What The Orange Lightsabers Really Mean In Ahsoka
The latest Disney+ series "Ahsoka" introduces "Star Wars" fans to some new villains. We already met Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), the Imperial Magistrate of Calodan on "The Mandalorian," but now she's working with two Force users, Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) and Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno). Baylan is a former Jedi who managed to survive Order 66 and is now acting as a mercenary for Elsbeth. He and his apprentice Shin appear to be powered by the dark side of the Force. While a single master and apprentice usually indicate a Sith pair, these two aren't wielding red lightsabers like, say, Darth Vader. Baylan and Shin's lightsabers are orange in color.
The orange lightsabers definitely grabbed the notice of fans when the first "Ahsoka" trailer was released. In fact, creator Dave Filoni confirmed to Screen Rant during Star Wars Celebration earlier this year that these are, in fact, orange lightsabers and told the site, "Nothing is accidental." Let's take a look at what that might mean for these two new characters and the show as a whole.
'That was very intentional'
Filoni said that the change in color is supposed to make us notice that things aren't going to go the way we may have expected. He explained:
"I made it a little bit more orange. [...] That was very intentional. I didn't make them just a stark red. I remember as a kid that Vader's lightsaber kind of fluctuated from visual effects to being a little bit more orange. I didn't want to go straight up orange, but it's identifying a little bit of something to kids that they might not straight up be what you think they are in the beginning. It's good you caught that. Nothing is accidental."
What could that mean in terms of the character motivations for Baylan and Shin? It certainly seems that they're more on the dark side of things. That goes along with what we've seen in the show's marketing. The fact that these characters are working for Morgan Elsbeth, a character that Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) asked about Grand Admiral Thrawn (who will be played by Lars Mikkelsen), isn't exactly doing them any favors in the good intentions department. If you recall from "Star Wars Rebels," this Chiss Imperial officer has been transported somewhere by "Rebels" protagonist Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) and a small group of purrgil. Still, perhaps the orange means they could end up changing sides?
Lightsaber colors have meaning
It's interesting that Filoni mentions Darth Vader's lightsaber going orange at some points, seeing as he was redeemed in the end. Does that mean that because Baylan and Shin have orange lightsabers, they still have some good in them? Lightsabers are powered by kyber crystals, and the Jedi is the one who gives them their color with their personalities. Sith lightsabers will turn red because of the intentions of the Sith wielding them. (As we learn in the book "Ahsoka" by E.K. Johnston, Sith force the crystal to do what they want, which makes it "bleed.") We know that light side blue and green lightsabers are often in the hands of the Jedi like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, respectively.
Yellow is the color of Jedi Temple Guards, while white ones, like Ashoka's dual blades, show that she's neither Jedi nor Sith and are made from purified red kyber crystals. Mace Windu's purple lightsaber came about, of course, because Samuel L. Jackson wanted one that color, though it's been taken to indicate that he treads a little bit closer to the dark side of the Force.
Could orange lightsabers mean a possible return to the light?
Orange lightsabers being less dark than red could certainly indicate that this is some light left in Baylan and Shin. It's always more interesting to see a villain who might possibly be turned back to the side of good than one who is strictly evil, so that should get fans excited to see what's on the way for Baylan and Shin.
Going by the trailers, at least, it does appear that Shin is more aggressively on the dark side. Baylan may end up being the one who is more likely to see reason, if not turn. That said, we'll have to wait and see what other secrets the orange lightsabers reveal. Did Baylan get a new one after Order 66? Did his feelings actually change the color of the kyber crystal he was already using? We'll find out over the next several weeks. Stay tuned to /Film for updates on each episode.
"Ahsoka" will premiere on Disney+ on August 22, 2023, with two episodes.