Recasting actors is never an easy decision, but it was necessary to replace the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll after his tragic death in 2023.
Game of Thrones actor Rory McCann opened up to ComicBook about taking over as Baylan Skoll in Ahsoka Season 2, which began filming a few weeks ago. McCann thinks it is a wise decision to continue Baylan's story, but he knows it won't be easy to replace Ray Stevenson's "big shoes," and he hopes fans will support him.
He said, "I hope the fans embrace it, and I’ll do my best. I’m just starting now, so I’m just trying to be in the right zone for doing it. It’s pretty bloody exciting." McCann is familiar with Star Wars content and admits he grew up a fan, like most of us. "I mean, I remember being a kid with my dad, going to the first one probably in the late ’70s and ’80s. Now I’m training with a lightsaber at night, so it’s pretty exciting.”
It's great news for fans that McCann loves Star Wars. He couldn't hide his excitement while discussing lightsabers. He already has experience with swords from his Game of Thrones days, but McCann says they don't come close to the "sexy sound" of lightsabers, which are much lighter.
The actor will need to perfect Baylan Skoll's distinct style of fighting from Ahsoka Season 1. Skoll's style was a unique, medieval style we haven't seen before in Star Wars. He bested Ahsoka, who nearly died in the process, so there's a good chance he and Anakin Skywalker's former Padawan will face off again. Should they fight again, this fight would need to top their duel from Season 1. All eyes will be on McCann to make it look as good as Stevenson, who seemed like a natural.
Rory McCann will be joined by Rosario Dawson, Hayden Christensen, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Eman Esfandi, and Ivanna Sakhno in Season 2. Dawson has teased that she's training for an intense fight scene. This could be a rematch between Ahsoka and Baylan, although this hasn't been confirmed. There's little doubt Skoll will be pivotal to the show's second season and to whatever Dave Filoni has planned for the coming years.
One of the final shots of Ahsoka was Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll on the statue of a Mortis God, which means they'll play a big role in Ahsoka and Sabine's trials on Peridea. The Gods could hold the key to the power Baylan wanted, but their presence on Peridea raises questions about the planet's history. Is Peridea a wasteland, or does this planet have a connection to the Force? We'll have to wait until next year to find out.
Ahsoka Season 2 premieres next year on Disney+.