Ahsoka season 2 is currently shooting in the UK, and after season 1 left us with as many questions as it did answers, Star Wars fans are understandably eager to see where the story goes next.
The show is still expected to tee up Dave Filoni's planned Star Wars movie, with Grand Admiral Thrawn and the Mortis Gods likely posing a major threat to the Galaxy long before Supreme Leader Snoke and the First Order came along (though we wouldn't discount some sort of lead-in to the sequel trilogy).
Former Jedi Baylan Skoll is searching for...something...on Peridia. However, following the sudden death of actor Ray Stevenson in 2023, Game of Thrones star Rory McCann will take over the role.
Fans have reacted positively to his casting, and McCann believes Lucasfilm and Filoni made the right choice by having Baylan's story continue. The alternative would have been to potentially end his arc off-screen.
"I think it's the right decision to carry on his storyline, not just cut it off," he told ComicBook.com (via SFFGazette.com). "We've done it before with other things. I hope the fans embrace it and I'll do my best."
"I'm just starting now, so I'm just trying to be in the right zone for doing it. It's pretty bloody exciting," McCann continued. "I mean, I remember being a kid with my dad, going to the first one probably in the late '70s and ’80s. Now I'm training with a lightsaber at night, so it's pretty exciting."
Talking at Star Wars Celebration, Filoni admitted that losing Stevenson was a major setback for him and Ahsoka season 2. "It was a challenge for me to even consider continuing for a while," he said. "But I have a great support group with Jon [Favreau] and Rosario [Dawson]. And I found a way, and I had Ray in my head."
"And [I'm] grateful for all those conversations with him about Baylan, so I understood what to do. It just took a while to get there. But I'm very confident now that Ray would be happy with the direction of the character that we've chosen."
It's good that the mystery surrounding Baylan's plans will continue to be explored, and we expect him to clash with both Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren as he searches for the Mortis Gods and, potentially, the terrifying Abeloth.
Hayden Christensen's return as Anakin Skywalker was also confirmed at Japan's Celebration, while Admiral Ackbar is set to lead the charge in the battle to defeat Grand Admiral Thrawn.
In case you missed it last month, a first look at McCann's take on Baylan Skoll can be found below. Ahsoka season 2 is currently expected to premiere on Disney+ in 2026.