Ahsoka: Dave Filoni on Losing Ray Stevenson, Recasting Baylan

Summary

Ray Stevenson’s passing posed an emotional challenge to *Ahsoka* season two, but Dave Filoni moved forward by recasting Baylan Skoll with Rory McCann, honoring Stevenson’s legacy. Filoni reflected on Stevenson’s iconic performance at a Star Wars Celebration Japan panel, calling Baylan “the parallel to Ahsoka” and essential to the series’ narrative. With shooting set to begin in April and an expected late 2026 release, Filoni expressed confidence that both Stevenson and fans would be proud of McCann’s new interpretation.

Additional Summaries

When Ray Stevenson died, Ahsoka season two almost died with it. Dave Filoni, the show’s creator, was at Star Wars Celebration Japan this weekend and did a panel about his Disney+ show. “Season two was obviously a big challenge anyway, but it was a particularly big challenge because of a losing Ray,” Filoni said during the panel. But according to Filoni, the reason for Baylan existing is more than just as a bad guy. “In essence, because Ray performed it so iconically, there is a blueprint for what this character should be,” Filoni said.