Ahsoka was not a perfect series by any means, but a lot of fans were united in that the character of Baylan Skoll played by Ray Stevenson was one of the best parts of the show. With Stevenson having passed earlier this year, a lot of fans are wondering what they plan to do with the character, and series creator Dave Filoni talks a bit about his original plans for Baylan with Stevenson.
“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,” Filoni told Vanity Fair, “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”
When fans last saw Baylan, he was walking toward a monument that had the Mortis gods, a family of strong Force users that were introduced to the canon in the animated Clone Wars. We don’t know exactly what Baylan plans to do with the gods of Mortis, but he has heavily hinted that he wants to perfect the culture around the Force users—something beyond the Jedi and the Sith.
My theory was actually that Baylan would be the one to start the Knights of Ren, but since nothing was confirmed in the first season, we’ll all just have to wait and see what happens. Though it is hard that Stevenson had to pass, some fans seem to be fine if they just recast the role with someone like Jon Hamm.
Catch the first season of Ahsoka now streaming on Disney+.
