This past summer, Lucasfilm released a brand new Star Wars series on Disney+ called “Ahsoka”, which is set after the fall of the Empire, “Star Wars: Ahsoka” follows the former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.

The new series introduced a brand new character, Baylan Skoll, who is a lightsaber-wielding mercenary for hire overseeing his apprentice, Shin Hati. But make no mistake: although there was a time when Skoll knew the acclaimed Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, Baylan is no Jedi. Now allied to Morgan Elsbeth, the former Magistrate of Calodan, after the fall of the Jedi and the Empire, Skoll remains a shrewd fighter in search of power who believes that another war is inevitable.

Baylan Skoll was played by Ray Stevenson, who tragically died at the age of 58 in May after he had finished filming “Ahsoka”.

During a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Lucasfilm’s new Chief Creative Officer, Dave Filoni, revealed what it was like working with Ray and how he would have reacted to the fan’s reaction

“Obviously, there’s a story there.  We’re in a wait-and-see pattern at this point. But I’m glad the conversation is about Ray and how great he was. I used to have mini debates with him and say, ‘Ray, you’re the villain here.’ And he’d be like, ‘I don’t think so.’ I was like, ‘I know you don’t think so, but you are. I love that you’re playing it like you’re not.’ Which is exactly the way Baylan thinks. I think he would’ve been over the moon [on the fan reception]. The big regret here is that he didn’t get to experience that.”

And Dave also mentioned that Ray was able to attend the Star Wars Celebration event in London in April, where he got to see the reaction to his new character.

“I think he would’ve been over the moon. The big regret here is that he didn’t get to experience that. I’m glad he was at Star Wars Celebration with us, that he got to see the trailer and get a taste of that from the fans. And they’ve been nothing but wonderful about Ray and the character.”

Following Ray’s unexpected death, it has left the show with a question mark over the character’s future, as the show ended with the former Jedi standing on the ruins of an enormous sculpture of the Mortis gods, to which Dave also shared some thoughts over:

“You have to be careful with that. I know it’s a very specific group of people that would even know what those statues are, but I thought it was an exciting image, and it does give you the shape of what Baylan is after,”

A second season of “Ahsoka” hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, and hopefully, this is something we see in the future, but how they handle Ray’s character is going to be tricky, either never mentioning the character again or recasting, isn’t going to be easy.

While we wait, you can watch Ray Stevenson in “Ahsoka” on Disney+ now.

What do you think they should do with Baylan?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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