Ahsoka: Dave Filoni On What Will Happen To Baylan Skoll After Ray Stevenson’s Death

Dave Filoni, the new Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm has spoken on the fate of character Baylan Skoll in the Star Wars Ahsoka series after actor Ray Stevenson’s untimely death. Since his passing, Stevenson has been praised for a highly nuanced portrayal of Baylan, and now fans wonder what will come of the character.

Stevenson’s Star Wars journey began with a voice acting role as Gar Saxon in the third season of Star Wars Rebels, and again in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars revival. To fans’ excitement, the actor returned to Star Wars for his live-action role as Baylan. Unfortunately, Stevenson passed away at only 58, before the premiere of Ahsoka, and wasn’t around to witness Baylan become the clear fan favorite.

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During an interview with Vanity Fair, the Lucasfilm CCO and Ahsoka showrunner also admitted that Baylan’s journey is incomplete. Although he isn’t entirely sure what the future holds for the much-loved character, he recognizes the need to complete the former Jedi’s arc. “Obviously, there’s a story there. We’re in a wait-and-see pattern at this point,” Filoni conceded, “but I’m glad the conversation is about Ray and how great he was.” Filoni regrets that Stevenson didn’t get to share in the excitement, but the Ahsoka creators paid tribute to the late actor with a dedication at the end of the first episode, which read, “For Our Friend Ray.”

According to Filoni, Baylan’s complexity may be because Stevenson did not view his character as a villain. “I used to have mini-debates with him and say, ‘Ray, you’re the villain here,’” Filoni told Vanity Fair, “and he’d be like, ‘I don’t think so.’” Filoni added that he loved Stevenson’s thinking and has previously indicated that Baylan Skoll’s orange lightsaber reflects his duality of light and dark.

No details have emerged yet regarding whether the roll of Baylan will be recast or written around. Even the series’ fate remains a question mark after Stevenson’s passing and strike-related setbacks, although signs still point to Lucasfilm continuing the story in one form or another. Ahsoka star Rosario Dawson has suggested that a film and a second season are within the realm of possibility. According to Dawson, Filoni may already be working on an outline.

Ahsoka season 1 is streaming on Disney Plus.

Ahsoka

Rosario Dawson stars as Ahsoka Tano in this Disney Plus Star Wars series that brings some of the franchise’s most beloved characters from the animated world into live-action. The series, created by Dave Filoni, also stars Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, and the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll.

Release Date

August 23, 2023

Genres

Science Fiction, Action, Adventure

Rating

7.8/10

Creator

Dave Filoni

Network

Disney Channel

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Source: Vanity Fair