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Credit: LucasfilmDave Filoni‘s work with the Star Wars universe is far from over, but fans might be ready for how far Lucasfilm will go to make sure the right story is told in Ahsoka and other future projects.
While Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka wasn’t the most successful Star Wars project, it changed everything. Lucasfilm has just promoted Dave Filoni to Chief Creative Officer, a high position at Lucasfilm that is the 2nd biggest position in the company, right below Kathleen Kennedy. Star Wars is on track to release several big projects on Disney+ and eventually give fans what they want most: more Star Wars movies.
It’s been a long time for fans since Star Wars has graced the big screen, and while it will still take several for a new film to release, Lucasfilm’s new change with Filoni does help in a big way. Filoni learned most of his skills from George Lucas himself, and now he can be there to oversee every project under Lucasfilm and help ensure no projects fail like Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi did.
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This change might seem unsurprising, but it’s not the only thing that will change. Ahsoka Season 2 is still in discussion, and while the series hasn’t been officially greenlit, the story will continue. Fans know that the Imperial Remnant will duke it out with the New Republic, and Filoni is setting the stage. Despite his new position, he talks to Vanity Fair and shares that he won’t let Lucasfilm rely on nostalgia when the battle between the two sides happens:
“I’m setting up what seems to be a larger conflict with the Imperial remnant. That conflict can’t just mirror what we’ve seen before. It has to take on a different shape. It can’t just be the Empire versus what looks like the Rebellion, or even the Republic. It has to be visually different.”
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Filoni continues by sharing more about how even the cast of Ahsoka will be impacted. Some stories are left in a spot where the story must continue even if the star themselves isn’t around to finish the job. After seeing the ending of Ahsoka, fans loved Ray Stevenson’s Baylan Skoll, a new character that challenged what fans thought of the fallen Jedi. Sadly, Stevenson passed away right before the series debuted on Disney+, leaving fans unsure how the story will continue.
Baylan Skoll was last seen on the statues of the Mortis Gods, some of the more obscure yet powerful creatures in Star Wars, implying major things if Season 2 happened, which left fans wondering what trouble the fallen Jedi would get into. Sadly, Lucasfilm truly has two choices for how to handle the role. They can recast Stevenson and continue the story with a tough burden to honor the actor who came before, leave the role behind, and potentially deal with the character offscreen. Either way isn’t very satisfying for some fans, but it’s not like Lucasfilm has a great way to handle the situation.
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Dave Filoni opens up about the issue and shares that Ray Stevenson’s character was planning to return before his passing. After leaving his apprentice, Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno), to fight Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi), Baylan was left to search Peridea for a hidden power and it’s clear that his story was left unfinished. Lucasfilm is going to wait and decide what to do with the character, but he is happy fans love his character:
“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.”
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Removing Baylan from Ahsoka Season 2 or wherever the story continues would be a missed opportunity. The Mortis Gods obviously have such a large role in the power that the fallen Jedi was searching for, and if his story leads to nothing due to the actor’s death, that would be disappointing. While it’s not fun to think of another actor taking over the role, Filoni and Lucasfilm will probably take this route to finish the story compellingly while still honoring what Stevenson brought to the role. His fights with Ahsoka Tano were amazing and his knowledge about the Jedi Order and Hayden Christensen’s transformation from Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader led fans to be intrigued by the character’s perspective on the universe.
Ahsoka paved the road for how The Mandalorian and other projects would culminate into one huge story. It’s a huge undertaking, but it’s a story that has given fans many great moments with the chance of potentially bringing Luke Skywalker, Leia, and Han Solo back to the big screen even if the original actors won’t return. It’s a big turning point for Star Wars, and it’s clear that Filoni is going to make sure the right story is told. Lars Mikkelsen’s Grand Admiral Thrawn is a villain fans have been waiting years to see on the big screen, and however the New Republic decides to fight the Chiss Admiral, it’ll be a story worth seeing. It won’t be a story full of Jedi, but probably have Din Djarin, Mandalorians, rebels, and a few Jedi working together to stop the Empire’s return to power and hopefully, Ahsoka Season 2 continues to fill the gaps in the story.
Watch Ahsoka on Disney+ right now!
Do you think Star Wars will recast Ray Stevenson’s Baylan Skoll? Let Inside the Magic know what you think!