Star Wars Fans Already Have Casting Ideas For A Baylan Skoll Prequel
With "Ahsoka" now complete, "Star Wars" fans have come together to share the aspects of it they feel do and don't work. One of those that falls into the former category is franchise newcomer Baylan Skoll, as portrayed by the late, great Ray Stevenson. The cryptic and driven dark Jedi has swiftly become a fan favorite throughout his time on the program, with Stevenson's performances from episode to episode being one of the overall highlights. In fact, some fans love the character so much that they want to see a Skoll prequel project, and they have some solid casting ideas in mind.
Over on Reddit, "Star Wars" community member u/Tanis8998 opened a thread to bring up the idea of a Skoll prequel. Their pitch for such a show was accompanied by a de-aged image of the character, which gave their fellow Redditors a jumping-off point for fan casting Skoll's younger self. The frontrunner among fans in this thread proved to be Alexander Ludwig of "Vikings" fame, but he was far from alone. Other names that fans introduced to the conversation included Wes Chatham — the actor behind Captain Enoch – Alan Ritchson, and Liam and Chris Hemsworth.
Regardless of who would land the lead role for it, there's no denying that a prequel about Skoll's younger years has some major potential.
A Baylan Skoll prequel could do the character some serious favors
Throughout his first appearances in the "Star Wars" saga, Baylan Skoll gives fans numerous reasons to engage with him. In addition to Ray Stevenson being the one behind him, he has a cool look, his lightsaber duels with Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) are excellent, and his mysterious nature and motives are intriguing. At the same time, the character is far from perfect. Unfortunately, fans don't learn a whole lot about his beliefs and backstory, with only a small handful of tidbits revealed by the time "Ahsoka" ends. Thankfully, plenty of points are set up for a prequel series about Skoll to explore.
One of the most interesting elements the series unveils about Skoll is his past as a Jedi. He recalls the Clone Wars, the fall of the Jedi Order via the execution of Order 66, and even Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). All we know about his life post-Galactic Republic so far is that somewhere along the line, he abandons the ways of the Jedi and elects to forge his own path. He takes on Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) as his apprentice, and the two come to work as mercenaries for Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto). Though these are mere kernels of information, they lay the groundwork for a potentially fascinating prequel series spanning different galactic eras.
Hopefully, there's more information about Baylan Skoll on the way now that he's been set up as a main player in the latest chapter of the "Star Wars" franchise.