Star Wars Celebration has unveiled the first glimpse of Rory McCann stepping into the role of Baylan Skoll for Season 2 of Ahsoka. McCann is taking over the role following the untimely passing of Ray Stevenson, who originally portrayed the character. While we haven't seen McCann in action yet, the Ahsoka panel at Star Wars Celebration provided us with a striking first-look image, which you can view below.
Ray Stevenson, celebrated for his roles in films like Thor, RRR, Punisher: War Zone, and the series Rome, tragically passed away from a brief illness just three months before Ahsoka's premiere. His performance as Baylan Skoll has been widely regarded as a highlight of the series so far.
Ahsoka series creator Dave Filoni expressed that losing Ray Stevenson was one of the most significant challenges faced during the development of Season 2. Filoni described Stevenson as "the most beautiful person on screen and off," underscoring the profound impact of his loss on the team.
During the panel, Filoni and the team also teased what fans can anticipate in Season 2, including the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, alongside characters like Admiral Ackbar, Zeb, Chopper, and more. This promises an exciting continuation of the Ahsoka narrative.
In our review of Ahsoka's first season, we noted that the series "struggles in its early episodes as it works to bring viewers up to speed on characters and concepts from Dave Filoni’s animated Star Wars shows. However, once the actors and cosmic plots are given room to shine, Ahsoka strikes a wonderful balance of rich lore, humor, and epic battles, echoing the essence of classic Star Wars while paving the way for new storytelling."
For more insights, explore where Ahsoka stands on our ranking of the best Star Wars Disney+ live-action TV shows and delve into our detailed explainer on the Season 1 finale of Ahsoka.
