Star Wars Celebration has unveiled our first glimpse of Rory McCann stepping into the role of Baylan Skoll for Season 2 of *Ahsoka*. This follows the tragic passing of Ray Stevenson, who originally portrayed the character. Although we haven't seen McCann in action yet, the Ahsoka panel at Star Wars Celebration offered an exciting first-look image, which you can see below.
Ray Stevenson, celebrated for his roles in *Thor*, *RRR*, *Punisher: War Zone*, *Rome*, and more, sadly passed away due to a brief illness just three months before *Ahsoka*'s premiere. Many fans and critics alike considered Stevenson's performance as Baylan to be one of the series' standout moments.
Ahsoka series creator Dave Filoni expressed the immense challenge of moving forward without Stevenson, describing him as "the most beautiful person on screen and off." Filoni and his team also shared some insights into what fans can expect from Season 2, including the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, alongside characters like Admiral Ackbar, Zeb, Chopper, and more.
In our review of *Ahsoka*'s first season, we noted that it "struggles in its early episodes as the series works to get viewers up to speed on characters and concepts introduced in Dave Filoni’s animated Star Wars shows. But once the actors and cosmic plots are really given time to shine, *Ahsoka* finds a wonderful mix of rich lore, humor, and big battles that make it feel like classic Star Wars while also forging a path to something new."
For more in-depth coverage, explore where *Ahsoka* ranks on our list of the best Star Wars Disney+ live-action TV shows, and don't miss our detailed explainer of the Season 1 finale of *Ahsoka*.
