" and "bad." Notice he didn't actually slash Ahsoka, but batted her off the cliff by striking her lightsaber. I think he and Thrawn could have some impressive achievements that could be morally blurry but not necessarily evil.

It would be awesome to see a Clone Wars flashback of Anakin meeting with Baylan Skoll when they were Jedi in Ahsoka tv show.

The beginning of the duel, both changing their guard, countering and sizing each other up was superb and pretty fresh for Star Wars.

Nappa: "Hey, Vegeta! What does the Scouter say about this duel's Awesomeness Level?" Vegeta: *"IT'S OVER 9000!!!"*

Something I noticed, is how the stances and moves are all very Samurai-like. I feel this is Filoni going right back to the well, with George Lucas' emphasis on Jedi being space samurai and of course the heavy inspiration Lucas took from Kurasowa movies. Asohka holds her sabre, in two hands like a Katana and takes the classic Samurai duelling pose

I would have expected you to explain Palpatines force scream a little better, some might think it was just a bellow in rage, not knowing that it’s actually a sith technique to scramble a jedis connection. Episode really pumped ya up! Lucky for us, that means more content! Thanks Allen!

Baylan has definitely become one of my favorite Star wars characters ever. He's like a modern Count Dooku.

Thanks for the fight scene analysis. I didn't realise that Ahsoka Tano was emotionally out of tune during her fight with Baylan Skoll. Baylan is not just a skilled Force user and lightsaber duelist but a manipulator. Ray Stevenson really nailed the role of Baylan. He reminds me of Christopher Lee's depictions of both Saruman and Count Dooku.

When I watched the dual between the two, all I could think of was how much it looked like a ronin and a classic knight throwing blows. Baylan's style is a lot like he was using a longsword, with very few special twirling movements, just to-the-point slices, and thrusts. Also, he has a fair bit of armor on, showing very little skin like a knight would. Ahsoka, however, was very quick and very agile. The way she used her saber was as if it was purpose-made for twirling strikes and acrobatics, it was almost as if it was a wakizashi, made to compliment her height and her style. Also, she is very lightly armored, like some depictions of a ronin. (Keep in mind I don't often read up on swords, so please yell at me if you think my mentions of the longsword and wakizashi were not generally correct)

To be fair I think Sabines dinky little blaster would not have been able to destroy the orb. Look at how long it took his saber to be held within its center to just utterly destroy the thing. Her blaster stood no chance.

Bro... that crack head analogy made me stop and think.

Reason she only used one saber was probably bc her plan was always to go for the map, requiring a free hand.

The point of the duel between Dooku and Yoda was to demonstrate that two jedi of sufficient power and skill will simply both use the force to counter each other's use of the force. This is why lightsaber dueling between force users is even a thing. The reason she doesn't use the force to grab the map is because Balon would use the force to put it back. The reason she doesn't saber the map is she isn't quite at the point where she needs to give up on taking the map and fall back on destroying it.

I think she used one blade because Baylan seems to know her inner doubts therefore she probably wants to do something he won’t except.

Is Shin more unstable as a force user (or I guess I should be saying, more prone to the Dark Side)? I feel like she's never actually looking AT someone but rather THROUGH them. That 1000 yard stare of psychoticness

Tbh him throwing her off balance was a genius move. He probably knew that he wouldn't be able to take her at 100% knowing how powerful she already was at 15/16. Great writing by Filoni

Skol seems like a faithless paladin. Watching the good guys fall and be replaced by the bad guys to be beaten and replaced by something no better than the two other things before it, it feels like he just seems the same thing repeating again and again with no hope of his romantic ideals coming back if they ever even existed in the first place. Maybe the perfect candidate for the grey path?

There aren't many power/heavy style fighters & Baylan's fighting style is a breath of fresh air.

This man's videos have continued to be the best thing coming out of Star Wars for years. You're a treasure Alan.

A great fight scene tells a story in a short, limited time that still has a plot, characters. and a three act structure all on its own. This is something Dave Filoni is an absolute master at.

What I like about Baylan's stance and fighting style is that he resembles the image of a viking with a great axe, he stands tall, and his strikes have power behind them, it's a nice foil to Ahsoka's more fluidic style, Baylan reminds me of a mountain while Ahsoka reminds me of a river.

I'm loving balon skol. Characters like him and dooku, Characters who are not bad for the sake of it are the best. They come with an argument that actually compelled us to think and use our own morals on whom we side with.

Incredible. "Like a chess match" is a good way to put it.

Baylan seems like an ancient knight from the medieval era. He fights for his beliefs and shows no arrogance and seems to respect his opponents if they deserve it. In my opinion he is not evil but definitely an antihero. A perfect match for someone as cool and collective as Thrawn.

I wished Ahsoka could have taught Rey and Keylo how to use a light saber.

"A 'Heated' Conversation" 🤣🤣🤣 That was a good one 🙏

Allen the analysis of force and blade emotions in the Ashoka, Baylan duel is right on. Excellent writing that gave the seen much more meaning.

Allen, have you ever considered making a history channel? I notice a lot of Star Wars fans are history nerds, and I think the political and economic videos do well. I think the jump from Star Wars to history would be fascinating and not too different.

Bro I love how you broke this down! The conversation perspective is perfect! That’s so on point for every martial art!

My fencing Maestro always referred to a bout as "The conversation" because so much is said during the engagement, more than just blade lines, parries and attacks. It's a debate in blades.

I love Baylan, he has an imposing figure without needing stuff like masks or extreme acrobatics

What really stood out to me in this episode, was two concepts which Ive been thinking about as general themes that are coming to the fore in the show. The first being attachment / detatchment; Ahsoka is too detatched whilst Sabine is too attached. Ahsoka is too detatched because of Anakins attachments and all that occurred with his fall... whilst Sabine is too attached because of her losses, she wants to save the few things she has left. The second being "living in the present" / "being mindful of the future at the expense of the present". Ahsoka is thinking long term at the cost of the present. She was hyper focused on the map, to the detriment of everything else, she made plans assuming Sabine would accept / agree with them, without ever considering that shes already made promises to Ezra. When she defeated Marrock, she could have helped Sabine (stayed together as Huyang told them to). She went and fought Baylen one handed/with one lightsaber, so that she could grab the map... essentially costing her the fight. Regarding Sabine, I dont actually think she was manipulated into handing over the map. Sure Baylen might have made her think about it and put the on the spot, but its clear that she was already conflicted and IMO she genuinely decided to chose "saving Ezra", over "destroying the map". The Rebels show had the crew always going the extra mile to help one another. Think them rescueing Kanan at the end of season 1. Everyone said no dont go, cant be done etc, whilst they risked it all to save a member of their family. Sabines just continueing that trend / value set.

Your insights are constantly as comprehensive as they are profound. Thanks for your videos bro

Failoni's lightsaber fights gave us the obi wan vs maul fight which was the most amazing lightsaber fight of all time

I love the way they directed that duel. There was so much to read in the way they fought that the director didn't need to spell out for the audience.

This helps me appreciate this duel a lot more thanks for making these videos!

I truly believe Ahsoka is flirting too much with the dark side. Her anger and emotion were so apparent in this duel...but I suppose this happens to us all.

I started to notice something in Rosario Dawson's interpretation of Ahsoka a while back in The Mandalorian and it maintains up to this as well. It's that you often see her gritting her teeth, which is not the look of a perfectly composed Jedi. It bothered me at first but when you go back to look at some of her later animated appearances she absolutely does it there too. She gets angry during fights and seemingly always had a tiny bit of rage form the looks of it, so Baylan and his obvious empathic powers getting under her skin makes sense.

this is an awesome video, its great to see the quality of your content constantly rise, well done! i cant wait to see how the Ahsoka Show continues, ep4 was by far the most interesting!

I love bailan because he just seems interesting. He isn't stupidly cartoonishly evil. He is reasonable, and can be reasoned with.

Okay, I have this insane theory and it could actually explain a lot. Basically the biggest questions are how Ahsoka got in the world between worlds, how Anakin is there, and how she’s gonna get out. My theory makes sense and explains all three of these big questions. Firstly, how she got there. We’ve only ever seen living people in the world between worlds, so I doubt that she died. If she did, it would be impossible for her to escape, without undoing the past. I also don’t think she got pulled in, because only a living person can do that, and while Anakin looks real, we know he died and became a force ghost (more about Anakin later). This leads me to believe that she’s alive, but didn’t get pulled in, rather slipped through a pocket of the force, which somehow ascended her into the world between worlds. This would also explain why she doesn’t appear next to an opening to have been pulled through. Secondly, how can she escape. We’ve only seen Ezra access the world between worlds in the temple on Lothal, which collapsed when he escaped. However, there is one other place the temple, or at least a section of it, exists... that’s right, on Thrawns ship the Chimaera. What if Thrawn, with the help of night sister magic, was able to reassemble it in order to make an entree or gateway to the world between worlds? If Ahsoka did leave, and went through this exit, this would explain how she gets to the new galaxy. Thirdly, how or why is Anakin there? Assuming that Thrawn rebuilt the temple, what if Anakin is a vision, created by night sister magic? Note how Anakin is dressed... he’s not in his Jedi robes like we saw him in return of the Jedi... but instead wearing his clone wars outfit. Guys get ready for this... who partnered up with Anakin during the Clone Wars? That’s right, Thrawn. So if this is a vision created by night sister magic, it would make sense for Thrawn to create Anakin the last time he remembered him. Why would Thrawn create a vision of Anakin to appear to greet Ahsoka? What if he had access to the world between worlds, and saw that Ahsoka would be defeated by Baylan, and would appear in the world between worlds through the mysterious influences of the force? As for why he created a vision of Anakin, what if he’s trying to convert Ahsoka to join his side? What if Anakin tells Ahsoka about the greater evils in the galaxy, and how Thrawn is trying to reestablish a powerful empire to counter this? Obviously Ahsoka would be conflicted, as she would believe this is her old master telling her this. And guys, what if it works? What if Anakin shows Ahsoka the future, and how this new enemy will destroy their galaxy and the New Republic if they don’t do anything. We’ve been told this episode is gonna be crazy, so I could definitely see a plot twist like this happening

The best KZfaq channel that focuses on Star Wars, in my opinion. You offer a profound and engaging perspective on Star Wars. Your breakdown of any content related to Star Wars is embedded with genuinely awesome and thought-provoking philosophical approaches, which, to my knowledge, no other Star Wars channel provides. You go above and beyond simply pointing out Easter eggs and callbacks to other lore in the most recent episode. You do more than just "theorize" and predict what's going to happen next. You, sir, create truly awesome content, and I genuinely appreciate what you do. You make Star Wars feel like more than just a show, a movie, or some series. To me, you make Star Wars real.

Excellent analysis!!! Thank you!

two videos in one day this is the highlight of my week thanks.

It also settled for good the debate of longsword versus katana.

Really enjoying these video. Really fills the time between Ahsoka episode 👌👏👍

Best star wars content creator on KZfaq and imo its not close. Not overly critical like Thor or SWT or stuck in his own head space like Lost acolyte or star war fanatic...just a thoughtful guy who talks about Sw with joy

I haven't seen many people explore the other complex, dense and layered scene that comes right after this duel either. I'm talking about the scene between Baylan ans Sabine which is almost jaw-droppingly good. He carries that exact manipulative Sith attitude to "brainwashing" Sabine, but at the same time - as symbolised with his saber and general personality - he isn't fully turned to the Dark Side, and understands the value of the Jedi way, because his manipulation isn't achieved through fear, it is achieved through empathy. In a way, this makes Baylan smarter than every Jedi and Sith who tries to get what they want: he falls into some clever middle-ground. He feels Sabine's pain, empathetic like a Jedi, but he also knows how to use said pain to his advantage - to relate to her, to be tender, to make her feel wanted whilst also making her feel even more alone, only to offer her a solution which benefits them both. For a Jedi, it would benefit the greater good beyond individuals, but of all, absent from emotion; for a Sith, it would benefit solely them, the individual; for Baylan, it benefits both parties, *both *individuals,* at no cost to them both.

When I first saw Baylan, I was sure I recognised the actor so I googled him - "Oh, he was in Thor... and he's dead?!" So awful. Touching that the first episode was in Ray's honour. I hope the character does get a fleshed out back story in the future.

Great breakdown. It makes sense and I love how u put the pieces from other Star wars stories together

These lightsaber duels in episode 4 revealed that both Hayden And Ewan were athletic and very skilled at their fight choreography and wielding their lightsabers. Seriously, actors who are going to play Jedi in Star Wars movies should be tested to see if they have any athletic ability.

This is why your channel is underrated. Your the best Allen.

Noticing the sun setting in the background as you recorded this video. Pretty neat

10:37 so it would make a lot of sense that Ahsoka and Baylin are just testing each other, see what training they've been used to in the Jedi temple.

it has been a very long time since we saw the fantasy Paladin injected back into Star Wars. A jedi/Sith is just a fantasy Paladin with a laser sword and Baylan personifies that, almost a dark Obi-Wan

If you look at Balin’s stance which we know Dave Faloni loves he seems to use the same style as Qui-gon which is about making putting power into strikes

I really love your style of storytelling...its revived my interest in the SWU.

"This is a conversation. A heated conversation." Ooooh yeeeaaaaaahh....

I like how duels are more the style of twin suns but also still have the flashy feel of duels from the prequels.

I think the craziest reveal this episode is that Alan has legs!

Picturing lightsaber duels as a conversation actually makes sense. Now I understand what Anakin meant by saying he had aggressive negotiations.

he went beast mode once Ashoka threw his padawan, it was lights out for her!

The crackhead drop was so random 😂😂😂

Your not the only one. There are many, many, many channels about star wars and star wars tech.

17:02 "like an onion" there did it for you bud. 😂

I like how Baylan has been portrayed so far. He comes across as someone who really would prefer to avoid violence, and gives people a chance to back down. But cross a line and will do what he feels is necessary with ruthless efficiency.

Another thing to remember when considering Ashoka's age is she's only about a quarter into her life span as Troguta live for around 200 years, she isn't slowing down outside injury for some time to come.

The "EMOTIONAL DAMAGE" meme just kept playing at the back of my mind this whole ep

It's like going to therapy, and the therapist breaks down.

This episode has cemented Baylan as one of my favourite non-movie villains. Right next to the likes of Thrawn and Marchion Ro.

I have always thought that Ahsoka's use of two sabers was a reference by Filoni to Miyamoto Musashi, the most famous samurai/ronin in history, as the use of reverse grip was a nod to Zatoichi. I think In these first chapters we are seeing Ahsoka very similar to Anakin, trying to repress his feelings & emotions without much success. We haven't even seen Murai (The owl) in these first chapters.

I very much appreciate Baylan's character. He's a noble demon. A monster that will do monstrous acts to achieve he goals. Dude will slaughter a New Republic ship wholesale without thinking twice about it. But he's got principles, honour. He's a man of his word and I think he genuinely believes that Thrawn will make the galaxy a better place for him. Also love how he fights. He isn't an acrobat making backflips and stuff. He's a brute. Once he gets serious he just starts hitting Ahsoka like a truck. Makes that lightsabre look so incredibly heavy.

Funny that you referenced his posture as a Knight of the Round table as he was one of Arthur's men in 2004's 'King Arthur'

Palpy did a force scream and a force scream if you have a weaker will or weaker in the force you're dazed and confused by it. That's why mace and fish dude were the only ones that were able to focus to block his attacks.

Second video about Episode 4, aah nevermind that which i saw earlier today is review video ^^ *Continues watching & wishes good friday tomorrow & weekend* 🤞

So Baylen wasnt fighting in the same form as Vader? He was using so many power strikes that i thought he was going for the same fighting style as vader (except he is a bit more agile as he isnt half cyborg lol)

He reminds me a lot of count dooku. Smart and calculated, not driven by hate, but logic

I think that Ashoka is just waiting for the right “moment” to pull out her 2nd saber. It’s as if she’s watching to see if SHE can find a weakness in him without him knowing it. BUT, that’s just MY theory!

Ahsoka Tanos fighting style is hard to replicate in real life 1 to 1, but I want to see Disney try! Just like in the Prequels and Clone Wars!

Thank you Allen

I do think it might have somewhat to with the limitations as to why she was using that style. Much harder to do get normal style in LA with an actual person and not someone who’s CGI, with a TV show budget. And also because it’s cinematic and very Japanese Samurai.

Im just now realizing how much Baylan looks like Valkorion and now I’m imagining a world where Ray Stevenson (Rest in Peace) plays the Eternal Emperor and it’s perfect

I don’t know what happened with your style of videos but since Ahsoka came out they seem more relaxed while still conveying the same detailed information like before. Love the content and have a great day 🫶

He has so much potential for a backstory, is he a jedi knight, diplomat or sentinel. One theory i have heard is he was a temple guard because of the orange blade being a mix of yellow and red and how the crystal changes colour with new lore.

“heated conversations” HAH