Summary
Baylan Skoll’s orange lightsaber was an intriguing part ofAhsoka, and theStar Warsshow’s visual effects supervisor has finally revealed some of the secrets behind his unique blade. Baylan Skoll immediately made waves inAhsokaas soon as he ignited hisorange lightsaber, a rarelightsaber color seldom seen inStar Warscanon. Baylan’s blade also expanded the list of uniquelightsaber types inStar Wars, as it is technically considered a great lightsaber due to its size. Creating such a unique lightsaber was a monumental task, andAhsoka’s VFX supervisor gave some insight into just how difficult it really was.
While speaking toScreen Rant’s Owen Danoff, the special effects supervisor forAhsoka, Richard Bluff, spoke about Baylan’s unique lightsaber, how the design was created, and some of the challenges of bringing it to life.
It was clear from the very beginning, it was in the artwork, that Dave wanted to go with a more orange color for Baylan. The other thing is that Dave wanted to bring in a different sized lightsaber, a much longer double-handed lightsaber, which was an interesting thing.
…Broadly speaking, he wanted to make sure that Baylan was kind of set apart from what had come before, because Baylan’s character is really mysterious. His motivations are really mysterious, and not all of it was answered in season one. I felt like the lightsaber was an extension of that — the mystique behind this particular character.
For us, it was interesting from the perspective that if this lightsaber is so long, and it’s double-handed, oftentimes it’s moving through the air slower than a one-handed lightsaber would be. We had to [ask ourselves questions like], ‘When do we need to do those additional speed ramps to speed up the film to ensure it feels like he’s coming down with force, but also he’s not leaving himself exposed?’
…The biggest challenge was the color. The biggest challenge is always the colors with lightsabers, because it’s not straightforward. If you put all the Star Wars shows and movies back-to-back, you’ll notice the execution of lightsabers, and the look of them… they breathe. Let’s just say they aren’t all the same.
[Filoni] wanted to have a version that felt like George’s original, but with all the trappings that you get from the techniques we can apply today. For example, the sparks were a big deal to Dave - the single-frame flashes - but also the control that we had over the core of the lightsaber. They should always be white or white-ish, as close to white as you can get, and then fade into the color.
As Bluff explained, creating a lightsaber as novel and unique as Baylan’s was a much bigger task than it seemed. Everything about it, from what it said about Baylan as a character to the minutiae of its color, had to be considered. Bluff mentioned that the visual effects team had to balance the speed of Baylan’s fights to both give the lightsaber some real heft without also giving him a massive weak point where his quicker opponents could strike while he was winding up. Bluff also noted that he and associate VFX supervisor T.C. Harrison were very particular about the various vendors that helped with visual effects.
Who Are Baylan & Shin? Everything We Know About Ahsoka’s Mysterious New Villains
The Ahsoka series is set to introduce two brand new, mysterious villains: Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati. What do we know about them so far?
Baylan’s Lightsaber Design Was So Different To Anything We’d Seen Before
All of Richard Bluff’s work in bringing Baylan’s lightsaber to life clearly paid off. Baylan’s great lightsaber has been a hot topic of conversation even long after theending ofAhsokaseason 1, and it was one of the most unique lightsabersStar Warshas ever created. Even Huyang noted that such a lightsaber was a rare sight, andHuyang is the oldest character inStar Warswho had seen the creation of countless lightsabers. Baylan’s great lightsaber was also the start of a sort of renaissance of unique blades inStar Wars, as other shows likeThe Acolytehave also begun to experiment with the iconic weapons.
Dave Filoni wanted viewers to know that Baylan was different, and Richard Bluff made it happen with his lightsaber.
One of the best things about Baylan’s great lightsaber is how much it said about his character. Bluff mentioned that he and Dave Filoni wanted to convey the mystery of Baylan’s character through his lightsaber, which they certainly succeeded in. Everything about it, from its mysterious orange color, to its size, to the uniquelightsaber combat form Baylan usedto wield it, added to his mystique.Even the subtle details of Baylan’s lightsaber, like its split grip and pronged emitter, were almost unheard of inStar Warscanon. Dave Filoni wanted viewers to know that Baylan was different, and Richard Bluff made it happen with his lightsaber.
Baylan Skoll
A mysterious and enigmatic Jedi Master, Baylan Skoll survived Order 66 and took on Shin Hati as his apprentice. He operated in the galaxy’s shadows for years, only emerging when he took on an assignment for the Imperial Morgan Elsbeth - a mission that took him to the distant planet Peridea. There, he continues to advance his own mysterious agenda.
Hopefully, Filoni and Bluff can continue their stellar lightsaber work in the upcomingAhsokaseason 2. Unfortunately, however, that work may be directed towards other characters, as Ray Stevenson tragically passed away before the premiere ofAhsoka. It’s not clear howAhsokaseason 2 will handle Stevenson’s passing in relation to Baylan, but his lightsaber could be a great way to carry on his legacy without the use of deepfake technology to recreate the actor’s face. No matter how the show handles the delicate situation, now that the secrets of Baylan Skoll’s lightsaber have been revealed,Ahsokaseems even more impressive.
Ahsoka Tano
The apprentice of Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano was an accomplished Padawan who served during the Clone Wars. Ahsoka left the Jedi after she became disillusioned with the Jedi Council, but returned to serve in the Siege of Mandalore at the end of the Clone Wars. She survived Order 66, becoming a Rebel agent during the Dark Times of the Empire’s reign, and her adventures continue in the New Republic era. Ahsoka was last seen stranded in a distant galaxy, having failed to prevent Grand Admiral Thrawn’s return.
