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Fallen Jedi

The Fallen Jedi were the type of Jedi who embraced the Dark Side of the Force and renounced the Jedi Order's principles and restrictions. While some Jedi turned to the Dark Side due to well-meaning but ultimately misguided intentions, others embraced their baser passions and utilized the Dark Side for selfish goals.

Under the Galactic Republic

Pong Krell

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f5088698_6da5_4c94_bc2b_a014aba069ac.jpeg

"I am no longer naïve enough to be a Jedi. A new power is rising. I have foreseen it."

Species: Besalisk

Homeworld: Ojom

Voiced by: Dave Fennoy

Appearances: Queen's Hope | Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade^note | The Clone Wars

"I will not be undermined by creatures bred in some laboratory!"

Pong Krell was a Besalisk Jedi Master during the final years of the Galactic Republic. During the Clone Wars, Krell held the rank of Jedi General in the Grand Army of the Republic and took over leading the 501^st Legion after Anakin Skywalker was called away during the Battle of Umbara. As the battle progressed, his reckless tactics led to ever-escalating conflicts between him and the clone troopers under his command. The clone troopers soon discovered that he was trying to lose the battle, having fallen to the Dark Side and planning on defecting to the Separatists.

0% Approval Rating: The clone troopers that Krell commands hate him for being a terrible commander and a colossal asshole, and that hatred is so strong that they refuse to comply with his orders to execute Jesse and Fives for insubordination. Literally only one clone is genuinely loyal to him, and Krell loses Dogma, that one genuine follower, when he laughs at him for being an easily-manipulated boob.
Arc Villain: Krell is the main antagonist of the Umbara arc. He has been secretly working to undermine the Republic's effort to take back the planet the entire time.
Asshole Victim: No one objects to Dogma's shooting of him. However, it does catch everyone off guard.
Attack! Attack! Attack!: An accurate summary of his strategy. Although, this is at least partially because he's a traitor and so trying to screw things up for the Republic.
Ax-Crazy: It really shows once he reveals his true colors, taking pleasure in killing many clones up close and personal, both to help the Separatists and for his own sadistic amusement.
Bait the Dog: Krell appears to show some respect for Rex after he stands up to him, and even comes close to complimenting him. However, after acknowledging the clone's opinion, he immediately dismisses it, and later turns out to be a traitorous Dark Side acolyte.
Bastard Understudy: He wanted to become Count Dooku's apprentice once he defected to the Separatists. Stopping the Republic from capturing Umbara would've been his ticket.
Beard of Evil: He has a beard, and proves to be quite evil.
Blood Knight: His tactics are extremely aggressive. At one point while fighting Rex and the clone troopers, Krell deliberately puts away his lightsabers in favor of killing several clones with his bare hands. Exploited by Tup, who leads Krell into an obvious trap as he's so consumed by his insane bloodlust.
Boom, Headshot!: Tup knocks him out by shooting him in the head with a blaster on stun mode.
Call-Forward: When the clones finally turn on him, he says "It's treason, then", which is exactly what Palpatine will say to the Jedi Council when they try and arrest him in Revenge of the Sith. Both Krell and Palpatine play a similar game, pitting different sides — including his own — against one another, trying to kill as many of his own allies as possible, all in a bid for power, and both being dark side users pretending to be on the side of good, though Krell is much less talented/interested in hiding his true nature.
The Chessmaster: A small-scale version, but his efforts at playing the clones are highly effective, especially when he sets two battalions against each other.
Control Freak: He has no tolerance for having his orders disobeyed or defied, even if he (ostensibly) benefits from the result. When Fives and Jesse repeatedly go behind his back to carry off risky operations that prove to save hundreds, if not thousands of lives, he orders their execution by firing squad as "thanks".
Cool Sword: He uses not one, but two double-bladed lightsabers, one green and the other blue.
Death by Irony:
- It's implied that he thinks the reason the Jedi will lose the Clone Wars is because the clones are incompetent. Aside from being completely wrong about this, Krell himself is killed by one of them.
- He foresaw the demise of the Jedi Order, and yet his actions lead to him being one of the first (fallen) Jedi to get executed.
Death Glare: He gives one to Rex, bending over to get right in his face. Rex returns it.
Devil in Plain Sight: He's obviously a raging jackass and a General Ripper, but even so the clones are blindsided when it also turns out he's an outright traitor.
Didn't See That Coming: Even after he's been arrested, Pong Krell is smugly confident the Umbarans will free him from his custody, that his plans will succeed and that Rex is too soft to shoot him in cold blood. He seems right on the money. What he doesn't factor in is that his Unwitting Pawn Dogma has had enough; when Dogma shoots the evil fucker mid-speech, Krell's last vocalization is a horrified grunt.
Double Weapon: He uses not one but two double-bladed lightsabers, one green and one blue.
Dreaming of Things to Come: He claims to have had a vision of the Republic's downfall, which leads him to switch sides and deliberately try to sabotage his own war effort in hopes of impressing Count Dooku.
Drunk on the Dark Side: He gets so hooked on massacring the clones that he fails to realize that Tup is clearly luring him into a trap.
Dual Wielding: With double-bladed lightsabers.
Dumb Muscle: Subverted. He seems to be a thick-headed idiot whose battle plans boil down to throwing as many Clones as he can at problems until they're solved, no matter how many casualties he racks up. However, as the 501st learn the hard way, he's actually deviously intelligent, having intentionally sent those clones to their deaths in hopes of becoming a turncoat.
Establishing Character Moment: Krell is first shown to have a respectful meeting with Anakin, before showing his bigotry towards clones by insulting and demeaning Rex as soon as Anakin leaves.
Evil All Along: Having foreseen the Republic's eventual collapse, he intends to defect to the Sith. In hindsight, all of his idiot strategies make sense.
Evil Is Hammy: When Krell reveals his true loyalties, he does it with a big, hammy speech.
Evil Laugh: Once he reveals that he's evil, he laughs deeply in every single conversation he's subsequently in.
Evil Sounds Deep: Krell's already deep voice becomes almost demonic after he's revealed to be a traitor due to his sinister delivery and booming, hammy dialogue.
Expendable Clone: He doesn't care the least about the casualties his "right in the middle of it" tactics cause, purely because his troops are clone troopers. It turns out he wanted there to be casualties.
Face–Heel Turn: He secretly turns to the dark side sometime prior to his introduction, when he foresaw the fall of the Republic.
Failure Is the Only Option: Given Dooku wasn't the power behind the Sith during the Clone Wars and Sidious' general plans for any apprentice his treasonous acolyte might take, Krell's plans to ingratiate himself to the Sith would have resulted in him becoming an Inquisitor at best and being painfully executed at worst.
Fallen Hero: He's a Jedi Master, so he must have done something right before the Face–Heel Turn. It is downplayed, as Fives notes he had massive casualties under his belt even before he went rogue and Queen's Hope shows his racism towards clones was present since the beginning of the war. Evidently, his lack of regard for human life was present even before his Face–Heel Turn.
Family-Unfriendly Death: It's not quite as bad as some of the series' more gruesome ends, but being shot In the Back military execution-style by one of his own men, while unarmed and kneeling, is not exactly your typical cartoon villain death.
Fantastic Racism: He treats clones with nothing but utter contempt, at one point dehumanizing them completely by referring to them as nothing but "creatures grown in some laboratory". Queen's Hope even has him make a derogatory face when Yoda and Plo Koon suggest that the Clones should be treated as individuals.
Fatal Flaw: Arrogance and Wrath are his undoing. While his plan of undermining the Republic's war effort by sending the clones on suicide missions is clever and might have worked if he'd led less experienced clone regiments, he fails to anticipate the ability for independent thought and improvisation of the more experienced clones of the 501^st Legion. He also lets himself get hooked in massacring the clones, which leads to him getting captured and eventually executed.
Faux Affably Evil: He was reasonably polite towards Anakin, and, while he was generally just a Jerkass, Krell manages to show a few shreds of respect to Rex and Sergeant Appo. Even this small affability proved to be a complete lie to cover Krell's true monstrous nature.
For the Evulz: He manipulated his clones into being slaughtered and into killing their own comrades because he could. Even if it was part of his plan to defect to the Sith, he obviously enjoyed the clones' deaths.
Rex: Why, General? Why kill your own men?
Krell: [chuckles] Because I can. Because you fell for it. Because you're inferior.
General Failure: The way he commands, you'd think he's trying to lose. Turns out, he was.
General Ripper: He has a reputation for getting good results at the cost of ridiculously high casualties on the Republic's side, and for generally being stern, dismissive and vicious towards the clone troopers under his command. It later turns out he's been deliberately trying to murder his own men on Umbara as part of a plan to defect to the Separatists, although it's implied that he saw clones as expendable well before his Face–Heel Turn.
Genius Bruiser: The genius part only comes into play when his true plans are revealed. Once he gets into the action, he tears things up.
Good is Not Nice: Subverted. Initially, it seems he's just a Jedi that puts more emphasis on "no personal attachments" and a lot less on being compassionate. Then, it turns out that he's just plain evil.
Hannibal Lecture: When Rex tries to execute him, Krell gives a speech about how he's too scared to pull the trigger. It actually works on Rex. However, he wasn't counting on Dogma to be the backup executioner.
Hate Sink: He is one of the most detestable characters in the canon. He orders the clones around harshly, tries to have Fives and Jesse executed without trial, and tricks two clone regiments into killing each other. He even slaughters half of them when escaping. It's extremely satisfying when he is shot and killed by Dogma.
He Knows Too Much: While they had every reason to want to kill Krell, the 501st's decision to execute him ultimately came down to the risk of him leaking sensitive intel to the Umbarans if they managed to spring him.
Hoist Hero over Head: He does this to a clone after revealing his true colors, even breaking his spine on his knee in a manner similar to Bane.
Hypocrite: Krell doesn't consider himself a Jedi any longer, but so he's still outraged by the clone troopers' audacity to "attack a Jedi" when they attempt to arrest him.
I Fight for the Strongest Side!: He fights for who he believes will win. When he foresaw the fall of the Jedi, he decided to betray the Republic. Even then, he makes it clear that he has no intention of serving the Separatists, but the Sith.
Informed Ability: He is said to be a highly successful military strategist, but mostly just gives orders that seem intended to get as many clones killed as possible. Not surprisingly, he's also stated to have the record for highest clone casualty rate. It's later revealed that Krell truly is a brilliant strategist: all of his battle plans were intended to kill as many clones as possible.
Informed Attribute: Long after Krell's death, Anakin compares him to Count Dooku, describing both men as "political idealists". While that term might apply to Dooku, Krell was never shown to have standards at all, political or otherwise.
Insane Admiral: Krell invariably chooses the most straightforward, violent approach, resulting in massive casualties. This might seem like part of his corruption, but it's mentioned early during the Umbara arc that he has a long history of suffering great casualties. Either he's been planning to defect for quite some time, his Fantastic Racism is really that strong, or he's just that ruthless a tactician.
Insane Troll Logic: When Rex and his squad try to arrest him in his guard tower, he puts up a bloody fight and shouts "You dare to attack a Jedi!" But only a few minutes later when they finally do arrest him, he says "I'm no longer naïve enough to be a Jedi."
In the Back: After capturing the traitorous Jedi Master, Rex intends to execute Krell while the treacherous Besalisk was facing the wall of his cell. When Rex hesitates, Dogma intervenes and shoots Krell in the back.
It's All About Me: Krell foresaw the eventual fall of the Jedi Order, so he decided to betray the Jedi, the Republic, and the clones, all just so that he could join what he believed was the winning side. Even before being outed as a traitor, Krell is a ruthlessly controlling leader who insists that his commands be followed above all else, even threatening Fives with his lightsaber for questioning him.
Jerkass Has a Point:
- The one smart thing Krell does during the Umbara arc is correctly point out that Dogma was "the biggest fool of them all" and that his plan would never have worked without the blind loyalty and order-driven mentality of Dogma and those like him. He outgrew that mentality rather quickly.
- Subverted. At first it may seem like Krell has a point about Fives disobeying orders to secure a victory (which is obviously frowned upon in Real Life military scenarios). However, Krell's so-called "plan" was to run head first into missiles, and he didn't even give Fives or Jesse so much as a trial before ordering their execution. If that wasn't enough, the fact that Krell was intentionally getting his clone troopers killed, and intended to defect to the Separatists immediately negates any point Krell might've had.
Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Krell is first seen showing respect toward Anakin, but as soon as he leaves, he wastes no time demeaning the clone troopers, but still comes off as a Jerk with a Heart of Gold for the most part. Then, it's (unsurprisingly given his earnest hostility) revealed that he's deliberately killing off his own troops so he can defect to the Separatists.
The Juggernaut: Nothing that the clones throw at Krell is enough to stop him. Even when a vixus has Krell in its grip, he still manages to kill a few clones before he's stunned long enough for Tup to knock him out.
Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: He initially seems to be sacrificing clones for the good of the Republic. Then he orders Fives and Jesse executed for disobeying orders, even though they saved the day by doing so. Then he tricks two squads into killing each other and reveals himself as a Separatist and Sith supporter.
Jump Scare: This is how his death plays out: he's abruptly and loudly shot in the back while monologuing with no warning whatsoever. It can be quite startling the first time watching it.
Karmic Death: He receives one at the hands of Dogma, the one clone who was utterly loyal to him out of duty.
Kick the Dog: His mistreatment of the clones in general, but the standout moment would have to be ordering Fives and Jesse to be executed. First of all, both of whom had just risked their lives to secure a victory on Umbara and had to witness Hardcase's Heroic Sacrifice, but that still counts as insubordination to Krell since they didn't follow through with his stupid plan to blindly walk into a bunch of missiles. And secondly, he didn't even give them so much as a trial. Had it not been for Fives standing up to the firing squad, both him and Jesse would have died right then and there over basically nothing.
Killed Mid-Sentence: Dogma shoots Krell right in the middle of his Hannibal Lecture to Rex.
Krell: Eventually, you'll have to do the right thing and– [fatally shot]
Knight Templar: Krell starts out seeming like an exceptionally brutal, rude Jedi who is nevertheless dedicated to the Republic. The truth, however, is that he's only out for himself.
Lack of Empathy: Even before he's revealed to have been Evil All Along and to have fallen to the Dark Side, he takes the "no personal attachments" part of the Jedi Code way too far and doesn't even focus on the part about being compassionate, treating the clones serving under him as expendable.
Large and in Charge: Krell towers over the clones, indicating his role as a military authority and his power as a Jedi.
Large Ham: From the start, Krell is a dramatic, forceful personality. Once he reveals himself to be a traitor, Krell revels in delivering almost every line with as much malice and smug superiority as he can with a few Evil Laughs thrown in for good measure.
Laser Blade: He wields two double-bladed lightsabers. One of them is green-bladed and the other one is blue-bladed.
Laser-Guided Karma: He harshly insults Dogma, the one clone that was consistently loyal to him up until his true nature became apparent. Said clone is the one that kills him.
Lightning Bruiser: Krell is incredibly fast for his size, can lift fully-grown and armored soldiers over head, and can block hundreds of rapid fire shots at time with his lightsabers.
Manipulative Bastard: He used Rex to secure the loyalty of the clones in the 501^st, despite the resistance his obviously flawed strategies met, and tricked two clone battalions into fighting each other. All of this to cripple the Republic offensive on Umbara, which he intended to use as a ticket to become Dooku's apprentice.
Mole in Charge: What he's revealed to be by the end of the Umbara arc.
Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Like all Besalisk, he has four arms, and he puts them to good use in battle — two for holding his lightsabers, and two free for punching, grappling, using the Force, and doing whatever else an immensely strong Jedi Master might be inclined to do in combat. In fact, before his fall to the Dark Side, Jocasta Nu recommends Iskat to train with him on using both lightsabers at the same time during the events of Inquistor: Rise of the Red Blade, mentioning he trained Jedi on how to wield more than one lightsaber.
Multicultural Alien Planet: One of the things that The Clone Wars managed to do was take races that were previously shown as friendly or antagonistic and flip that around. In this case, Pong Krell is a Besalisk, one of whom, Dex, was previously shown in Attack of the Clones as a friend of Obi-Wan who was friendly, boisterous, and not out to kill anyone.
Mythology Gag: He appears to be based on the "Jedi Brute", a type of mook from the Revenge of the Sith video game adaptation who also wields double-bladed lightsabers.
The Neidermeyer: Even before he was revealed to have been Evil All Along, the clones hated him thanks to his power-mad personality and tendency to insult them for the slightest infraction (and oftentimes no infraction at all).
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: Initially he justifies his brutality by saying that he is doing what is necessary for the republic to win this war, but in the end he reveals himself as a vile traitor.
Oh, Crap!: The look on his face right before getting stunned by Tup screams of this.
One-Man Army: He managed to cut through dozens of clone troopers without much difficulty. Tup realizes that the only way for the clones to beat him isn't to outnumber him, but to outsmart him.
Politically Incorrect Hero: Queen's Hope, which features Krell while he was still aligned with the Jedi Council, shows he was always prejudiced against the clones. While he doesn't say anything about it, he's visibly uncomfortable about having them serve alongside the Jedi or even at the suggestion of treating them like individuals.
Politically Incorrect Villain: He has a massive case of Fantastic Racism towards the clones, viewing them as inherently worthless and inferior to him because they were all grown in a laboratory. It's implied he viewed them as expendable even before he turned traitor and started deliberately slaughtering them.
Right for the Wrong Reasons:
- Well, he is correct about the Republic "being ripped apart from the inside". It just wasn't because the Separatists won, or because the clones were incompetent. Quite the opposite, in fact.
- He's also right that a Sith is behind the war, but mistakenly believed Dooku was the Sith Lord behind it all.
Sadist: Krell positively revels in slaughtering clones as brutally as possible. He doesn't limit himself to physical suffering, either; as when he destroys Dogma's illusions of righteousness, Krell has a big smile on his face, and he clearly enjoys delivering a Hannibal Lecture to Rex.
Slasher Smile: He sports one once he reveals his true colors.
Sleeves Are for Wimps: His robes have no sleeves on them, likely because of how he has four arms.
Small Name, Big Ego: Even if his plan had worked, it's rather unlikely he would have been able to convince someone like Count Dooku to take someone as slimy and overconfident as Krell for his apprentice.
Smug Snake: Even when Rex has a gun aimed at his head, Krell remains absolutely confident that he would come out on top. Dogma proves him wrong.
The Social Darwinist: When Rex demands an explanation for murdering his own men, Krell smugly admits he did it because he could and because he views the clones as beneath him because of their obedience and his own Fantastic Racism.
The Sociopath: Krell displays politeness whenever he has to, but has no empathy whatsoever, callously manipulates even the clones who were unquestionably loyal to him, and actively enjoys massacring them once his duplicity is revealed.
Stereotype Flip: The only other major Besalisk character we know in the Star Wars universe is Dexter Jettster, the funny, homely greasy-spoon restaurateur from Attack of the Clones. What little we know about the rest of Besalisk culture indicates that Dexter is typical of his race. General Krell is about as far opposite to Dex as one can be, being a deadly serious, officious, and intimidating Fallen Jedi who can effortlessly defeat a room full of clone troopers in five seconds flat.
Strong and Skilled: His natural Besalisk strength combined with his Jedi combat training makes Krell an extremely deadly combatant both with a lightsaber and unarmed.
Super Window Jump: Does one out of the control tower when the clones begin their attempt to capture him.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: They're indicative of his alien nature and his status as a Dark side user.
Sword and Fist: Being a Multi-Armed and Dangerous Lightning Bruiser who's both Strong and Skilled, he uses a particularly brutal and outlandish version of this fighting style — two hands carry a pair of double-bladed lightsabers, and the other two are free for striking, grappling, and using the Force. When he goes into battle, he's as likely to throw his foes around like toys as he is to slice them apart.
Token Evil Teammate: He treats his clone troopers worse than any other Jedi in the war and shows an astonishingly callous disregard for the lives of his troops. It is hardly a surprise when he is revealed to indeed be evil.
Too Dumb to Live: Telling Captain Rex that You Wouldn't Shoot Me while he's unarmed, bound, kneeling, and has his back to Rex was perhaps not the smartest thing to do, even if Dogma was ultimately the one who did the deed.
Undignified Death: Krell is ultimately executed while on his knees, mid-monologue, by a Clone who, moments prior, he'd mockingly dismissed as "the biggest fool of them all".
Unfriendly Fire: He is executed by one of his own clone troopers, and afterwards there was much rejoicing.
Ungrateful Bastard: He has no respect for the clones, even for Dogma, and taunts Dogma by calling him "the biggest fool of them all".
Villainous Valor: For all the things that make Krell detestable, cowardice isn't one of them (him bringing in the rear instead of leading his men in the front was out of anti-Clone bigotry and because it was part of his plan to sabotage them rather than true cowardice). Once he sees that the Clones have found out about his true nature and outnumber him, Krell simply force pushes them away and fearlessly goes on a campaign to fight against and slaughter as many of them as possible himself. Plus, his reaction to being about to be executed by Rex is to taunt him and tell him to go ahead, despite the possibility that he could actually go through with shooting him.
War Hero: One of the reasons Rex initially has trouble doubting Krell is his status as this, with him being widely recognized as one of the leading Jedi heroes of the Clone Wars up to that point.
Rex: "Krell may do things differently, but he is effective in getting them done. He's a recognized war hero."
Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: His eyes are yellow and his true plans are extremely devious. This may be a case of Fridge Brilliance because "yellow eyes" are often a sign of deep immersion in the Dark Side — if it's not his natural eye color, then it might be an early sign of his true allegiance.
You Are Number 6: Krell refers to the clones by their alphanumeric designations instead of their nicknames as a way to avoid attachment.
You Wouldn't Shoot Me: Krell tells Rex that he's too scared to pull the trigger. He's right... but Dogma sure wasn't.

Barriss Offee

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9db64504_f2ac_42c9_9511_3fb83f8bdf50.jpeg

"I don't have all the answers, Ahsoka. Like you, I'm a learner."

Species: Mirialan

Homeworld: Mirial

Portrayed by: Nalini Krishan

Voiced by: Meredith Salenger

Appearances: Attack of the Clones | Queen's Hope | The Clone Wars | Adventures: Forces of Destiny | Tales of the Empire

"I've learned that 'trust' is overrated. The only thing the Jedi Council believes in is violence!"

Barriss Offee was a female Mirialan who trained under Jedi Master Luminara Unduli as a Jedi Padawan during the Clone Wars. Offee was a survivor of the Battle of Geonosis and was extremely loyal to her Jedi Master. She also preferred studying ancient Jedi texts to fighting and was a bit older than most Jedi Padawans. During her time as a Jedi Padawan, Offee began a friendship with Ahsoka Tano, the Padawan of Anakin Skywalker. Though rather different in personality, the two bonded through shared experience in combat. She led Ahsoka and herself through the catacombs of Poggle the Lesser's main droid factory during the Second Battle of Geonosis and together they destroyed the facility, becoming close friends along the way. By the final year of the war, she has been promoted to Jedi Knight, but her wartime experiences have caused her to become embittered with the Jedi Order and eventually turned to the Dark Side, which resulted in her bombing of the Jedi Temple hangar. She was caught framing Ahsoka for her crimes, and was subsequently imprisoned under Republic custody, unaware that she's spared for a much sinister purpose...

Adaptational Alternate Ending: In the early era of Legends, Barriss remained part of the Jedi Order until being killed by Order 66 on Felucia, where Commander Bly had her blown up by an AT-TE during a mission against the Commerce Guild. In canon, as well as in Legends as a result of her appearances in The Clone Wars, she turns to the Dark Side during the final year of the Clone Wars, a significant amount of time before the execution of Order 66, and she was taken away to prison. Tales of the Empire reveals that Barriss was later taken to the Inquisitorius program.
Adaptational Job Change: In Legends, Barriss was a Jedi healer and even starred in a medic-themed book duology aptly named MedStar. In canon, Barriss is no longer a Jedi healer and she ironically becomes a terrorist instead in The Clone Wars, though Queen's Hope brings her Jedi healer job back by helping injured Jedi recover from the First Battle of Geonosis before fighting in the Clone Wars by 21 BBY.
Adaptational Villainy: In Legends, she was a Jedi and a healer to her very death, and there's no hint that she ever harbored ill feelings towards the Order. In canon, she falls to the Dark Side, accuses the Jedi Order of having lost sight of its ideals, and frames Ahsoka for bombing the Jedi Temple hangar, which results in Anakin ultimately discovering her plot and Barriss getting arrested. She is also implied to have been tempted by the Dark Side in a more conventional way, as she claims that Ventress' red lightsabers suit her.
Adaptational Wimp: Downplayed. In The Clone Wars (and by extension the canon), Barriss is still a dangerous opponent and even defeats Ahsoka in a duel. However, Barriss in Legends was not only a great fighter, but also an expert healer who had also mastered the rare (and impressive) Floating Meditation technique. It's telling that, when it came the time to execute Order 66, Bly preferred to obliterate her by artillery fire while she was distracted rather than risking his troops in a more orthodox approach.
Ambiguously Gay: Barriss has a lot of subtext with Ahsoka. Behind the scenes, Giancarlo Volpe even says it was deliberate: "You have no idea how hard I secretly pushed this agenda in 'Weapons Factory'." And, unlike Ahsoka, Barriss never shows an interest in any male characters.
Anti-Villain: Of the Well-Intentioned Extremist variety. The motivations she has for bombing the Jedi Temple hangar are somewhat justified, but her actions in pursuing them are excessive and cruel.
The Apprentice: Of Luminara Unduli. She is even of the same species and shares similar mannerisms with her.
Arc Villain: Barriss is revealed to be the mastermind behind the bombing of the Jedi Temple hangar and thus serves as the main antagonist of The Clone Wars' Fugitive arc.
Ascended Extra: Just like her master (along with many of the other members of the Jedi Order), she receives a fleshed-out and expanded role in The Clone Wars after being featured in the Prequel Trilogy as a peripheral member of the Jedi Order with small screen time and zero lines.
Badass Adorable: Barriss is a very positively adorable and beautiful Jedi Padawan learner who is skilled to the point where she manages to bomb the Jedi Temple hangar, frame Ahsoka for the crime (along with defeating her in a lightsaber duel), and briefly hold her own against an enraged Anakin.
Badass Bookworm: She is extremely intelligent, as proven by her intensive studies of the Geonosian hive system and later her manipulations after secretly bombing the Jedi Temple hangar.
Beware the Quiet Ones: No one suspects that anything is wrong with her until she is revealed to have bombed the Jedi Temple hangar.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She continues to act as a Jedi after secretly betraying the Jedi Order through bombing the Jedi Temple hangar.
Bond Villain Stupidity: She allows Ventress to live after knocking her out and stealing her lightsabers; killing Ventress would have silenced the last possible witness to Ahsoka's innocence. Befitting the trope, failing to eliminate Ventress led directly to Barriss' exposure and downfall.
Brainwashed and Crazy: When she gets infected by a Geonosian brain worm, she is forced to attack Ahsoka.
Break the Cutie: This is what fighting in the Clone Wars did to her. Barriss goes from an idealistic, polite Padawan to a destructive, manipulative terrorist determined to bring the Jedi Order to her own brand of justice.
Broad Strokes: The 2022 edition of Star Wars Encyclopedia mentions many events that canonizes Barriss' adventures during the Clone Wars in Legends, such as battling Separatist droids in Illum with Luminara until Yoda's timely intervention, her brief exposure to the Dark Side on Drongar through a native plant, and her promotion to Jedi Knight. The only omission is her getting her own Padawan learner as she betrayed the Jedi Order shortly after her knighthood.
Broken Ace: Barriss is initially a perfect, reliable Padawan learner who was trusted by her Master to complete missions on her own. But, she slowly breaks down over the course of the Clone Wars without anyone noticing, culminating in her turn to the Dark Side.
Card-Carrying Villain: Sort of. When Anakin snarls that she should have gotten rid of Ventress' red Sith lightsabers, Barriss cryptically responds, "I think they suit me."
Cassandra Truth: Barriss' claims that the Jedi Order has become "an army fighting for the Dark Side" is extremely close to the truth about the Clone Wars (and one that few others ever recognize before the war has ended), but because of her terrorist actions and her own corruption, very few people truly take her claims seriously before it's too late. It's only after the war that Ahsoka realizes the truth of Barriss' claims, and the Sentinel only took her seriously enough to turn to the Dark Side himself.
The Chessmaster: She is the mastermind behind the bombing of the Jedi Temple hangar. First, she convinces Letta to feed explosive nanodroids to her husband, who worked in the Temple, using him as the bomb. When evidence led back to Letta (purely by chance), she arranges for Letta to ask Ahsoka for help, at which point Barriss Force-chokes her while Ahsoka is in the room to pin suspicion on her. Then, she arranges for Ahsoka's escape, knowing that she is looking for proof of her innocence. Barriss pretends to provide that proof in order to frame Ahsoka for the bombing as well as stealing Ventress' lightsabers and Cool Helmet to deflect the suspicions of anyone who might believe Ahsoka's story. If not for the fact that Anakin decides to hear Ventress out, her plan would have worked perfectly.
Combat Pragmatist: She ambushes Ventress by hurling a heavy piece of metal at her before knocking her out with a pipe. Later, she uses the Force to throw heavy barrels at Ahsoka during their duel and detonates containers of high-pressured gas in her face.
Commanding Coolness: As with every other Padawan learner, she was given the rank of Jedi Commander when the Clone Wars began.
Consummate Liar: She manipulates Ahsoka with a completely straight face, giving no indication that she isn't just helping out a friend. Her responses to Anakin's interrogation sound perfectly genuine. Once he makes it obvious that he knows she's guilty, her mask starts to slip rapidly.
Cool Sword: She kept Ventress' red lightsabers because she thought it suited her. This ends up exposing her as the true culprit of the bombing.
Crazy-Prepared: She memorizes all two hundred junctions of a Geonosian hive in advance for a stealth infiltration.
Curb-Stomp Battle: First, she successfully ambushes Ventress. Then, she easily defeats Ahsoka in a duel.
Curb Stomp Cushion: She doesn't stand a chance against Anakin, but does manage to hold out for quite a while and even destroys one of his two lightsabers.
Cute and Psycho: She is very adorable, soft spoken, well-mannered, beautiful, and overall one of the nicest members of the Jedi Order... then she turned out to be a mass murderer, a terrorist, a highly capable Chessmaster, and Manipulative Bastard of her own right.
Damsel in Distress: A variation: Ahsoka has to save Barriss' life while Barriss was possessed by a Geonosian brain worm and trying to kill her.
Dark Action Girl: Anyone who can successfully sneak up on Ventress, curb-stomp Ahsoka, and briefly hold her own against an enraged Anakin deserves the title.
Deadpan Snarker: Barriss shows a few hints of this.
Barriss: Whatever you're doing, I hope it works, because I'd sure rather have died fighting up there than starve to death down here.
Ahsoka: Don't worry. We'll run out of air long before we starve.
Barriss: That's a comforting thought. Thanks.
Dual Wielding: She uses Ventress' lightsabers during the separate duels she had with Ahsoka and Anakin.
Easily Forgiven: While not at all absolving her for killing people and framing her for it, Ahsoka seems to have forgiven Barriss relatively quickly. It probably helps that Barriss was right about the situation in hindsight, despite her wrongful methods.
Et Tu, Brute?: Ahsoka's reaction when Anakin reveals her betrayal is simply and softly asking her if it was true.
Every Proper Lady Should Curtsy: She curtsies to Ahsoka when they first meet.
Evil Former Friend: She and Ahsoka were very close before Barriss used her as a scapegoat for her own terrorist plot.
Evil Genius: She masterminded a plot that completely fooled and cornered the Jedi Council.
The Extremist Was Right: Despite how wrong her actions were, Barriss has a very good point about the increasing militarization of the Jedi Order. She is also right on the money, although probably not for the reasons that she believed, when she claimed that the Republic was failing and that the Jedi had become "an army fighting for the Dark Side". Even Ahsoka admits that Barriss was correct in her thoughts about the Jedi, if wrong in her actions.
Face–Heel Turn: She becomes disillusioned with the Jedi Order, believing that they've become a corrupt shadow of their former self. This prompts her to act against them.
Facial Markings: She has a set of cultural tattoos across her nose and on the backs of her hands.
Fallen Hero: She went from a heroic Jedi to a hypocritical terrorist and a potential Inquisitor.
False Friend: Not at first, but after her turn to the Dark Side, she has no qualms taking advantage of her friendship with Ahsoka to frame her for the bombings and other crimes she orchestrated against the Jedi.
The Ghost: In the Ahsoka novel, Ahsoka mentions Barriss a few times.
Good Girl Gone Bad: Barriss was initially extremely polite and kind in addition to practically being the poster image for a proper Jedi apprentice. Two years of the Clone Wars pass and she has become an unhinged Knight Templar and mass murderer.
Green-Skinned Space Babe: This is standard for female Mirialans. However, just like her master, she's more classically beautiful than sexy.
Hypocrite: She was disgusted by how the Jedi have become warmongers and, as she put it, "an army fighting for the Dark Side". How did she fight against this? She did it with terrorism, deception, and betrayal, which are the exact methods the Dark Side favors. She also claimed every Jedi should be tried, yet she framed Ahsoka specifically to avoid being caught. She at least seems to acknowledge it in her Motive Rant and when she says that she kept Ventress' lightsabers because she felt that they suited her. Red lightsabers are usually seen as the signs of a Dark Side user.
Hypocrite Has a Point: While she is in no position to judge due to being a fallen Jedi herself, Barriss is right in saying that the Clone Wars has seriously corrupted the Jedi Order.
Icy Blue Eyes: She has striking bright blue eyes and later becomes a ruthless terrorist willing to kill several innocents and framing others for it to turn people against the Jedi.
In the Hood: She almost always has her hood up.
Knight Templar: Her reasoning against the Jedi's involvement in the war is sound and just, but resorting to terrorism and deception to get her point through made her even worse than what she claimed to have been fighting against.
Lady of War: Her fighting style is rather graceful, just like her master's own.
Laser Blade: She wields a blue-bladed lightsaber. Eventually, she wields two red-bladed lightsabers.
Manipulative Bastard: While Barriss was pretending to be helping Ahsoka, she manipulated her moves to incriminate her even more.
Moral Myopia: Barriss considered the Jedi Order to be corrupt and violent, yet saw nothing wrong with using violent, destructive methods to try and end their involvement with the war. She was so obsessed with trying to end the Order's corruption that she didn't notice it in herself until the end. Although, she still blames her own corruption on the Jedi Order.
Motive Rant: She delivers one to a courtroom full of people after her crimes are uncovered.
Murder Is the Best Solution: This is her approach to the clone troopers infected by Geonosian brain worms. After she is infected herself, she begs Ahsoka to kill her.
Necessarily Evil: This is what she appears to see herself as. The reality is far different, as her methods end up preventing anyone from truly listening to her valid point.
Nice Girl: Played straight initially, but eventually subverted. She was a very good friend to Ahsoka and the friendship was genuine at first, but it became a façade after Barriss started going down the path of the Dark Side, with her new idea of friendship being manipulating, framing, and harming Ahsoka.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: An Anti-Villain example. Her confession attacking the corruption of the Jedi Order ends up planting a seed of doubt in the mind of one of the Temple Guards escorting her. That guard later turns to the Dark Side, becoming the Grand Inquisitor who gives Barriss a hellish training session to mold her into a new Inquisitor herself.
A Pupil of Mine Until She Turned to Evil: She was originally the Padawan learner of Luminara Unduli before she turned to the dark side and bombed the Jedi Temple. Luminara was shaken by the revelation of her betrayal and decided to try and get over it by helping the Wookiees prepare against a Separatist invasion on Kashyyk.
Put on a Prison Bus: She was imprisoned for her crimes under the Galactic Republic's custody, and her fate wasn't disclosed until Tales of the Empire reveals she was taken to be trained as an Inquisitor.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: She was always wearing black clothing, but the most visible indication of her turn to the Dark Side is her use of Ventress' red lightsabers which compliments her black attire quite well.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: She is the blue to Ahsoka's red. She even has the eye and lightsaber colors to match. Ironically, by the time of Barriss' final appearance, Ahsoka has matured considerably, while Barriss has become embittered and violent, each due to their experiences in the war.
Shadow Archetype: She ends up becoming this for Ahsoka as the Clone Wars dragged on. Both became disillusioned with the Jedi Order due to their wartime experiences, and both no longer wish to be a Jedi anymore after all is said and done. But unlike Ahsoka, who manages to hold faith in the light and the Jedi ideals, Barriss completely loses her faith and succumbs to the Dark Side, resorting to terrorist attacks just to vent her anger upon the Jedi Order. And whereas Ahsoka is free to wander the galaxy as an ex-Jedi saving lives and starting the Rebellion, Barriss is trapped in the Empire to serve as one of their Inquisitors hunting down Jedi and ending rebellions.
She Who Fights Monsters: Despite her correct assertion that the Jedi have lost their way and have become corrupt and violent, she proves to be far worse than them by bombing the Jedi Temple and framing one of her closest friends for it. Her imprisonment under Republic custody leaves her in an emotionally vulnerable spot when the Republic turns into the Empire and is looking for fallen Jedi to train as new Inquisitors, with Barriss being the prime candidate due to her actions.
Slasher Smile: In a Freeze-Frame Bonus, she has one for a brief period at the beginning of her duel with Anakin.
Spared by the Adaptation: In the Legends continuity before The Clone Wars, Barriss was said to be on Felucia during the execution of Order 66 and met her demise by an AT-TE cannon. The Clone Wars' Fugitive arc renders it non-canon via a cruel twist: Barriss had turned to The Dark Side in the later days of the war and is the mastermind behind the bombing of the Jedi Temple hangar and Ahsoka's fugitive status. Barriss confesses to her crimes before the tribunal and gets taken into Republic custody, but not before calling out the Jedi Order's increasing militarization and dogma. Tales of the Empire reveals that she isn't executed during Order 66... because she is deemed by the Empire to be a suitable candidate for the Inquisitorius program.
Teen Genius: To memorize two hundred junctions of a literal bughive requires one to be this.
Took a Level in Badass: Barriss' skill in lightsaber combat initially isn't exceptional, and Ahsoka is able to handle her without too much difficulty when Barriss is possessed by Geonosian brain worms. Two years later, she utterly curb stomps Ahsoka and manages to briefly hold off an enraged Anakin.
The Unfettered: Manipulating innocent civilians, killing innocent people and her own friends alike, framing Ahsoka and letting her be almost executed... Barriss proved that nothing was beyond her in her attempt to end the growing corruption of the Jedi.
Ungrateful Bastard: Ahsoka saved her life twice, yet she was perfectly fine with using her as a patsy for her own crimes, which nearly resulted in Ahsoka's execution, although granted Barriss didn't intend for that part... she hoped Ahsoka being branded a criminal would draw her to her side of terrorism against the Republic. For whatever it's worth, once her treachery is exposed, Barriss looks back at Ahsoka with regret, clearly feeling no pride in betraying her friend.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom:
- Bariss's actions and justified hate against the Jedi Order lead to the birth of its greatest fallen angel: Darth Vader, unintentionally and partially.
- Barriss rebuking the Jedi Order and bombing the Jedi Temple made it much easier for Palpatine to later proclaim that the Jedi are traitors who tried to kill him which was easily believed.
- Her speech about how the Jedi have become the villains of the Clone Wars disillusions and radicalizes one of the Jedi Temple Guards escorting her. Said Temple Guard ends up becoming the Grand Inquisitor, who would hunt down and kill several Jedi post-Order 66, with one of those Jedi being her former master Luminara and even trained her to become an Inquisitor.
Vague Age: Her exact age is unknown. Nalini Krishan, the actress who played her in Attack of the Clones, is four years older than Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin. In The Clone Wars, Anakin is much taller and seemingly older than her, considering that her character model seems to be designed to look around Ahsoka's age.^note
Villain Ball: As Anakin points out, the smart thing to do would have been to dispose of Ventress' lightsabers after using them to attack Ahsoka. Barriss admits that she kept them out of vanity.
Villain Has a Point: For all that Barriss did, Ahsoka recognizes, years after the fact, that she was ultimately right about the war's effect on the Jedi Order. She even wishes that Barriss had found a better way to get her point across so she might have been heeded before it was too late.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: She believed the Jedi Order was degenerating from peacekeepers into warmongers and believed they should be punished for it, but this doesn't justify a bombing that killed many innocent people.
You Are What You Hate: She hates the Jedi Order because she thinks they've betrayed their principles and fallen to the Dark Side... which is exactly what she did. To her credit, she seems to be aware of this as she includes herself when she says the Jedi have fallen.

Taron Malicos

"Jedi learn? There's no future for them. How can you not see that? It's time for something new."

Species: Human

Voiced by: Liam McIntyre

Appearances: Jedi: Fallen Order

A Jedi Master that served as a distinguished general and tactician during the Clone Wars, he crash-landed in Dathomir after barely surviving his troops turning him on him during Order 66. During his stay on the planet, he succumbed to madness and now manipulates the locals in an effort to harness their magick.

Actor Allusion: His fighting with two blades is similar to his actor's most well-known role, Spartacus.
Affably Evil: He's quite polite to Cal and even offers to become his new master. However, once it becomes clear that he can't sway him, he doesn't hesitate to try and kill him.
And I Must Scream: He's alive when Merrin buries him under all that Dathomiran stone, screaming until he's completely smothered. Merrin confirms that he's in for a slow, cruel death when she and Cal talk after his boss fight.
Arc Villain: For the Dathomir arc of Jedi: Fallen Order.
Battle Trophy: He wears a long braid threaded with Nightbrother horns at his belt, implying that he took the horns from Nightbrothers he killed to cement his power, observing to Cal that "these savages only respect strength."
Beard of Evil: A crazed grey-bearded Dark Jedi.
Broken Ace: He was considered to be one of the Jedi Order's best generals and strategists during the Clone Wars, with many victories to his name. However, the trauma of surviving Order 66 and being marooned on Dathomir has warped him into a power-hungry tyrant consumed by the Dark Side. He is still an extremely strong fighter, and without Merrin's intervention, Cal would have died fighting him.
Buried Alive: How Merrin kills him after his duel with Cal.
Colonel Kurtz Copy: He may not be bald, but otherwise he counts. He's a charismatic Dangerous Deserter who abuses the natives, and tries to sway the main character to his side.
Dual Wielding: Utilizes two red-bladed lightsabers during his boss fight.
Evil Mentor: Tries to play the part of one to Cal, but he isn't having any of it.
Evil Old Folks: Is old enough to have gone completely grey, but isolation on Dathomir has made him stronger than ever.
Evil Sounds Deep: Even when he's pretending to be a harmless traveler and trying to manipulate Cal into embracing the Dark Side, his otherwise manipulative, silky voice has a distinct gritty deepness to it.
Freudian Excuse: While he's indicated to have been an arrogant braggart during the Clone Wars, he was an otherwise good person before Order 66. Since he was unlucky enough to land on the terrifying hell that is Dathomir, him going completely insane was inevitable.
Genocide Survivor: Unlike many other Jedi, Malicos managed to escape execution at the end of the Clone Wars, finding refuge on Dathomir.
Glory Hound: Cere, who knew Malicos before the purge, reveals that other Jedi were wary of the successful general, regarding him as vainglorious and overly eager to take credit for victories.
Go Mad from the Isolation: Being trapped for years in an Eldritch Location like Dathomir, a planet consumed by the Dark Side, left Malicos insane.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: When he takes off his robes, his bare chest is shown to have ritual scarring from throwing in his lot with the Nightbrothers.
Laser Blade: He wields two red lightsabers in combat.
Manipulative Bastard: Controls the Nightbrothers through fear of his power, while simultaneously telling Nightsister Merrin lies about the Jedi (namely that they massacred the Nightsisters, when in truth, it was General Grievous) by feeding off her loathing of those who wield lightsabers, hoping to use her to keep others away while he establishes a power base for himself.
Meaningful Name: "Malicos" isn’t too far removed from "malicious", which suits his personality well.
Mythology Gag: The scars on his chest are reminiscent of the Legends symbol of the Sith order.
Obliviously Evil: What makes him stand out among the other Sith and fallen Jedi in the series is the fact that he steadfastly believes that he has conquered the Dark Side rather than having fallen into it.
Obviously Evil: Before he removes his cloak, he's just extremely shifty. Once he removes his cloak, he shows off his ritualized scarring and admits to being the leader of the local Nightbrother tribe. Notably, as soon as he removes said cloak, all trust Cal may have had goes right out the window. Given a Lampshade Hanging by the Achievement/Trophy for defeating him: "I Knew He Was No Good."
Pet the Dog: Tells Cal to run away when Merrin sics her undead sisters on them, staying behind to cover his escape.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: He's no Sith, but you'd be forgiven for mistaking him for one thanks to his red and black garb and red lightsabers.
Villain Has a Point: When Cal declares his intention to rebuild the Order, Malicos rants that the Jedi were done before the Purge took place and that their actions led to it, an assertion that Cal doesn't completely deny.
Malicos: Jedi fell long before the Purge. Stifled by tradition. Deafened by our past glories. Blinded by endless war.
Cal: Maybe.
Walking Shirtless Scene: He ditches his robes to stay shirtless for the rest of his appearance. It's not a pretty sight since his chest is covered in some kind of ritualized scars.
We Can Rule Together: He offers to become Cal's master and draw from Dathomir's magick together to start something new and different from the Jedi. Even if Cal hadn't immediately rejected it, the fact that he had manipulated Merrin to try and kill him in the first place makes his argument untenable.
You're Insane!: Has this pulled on him by Merrin.
Nightsister Merrin: You are mad, Malicos. Dathomir has unmade you.

Fallen Jedi on other pages

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

See his separate character pages.

Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus

See his separate character page.

Asajj Ventress

See her entry on the Dathomir page.

Aurra Sing

See her entry on the Bounty Hunters and Mercenaries: Republic Era page.

Quinlan Vos

See his entry on the Jedi Masters page.

The Inquisitors

See the Inquisitorius page.

Dagan Gera

See the High Republic Era Jedi page.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Spoiler Character

See his separate character page.

Azlin Rell

See his entry on the High Republic Era Jedi (382 BBY) page.

Under the New Republic

Baylan Skoll

"We are no Jedi."

Species: Human

Portrayed By: Ray Stevenson

Dubbed By: Féodor Atkine (European French)

Appearances: Ahsoka

"Impatience for victory guarantees defeat."

A former Jedi turned mercenary who survived the Empire's Great Jedi Purge, he comes into conflict with Ahsoka during her and Sabine's search for Ezra Bridger.

Affably Evil: You'd never guess he's a dark side user from his mannerisms and behavior. At one point he even remarks that it would be a shame to kill Ahsoka, as she's one of the few Jedi remaining. While he has a mild grudge, it's mostly related to Anakin and how he sees her as a product of Anakin's teaching, he is polite to her and gives every sign of preferring to talk it out, as he does with Sabine. In relation to the latter, he is also very definite about keeping his word.
Always Someone Better: Proves to be this against Ahsoka in lightsaber combat. Throughout the whole show, Ahsoka never manages to defeat him, losing the first fight and fleeing the second fight despite putting up a much better fight than last time due to being more confident and using both lightsabers. Ahsoka even concedes that she may not be able to beat him when he boasts as much.
Beard of Evil: A Dark Jedi with a full beard.
Black Knight: Baylan is an Affably Evil Fallen Jedi clad in black armor, and his combat prowess makes him more than a match for Ahsoka.
Break Them by Talking: Using the Force to sense Sabine's sense of loss for her family and desperation to find Ezra, Baylan manages to talk her into willingly surrendering the map and joining the expedition to find Thrawn, promising to reunite her with Ezra.
Broken Pedestal:
- When he and Ahsoka face off for the first time, Baylan speaks of Anakin Skywalker in an almost admiring tone, remarking that "everyone in the Order" knew him. His attitude towards Darth Vader, on the other hand, is one of contempt bordering on loathing.
- Admits to Shin that he idolized the Jedi in his youth but that age has given him a far more cynical perspective.
Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: As in the grand tradition of Star Wars, Baylan is yet another dark side-aligned antagonist fighting the Jedi protagonist. However, whereas Maul, Dooku and Vader are Sith Lords subservient to Palpatine, Baylan isn't Sith nor does he have any connection to Palpatine. Furthermore, Baylan isn't as evil as other dark siders as he lacks Maul's savageness, Palpatine's sadism or Vader's pettiness. Even his politeness towards his enemies seems genuine and not used as a backhanded insult as seen by the likes of Dooku and Vader.
Cool Sword: He fights using an orange lightsaber which is even rarer than yellow and purple lightsabers. When Huyang identifies it, he notes how unique his lightsaber hilt is as he's the only one who's built a lightsaber like this.
The Cynic: Downplayed; Baylan believes that his actions will ultimately have a positive effect, but, in his own words, he lost his sense of faith "a long time ago".
Dissonant Serenity: Baylan always remains calm no matter the situation. Even while fighting aggressively, he doesn't lose himself in his rage and even when he's actually angered, it's just Tranquil Fury.
The Dragon: The second in command among those loyal to Elsbeth, answering directly to her, giving orders to the others, and is trusted to be the last line of defense if all else fails to stop Ahsoka and Sabine.
Dragon with an Agenda: Baylan works with Morgan Elsbeth (who believes Baylan to only be driven by money) and aids her plan to find and retrieve Grand Admiral Thrawn, but he has his own ideas for what Thrawn's return will mean for the galaxy, seeking power for "a greater good" through the inevitable war and destruction Thrawn's return will bring. He ends up ditching Thrawn entirely midway through the retrieval mission, not caring that Ahsoka may stop him. He instead seeks out a source of power on Peridea that is connected to the Mortis Gods.
Establishing Character Moment: His and Shin's rescue of Morgan Elsbeth quickly demonstrates the basic aspects of Baylan's character; he's polite after Captain Hayle of the New Republic allows them to board his ship, but doesn't hesitate to resort to violence when it becomes clear that trickery won't work, and during his subsequent slaughter of the crew, he's brutal, but quick and efficient, and he converses politely with Elsbeth after liberating her, all of which establishes that Baylan is courteous, but ruthless, as well as an experienced warrior who should not be taken lightly.
Eternal Recurrence: What is being revealed of Baylan's motivations the moment they finally meet with Thrawn and his Dathomiri allies suggests this. In his view, the clashes between Jedi and Sith throughout the rise and fall of Republics and Empires is a vicious cycle that the Jedi, both in their goodness and Fatal Flaws, never managed to extricate themselves from. Baylan believes that unearthing truths about the Force beyond Jedi and Sith dogma (and even beyond the Nightsisters' traditions) is the key to the "power" that he seeks.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Baylan genuinely cares for his apprentice, Shin, training her to the best of his ability and wanting her to share in the power he seeks. The one time he really loses his cool during his duel with Ahsoka is when she Force pushes Shin against a rock, and he immediately begins fighting her much more aggressively. When they part ways after reaching Peridea, Baylan sends Shin off with some final advice delivered in an almost paternal tone.
Even Evil Has Standards: Baylan may be, as he himself says, "no Jedi", but he's certainly no Sith either; his opinion of Darth Vader, as he expresses to Ahsoka, is quite low, and it's implied his distaste for her is due mainly to her having been Anakin's apprentice. The Sith culture of deceit and abuse similarly hold no appeal for him; Baylan is a man of his word, and his relationship with his apprentice is bit distant, but genuinely benevolent.
Evil Counterpart: To Ahsoka Tano herself; they're both powerful, non-traditional Force users who were once Jedi that survived Order 66, and they each seek Grand Admiral Thrawn for their own well-meaning reasons (Baylan to use the war that Thrawn will bring to serve an unknown greater good, and Ahsoka to prevent Thrawn from starting that very same war). They also each keep a piece of Jedi tradition alive (Baylan has his apprentice wear a Padawan braid, while Ahsoka tries to be a keeper of the peace), take a younger woman as their apprentice, and have operated as independent agents since the Jedi Order fell. While Ahsoka remains aligned with the Light Side and has a somewhat difficult relationship with her Padawan, Baylan has become a Dark Jedi, though he and his apprentice have a much smoother relationship.
Evil Is Bigger: At 6'3"/191cm, he towers over all the heroes in Ahsoka and also has a sturdy build, making him stronger too.
Evil Mentor: Trains Shin Hati as his apprentice during the events of the series.
Evil Old Folks: He's visibly really old (his actor, Ray Stevenson, was in his late 50s at the time) and is a brutal Dark Jedi.
Evil Sounds Deep: His low, sonorous baritone gives his words that extra bit of gravitas and adds to his formidable presence.
Evil Wears Black: A Dark Jedi and mercenary who wears black armor.
Exact Words: He gets Sabine to hand over the star map by promising that he would deliver her safely to Ezra, which he does. He leaves out the fact that he was going to send Shin to kill them both after their reunion.
Expy:
- Baylan serves as one of Joruus C'Baoth from the Thrawn trilogy of novels, being an immensely powerful grey-bearded Dark Jedi who has an uneasy alliance with Thrawn and his forces. The main difference is that Baylan is neither a clone, nor insane.
- He also takes a few traits from the Legends depiction of Darth Bane, an older human male Dark Sider wielder with a younger human female as his apprentice, with the master using blunt force in his attacks while the student uses speed and ferocity. He also shuns needless sadism, but is nonetheless incredibly brutal in a fight.
Faster Than They Look: Even for a Mighty Glacier, he's deceptively faster than what his size would have you believe. Just look at his duels with Ahsoka.
Four-Star Badass: When he meets him, Thrawn identifies him as "General" Baylan Skoll, indicating he must have held that rank like many Knights/Masters during the Clone Wars.
Genius Bruiser: In addition to being a large, powerfully built warrior, Baylan is well-spoken and shows keen psychological insight, using Ahsoka and Sabine's past traumas to unbalance Ahsoka and to manipulate Sabine into surrendering without a fight using little other than words.
Genocide Survivor: He's recognized by Huyang as a former Jedi from the Clone Wars, indicating that he's a survivor of Order 66. This makes him one of only four known Jedi of the Old Republic to live this far past the fall of the Empire, the others being Ahsoka, Naq Med, and Grogu.
Hallway Fight: Delivers a brutal beatdown to several New Republic soldiers while calmly strolling down the corridor, not unlike Darth Vader during the events of Rogue One.
Hidden Agenda Villain: Not even his apprentice Shin knows why he's thrown in his lot with the Imperial Remnant. When she asks what's in it for them, his only answer is "power, like you've never dreamed", and doesn't clarify further. He provides slightly more detail while dealing with with Ahsoka and Sabine, claiming that Thrawn's return will allow him to serve "a greater good", remarking that he regrets the coming war but "you must destroy in order to create". However, he remains incredibly vague on exactly what he means by that. The finale of Ahsoka strongly suggests that he seeks a power on Peridea that is somehow connected to the Mortis Gods and would allow him to end the Eternal Recurrence of the Jedi and Sith's repetitive struggles.
Hidden Depths: Admits in conversation with Shin that he does genuinely miss the ideal of the Jedi, if not the reality of them.
I Choose to Stay: He makes no effort to try to get back aboard the Eye of Sion before it returns to their home galaxy, having already abandoned his mission to kill Ahsoka and her allies in order to seek out a mysterious power somewhere on Peridea.
I Gave My Word: He holds it as a personal point of pride that he doesn't make promises he has no intention of keeping. When he talks Sabine into surrendering the map in exchange for being allowed to reunite with Ezra unharmed, an enraged Shin starts Force-choking her. Baylan immediately calls her off, stating that he is a man of his word.
Irrational Hatred: Downplayed; Baylan doesn't hate Ahsoka, but he does project his issues with her infamous mentor onto her, growling that her legacy is the same as Vader's ("destruction and violence," as he puts it) and that she only knows how to use violence to resolve conflict.
Knight Errant: He operates as a mercenary long after the fall of the Jedi, owing his allegiance to none but those with the right amount of credits. That being said, conversations with Shin make it clear he follows Morgan and Thrawn for reasons beyond just simple wealth.
Large and in Charge: He towers over the rest of the cast and is the master to Shin's apprentice, commanding the loyalty of an Inquisitor, and pursuing an agenda that involves using the Imps for his own mysterious ends.
Laser Blade: He wields a reddish-orange lightsaber.
Manipulative Bastard: While he's sincere in what he says, Baylan expertly uses Sabine's traumas and hopes to convince her to surrender the map and join the expedition as a willing prisoner.
Master Swordsman: He manages to overpower and defeat Ahsoka, a Master Swordsman herself, in their first duel (though Ahsoka burning her hand and fighting with only one lightsaber certainly helped tipped the odds in his favor). In their second duel Ahsoka fares much better and manages to fights him more evenly, but still can't defeat him even with both of her lightsabers and no longer being conflicted. Baylan even says that she can't defeat him, which Ahsoka admits is true before ordering Huyang to fire on him so she can flee the fight. In comparison, his apprentice Shin and the Inquisitor Marrok get beaten quite easily by Ahsoka in their separate one-on-one fights.
Meaningful Name: Named after Skoll, the wolf of Norse mythology who chases the Sun.
Mighty Glacier: His fighting style involves the use of powerful swings, and while not quite as nimble as Ahsoka, she has to use both hands just to counter his attacks.
Necessarily Evil: His belief about the war to come with Thrawn's return more or less boils down to this, admitting that he does regret it, but to create one must first destroy.
Never Found the Body: Huyang's records claim that Baylan "disappeared" after the end of the Clone Wars, indicating that his fate was never confirmed in the wake of Order 66 until Huyang and Ahsoka managed to identify him after he freed Elsbeth.
Noble Demon: While he may be a Dark Jedi serving a pro-Imperial cause, Baylan is a polite, honest, honorable man who prefers to avoid unnecessary violence (though he doesn't hesitate if violence proves unavoidable), and who is as good as his word, commanding Shin to stop Force-choking Sabine after he'd promised that she wouldn't be harmed and would be welcome to come with them, and genuinely believes that the coming war is a necessary evil rather than anything he's relishing. It's illustrated by the fact that his lightsaber's blade is orange (which in chromatic terms is "mostly red, but with a touch of green") rather than completely red, indicating that his allegiance to the Dark Side isn't total.
Noodle Incident: We never find out exactly how Baylan survived Order 66, though his telling Shin he watched the Temple burn and his hatred of Anakin Skywalker suggest he may have been present for the latter's attack on the Jedi Temple during Revenge of the Sith.
Not So Above It All: The stoic and ever-polite Baylan lets out a bit of snark and wordplay when he visits Sabine in a holding cell, quipping that the circumstances are "confining".
Odd Friendship: While "friendship" may be a bit too strong a word, Baylan, an ex-Jedi who escaped Order 66, works with Marrok, a former Imperial Inquisitor once tasked with hunting down Order 66 survivors, without any evident problems on either end.
Old Master: He's no spring chicken, but still carves a menacing swath through the New Republic soldiers with ease, and is depicted as roughly even with Ahsoka until she burns her hand and gives him an advantage. In their rematch, he boasts that Ahsoka can't beat him, and she even concedes he may be right, choosing instead to use a distraction to rescue her apprentice and leave him behind.
Only in It for the Money: Subverted. He mentions the considerable money he is paid to work for Elsbeth as the reason he came to save her. That said, his conversations with Shin show he has a vested personal interest in Thrawn's return, as he foresees "Power", for him and his apprentice, in the chaos Thrawn's return will bring.
Pet the Dog: When Shin begins Force-Choking Sabine, he orders his apprentice to release her after promising to take her to see Ezra Bridger again and that she'd be unharmed.
Rule of Symbolism: His and his apprentice's orange lightsabers - which look almost red, but not quite - represent his reluctance to entirely abandon the traditions of the Jedi.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: Baylan survived the Clone Wars and Order 66, and despite his stoicism, the impact of those horrors are still visible when he speaks of the Jedi's fall. It's even implied that his disdain for Darth Vader is connected to Vader's leading role in the Jedi Purge.
Baylan: [to Shin] When I was a bit older than you are now, I watched everything I knew burn.
Still Wearing the Old Colors: Played with; Baylan no longer considers himself a Jedi and doesn't still dress as one, but his apprentice, Shin, wears a Padawan braid, indicating that Baylan still follows some of the traditions of his old order.
The Stoic: Baylan constantly projects a calm, collected exterior, even in the heat of battle, and even when he does show some emotion, he barely raises his voice and is quick to regain his composure.
Strong and Skilled: He's a talented duelist even in his advanced age, and he employs a fighting style that focuses on employing his massive build to physically overpower his opponent as their blades clash. In their duel on Seatos, Ahsoka has to use both arms and brace herself against a rock just to keep him at bay during a Blade Lock.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He shares a lot of similarities with Count Dooku both in appearance and characteristics. Both are tall, bearded old men who wear black clothing with a hooded cloak and wield a red (reddish-orange in Skoll's case) lightsaber. They're renegade Jedi who retain a gentlemanly and polite demeanor and a sense of honor even after turning to the Dark Side, both are at least nominally idealists out for the greater good, train a more aggressive younger woman (Shin and Ventress) as an apprentice, and serve a mysterious benefactor (Elsbeth in Skoll's case, Palpatine in Dooku's case).
Telepathy: Baylan has shown the ability to use the Force to look into a person's mind, using this power to learn Sabine's traumas in order to convince her to willingly stand down and give him the map.
They Look Just Like Everyone Else!: While most darksiders are Obviously Evil in looks and behaviour, Baylan looks like a well-groomed older gentleman, much like Count Dooku.
Verbal Tic: He has a habit of answering questions in single words every now and then, even when otherwise proving himself willing to engage in lengthier conversation.
Villain Has a Point: He's right to point out that the Jedi and Sith are locked in a seemingly never-ending cycle of genocidal conflict with each other, with no end in sight. Indeed, the Sequel movies will show that Luke Skywalker's attempt to reestablish the Jedi Order Baylan once served will end in yet another massacre and the rise of the Sith in the forms of Kylo Ren, Snoke, and the revived Emperor Palpatine.
Villain Respect: Baylan clearly takes it positively that Ahsoka survived their engagement in Seatos, duelling her once again on Peridea. Even her feint of allowing Huyang to fire on her position so she can get away and rescue Sabine draws an uncharacteristic smile out of him.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: While he's vague on the details, Baylan believes that Thrawn's return and the inevitable war that the Grand Admiral would bring with him would allow a better galaxy to rise from the ashes, believing that to create, one must first destroy. His remarks on the Eternal Recurrence of the Jedi and Sith's conflict and his desire to seek truths beyond either extreme's dogma imply that his ultimate goal is to put an end to such recurrences, though how and what the Mortis Gods have to do with it remain a mystery.
The Worf Effect: Along with his apprentice Shin, Baylan massacres hundreds of New Republic soldiers just to show how dangerous he is and how woefully unprepared the New Republic is for an opponent of his caliber.
Worthy Opponent: Baylan seems to hold a certain respect for Ahsoka's spirit and tenacity despite working against her, outright disliking the idea of killing her knowing so few Jedi yet live. Downplayed when they meet face-to-face; Baylan, holding Ahsoka's former master Anakin Skywalker in low regard for his actions as Darth Vader, conflates her legacy with his and, while polite for the most part, clearly doesn't hold her in very high esteem — though that could be tension based on the fact that she's a genuine threat to the map and therefore his very carefully laid plans for "the greater good".

Ben Solo

See his separate page as Kylo Ren.

Characters / Star Wars – Fallen Jedi

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Under the Galactic Republic