The Late Ray Stevenson Was Terrific on Disney+’s Ahsoka Series — But Now His Role Should Be Recast
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The following contains major spoilers from Ahsoka’s Season 1 finale, now streaming on Disney+. Proceed accordingly.
After Ahsoka’s open-ended Season 1 finale, fans were left hanging over the fate of the Jedi-turned-mercenary Baylan Skoll, expertly played by the late Ray Stevenson, who died in May.
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Baylan’s mysterious side journey was hinted throughout the Disney+ series, with the ex-Jedi revealing in Episode 6 that he felt something pulling him to remain on Peridea, and then deciding to pursue an undisclosed “path” in Episode 7.
Given where we left off with the character in the finale, it’s obvious that Ahsoka creator Dave Filoni had planned to do much more with the character before Stevenson’s untimely passing. That is why, with heavy hearts, we think the role should be recast. What better way to honor the actor’s brilliant performance — as an original Star Wars character, no less — than by allowing Baylan’s story to continue, to pursue his perceived destiny? (Plus, this wouldn’t be the first time a Star Wars role was recast.)
There are still so many questions surrounding Baylan, including why he was standing on top of that massive statue of the Father, a powerful Force wielder from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series who represented balance in the Force. Hailing from Mortis (an otherworldly realm within the Force) along with his offspring, the Son (who represented the Dark Side of the Force) and the Daughter (who represented the Light Side), the Father had previously determined that Anakin was the Chosen One destined to bring balance to the Force.
What’s more, the Son’s statue was visible beside the Father’s, while the Daughter’s was nowhere to be seen. Was that a hint at Baylan’s future?
While we don’t know where Baylan’s story was headed, there are still plenty of possibilities should the role be recast. We could easily see the character showing up in Filoni’s previously announced Avengers-style Mando-verse crossover feature film, continuing his efforts to break the cyclical nature of the rise and fall of the Empire. Plus, given Baylan’s strong ties to Thrawn — whose rival-of-sorts, Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), served as the main antagonist in Mandalorian’s Season 3 finale — it wouldn’t be implausible for Baylan to pop up on Disney+’s first Star Wars series.
And obviously, if Ahsoka were to return for Season 2 — the show has not yet been officially renewed — we’d want to see his journey continue in that series, where it intriguingly began.
What do you think? Should Ahsoka’s Baylan Skoll, played by the late Ray Stevenson, be recast?
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