After nearly three years of waiting, Star Wars: Ahsoka is officially back. Lucasfilm gave audiences their first real look at one of the season's most emotionally loaded changes: a new face behind the mercenary-turned-Dark-Jedi Baylan Skoll.
At Disney's D23 event in Anaheim on Friday, the teaser video was revealed. Rory McCann, best known to millions as Sandor the Hound Clegane from HBO's Game of Thrones, made his public debut in the role. Ray Stevenson, a seasoned actor whose untimely death in May 2023, just months before Season 1 began, left fans wondering how the program would handle his character's incomplete arc, is the original creator of the role that Rory takes on.
Rather than write Baylan out of the story, showrunner Dave Filoni and Lucasfilm opted to recast the role. The decision was announced back in early 2025 but only now visualised for audiences. Dave has been candid about why the character had to continue, describing Baylan as a narrative mirror to Ahsoka herself, whose arc “has got to continue” alongside hers.
Rory, notably, wasn't a stranger to Ray Stevenson. Multiple reports indicate the two actors were friends, and that Rory took on the role with blessing from Ray's family. Speaking about stepping into such a beloved character, Rory has said he sees carrying on Baylan's story as the right call rather than cutting the arc short, while acknowledging the challenge of living up to Ray's performance.
Where Season 1 left off, the new footage continues: While Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) moves on with plans to harm the New Republic back home, Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) are stranded on the far-off world of Peridea. Rory's Baylan appears in the footage for the first time, giving fans a proper look at how the character has been visually carried over to a new actor.
In addition to returning cast members Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Eman Esfandi, Ivanna Sakhno, and David Tennant, Hayden Christensen will play Anakin Skywalker in Season 2 with Rosario, Natasha, and Lars. Disney+ will launch Ahsoka Season 2 on January 20, 2027.
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