Summary

The late Ray Stevenson, who portrays Baylan Skoll in Ahsoka, had input in the design of his orange lightsaber. Skoll proves to be a formidable opponent for Ahsoka Tano, defeating her in a lightsaber duel in season one of the show. The prop master, Josh Roth, also reveals that changes were made to Ahsoka’s lightsaber in order to accommodate the show’s storyline.

Warning! The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Ahsoka.

Baylan Skoll can unquestionably use the Force and possesses a mastery of his weapon. Skoll is but one of the many antagonists that Anakin Skywalker’s (Hayden Christensen) former apprentice (Rosario Dawson) must tangle with on the Disney+ series, Ahsoka. And the show’s property master, Josh Roth, revealed that the late Ray Stevenson personally had a hand in the final design of Skoll’s saber hilt. Roth said at last weekend’s Destination D23 (via X, formerly Twitter):

“Ray wanted to do something very special for this, and he wanted to change the pommel. And we changed the pommel working with both Doug [Chiang – Ahsoka’s production designer] and Dave [Filoni – Ahsoka’s showrunner] and were able to implement a creative choice that Ray had. And for me now, this makes this a very very special saber because not only does it have Dave Filoni’s influence, Doug Chiang’s influence, my influence, it also has a creative influence from Ray himself. So, it’s very special.”

Portrayed by the late Ray Stevenson, Baylan Skoll proves to be a formidable foe for the show’s star to square off against. In fact, Skoll bested Ahsoka Tano in a lightsaber duel in season one’s fourth episode, Fallen Jedi. Ahsoka only used one of her trademark lightsabers, though, while fighting Baylan. And after being defeated, the former Jedi woke to find her former master, Anakin Skywalker, in the World Between Worlds.

Related: Ahsoka Series Honors the Memory of Ray Stevenson in Debut Episode

Ray Stevenson Helped Design His Lightsaber
Disney+

Ray Stevenson made his first appearance as Baylan Skoll in Ahsoka: Part One — Master and Apprentice. And a perk of playing a Force user, whether it be on the Dark or Light side, is getting to wield the weapon of the Jedi and the Sith: a lightsaber. But Stevenson actually got to offer a little input into his own saber’s final design. Prop master Josh Roth said in the same X, formerly Twitter post:

“One of the best things that I get to do is show the actors the saber and watch their face when we light it and ignite it for the first time. The joy on their face is unbelievable.”

Roth also told those in attendance at the Destination D23 event that changes had to be made in regard to Ahsoka Tano’s (Dawson) own lightsaber. When Anakin Skywalker’s (Christensen) one-time pupil first appears in live action, during season two of The Mandalorian, it turns out that Ahsoka’s lightsaber hilt couldn’t hold its own batteries. So, Dawson was tasked with carrying the batteries in her costume’s sleeve.

With Ahsoka having her own series, and the character being involved in using her lightsaber much more often, Roth and the Star Wars creatives had to rework the weapon to hold its own batteries. During her first duel with Baylan Skoll, the orange saber-wielding Force user dredges up Ahsoka’s past during their encounter. Skoll says, “Everyone in the [Jedi] Order knew Anakin Skywalker. Few would live to see what he became.”

Stream new episodes of Ahsoka every Tuesday at 9 p.m. EDT on Disney+ to see how Baylan Skoll’s part on the streaming series plays out — as the search for Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) and Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) continues.