Star Wars fans wondered if Baylan Skoll would be recast following the death of actor Ray Stevenson, and we may now have our answer.
The season 1 finale of Ahsoka, "The Jedi, The Witch, And The Warlord," unfortunately, served as a farewell to the late Thor and Punisher: Warzone actor, who sadly passed away last May just before his 58th birthday.
Stevenson played a villainous (or at least, antagonistic) former Jedi in the live-action Star Wars series, and the finale featured his last ever scene as the character, as we see the powerful Force-wielder standing on the ruins of a mountain-sized sculpture of the Mortis gods.
Skoll didn't have a big part to play in the events of the concluding episode, but Stevenson would undoubtedly have reprised the role at some point. Considering how important his character would appear to be to the ongoing story, there's been a lot of speculation that Baylan might be recast down the line, and according to scooper Daniel Richtman, a "white man in his 50s/60s" is currently being sought to step into the role.
Here's what Dave Filoni had to say about potentially recasting Skoll in a 2023 interview.
“Obviously, there's a story there,” he told Vanity Fair. “We're in a wait and see pattern at this point. But I'm glad the conversation is about Ray and how great he was. I used to have little mini debates with him and say, 'Ray, you're the villain here.' And he'd be like, 'I don't think so.' I was like, 'I know you don't think so, but you are. I love that you're playing it like you're not.' Which is exactly the way Baylan thinks.”
Possible season 2 plot spoilers ahead.
Richtman also mentions that Abeloth, aka "The Mother," will be introduced in season 2. If accurate, and The Mother debuts along with the Mortis Gods known as the Father, the Son and the Daughter on Peridea, this could have major implications for not only Ahsoka, but the Galaxy Far, Far Away going forward.
Set after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka follows the former Jedi knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.
The series stars Rosario Dawson in the title role, with Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth, Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati, Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll, David Tennant as Huyang, Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn, with Eman Esfandi appearing as Ezra Bridger.
Kevin Kiner was announced as the series' composer.
Ahoska is written by executive producer Dave Filoni, alongside executive producers Favreau, Kennedy, Wilson, and Beck. Gilchrist is co-executive producer. The series’ directors include Filoni, Steph Green, Peter Ramsey, Jennifer Getzinger, Geeta Vasant Patel and Rick Famuyiwa.