Ray Stevenson's portrayal of Baylan Skoll was one of the best parts of Ahsoka Season 1. When news of the actor's passing broke in May 2023, a recast from show creator (and current Lucasfilm co-CEO) Dave Filoni felt like an impossible task, but Filoni and the studio appear to have pulled it off. New Season 2 footage features the actor taking over the role from Stevenson, and he looks the part. While we are yet to see any real acting from Stevenson's successor, the few glimpses so far are incredibly promising.
Ahsoka Season 2's first official trailer features footage that was highly impressive, spotlighting the major heroes and villains returning for the follow-up season. The most intriguing shots, though, belonged to Baylan Skoll, now played by Rory McCann, the man who famously portrayed Sandor Clegane, aka the Hound, on HBO's hit Game of Thrones. The trailer transports viewers to the snowy mountains of Peridea, the distant planet where Dave Filoni left Baylan stranded at the end of Season 1 alongside Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano and Natasha Liu Bordizzo's Sabine Wren.
McCann's Baylan appears alone, journeying through a blizzard in a heavy, hooded wool cloak. He sports the same white beard Stevenson wore in Season 1, only rougher and longer, making the character look all the more intimidating. Given that Baylan has spent his time stranded on Peridea searching for a power that could end wars, the grown-out beard makes sense.
His outfit, meanwhile, remains the same hooded robes the character wore in Season 1. The most exciting detail comes moments later, when Baylan draws his red lightsaber after a voice cries out, "Master."
The camera then pans to Ivanna Sakhno's Shin Hati, Baylan's apprentice, wandering through the snowstorm. The shot confirms their reunion after Baylan left her behind in another part of Peridea to pursue a different path, drawn by a mysterious power calling to him.
The 6'6" Scottish actor has the towering physicality Stevenson brought to Baylan, and more importantly, he has a personal connection to the role. McCann was a real-life friend of Stevenson, who died of a mystery illness three months before Season 1's premiere. McCann's relationship with the actor means the role will carry a different level of meaning for him than it would for any other actor.
McCann also spent eight seasons playing Game of Thrones' The Hound, a gruff, morally gray figure, in one of the greatest TV shows of all time.
Sandor Clegane is arguably a more brutal character than Baylan Skoll, which makes McCann's CV more than adequate to do justice to both Stevenson's character and his memory.
How Will Baylan Skoll Factor into Season 2?
Baylan Skoll's arc has become intertwined with the Mortis Gods, the ancient beings connected to the Force. They are a trinity of mystic figures consisting of the Father, the Daughter, and the Son. Baylan was shown standing atop the Father's statue in the Season 1 finale, marking the live-action debut of the deities first introduced in the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series. Ahsoka creator Dave Filoni has teased that the Mortis Gods are "definitely a thing" in Season 2, pointing to a major role for them. And if the Mortis Gods matter, so does Baylan, since their power is exactly what he is hunting.
The trailer even hints at that intertwined fate, with Anakin Skywalker's Force ghost telling Ahsoka that "Baylan claimed to have knowledge of a power, one that could end wars." The line suggests Baylan's quest will be heavily featured in Season 2, and whether he succeeds holds major implications for the future of Star Wars storytelling. The footage also confirms Sabine and Ahsoka remain stranded on Peridea, and one scene shows the pair opening a temple door with the Force. That door could well lead into one of the Mortis Gods' statues.
This sets up a potential confrontation between Ahsoka and Baylan, as the pair orbit Season 2's most important deities. A clash could rank among the season's most entertaining, second perhaps only to whatever unfolds between Eman Esfandi's Ezra Bridger and Lars Mikkelsen's Thrawn. Fans have also theorized that the power Baylan seeks goes beyond the Mortis Gods and could involve the Mother, the Star Wars Legends figure who became Abeloth, one of the most powerful beings in the franchise's lore. If that theory proves right, Baylan could end up having an unprecedented impact on Star Wars storytelling.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
