Ahsoka Panel at Star Wars Celebration: Key Announcements

The Ahsoka panel at Star Wars Celebration 2025 was packed with exciting updates and teases for Season 2, including a first look at Rory McCann as Baylan Skoll, stories from the making of the series, and much more. To ensure you don't miss any of the thrilling details, we're here to break it all down for you in one comprehensive place.

While we haven't yet seen footage of Season 2 of Ahsoka or received a release date, we did get a glimpse into what we can expect from the upcoming episodes. Let's dive right into the highlights.

First Look at Rory McCann as Baylan Skoll in Ahsoka Revealed at Star Wars Celebration

The Ahsoka panel at Star Wars Celebration gave us our first look at Rory McCann stepping into the role of Baylan Skoll for Season 2. For those unfamiliar, McCann is taking over the role following the tragic passing of Ray Stevenson, who originally portrayed Baylan.

Stevenson passed away just three months before the premiere of Ahsoka, yet his portrayal of Baylan was a highlight for many fans. Ahsoka series creator Dave Filoni spoke about the challenge of moving forward after Ray's death, emphasizing that Stevenson was "the most beautiful person on screen and off." Filoni expressed confidence that Ray would be pleased with the direction they've chosen for the character.

Filoni sees Baylan as a parallel to Ahsoka in every way and is grateful for the "blueprint" Stevenson provided for the character. He also shared his appreciation for meeting and casting McCann, noting that McCann's focus was on not letting Ray down.

Hayden Christensen Is Officially Returning as Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka Season 2

After playing a significant role in the first season of Ahsoka, it was confirmed at Star Wars Celebration that Hayden Christensen will officially return as Anakin Skywalker in Season 2. While details about Anakin's role in the new episodes remain scarce, Christensen attended the Ahsoka panel to discuss his return as the beloved character.

"It was a dream to get to do," Christensen said. "The way they conceived how to do it was brilliant in getting to explore the World Between Worlds. I thought it was all really exciting."

Ahsoka series creator Dave Filoni humorously mentioned that he knew he needed to work with Christensen/Anakin again and had to "invent entire dimensions to make it happen." For Christensen, one of the joys of returning was bringing to life a version of Anakin from the Clone Wars that he hadn't previously portrayed in live action.

"All of this had been presented well in the animated world, but I was really excited to do that in live action," Christensen said. "As much as I love the traditional Jedi robes I wore during the prequels, it was exciting to get to see Anakin with a new look."

Ahsoka Will See the Return of Many More Familiar Faces

The Ahsoka panel didn't feature a traditional trailer, but it did provide a glimpse into what we can expect from Season 2 and who will be returning. The trailer, filled with static images, confirmed the return of Sabine, Ezra, Zeb, and Chopper.

Additionally, it was revealed that Admiral Ackbar will play a significant role in the upcoming story, facing off against Grand Admiral Thrawn. Fans can also look forward to seeing adorable Loth-Kittens and, according to Filoni, "X-Wings, A-Wings, and Wings I can't tell you about."

While the exact return date for Ahsoka on Disney+ remains unknown, it was shared that the team is still re-writing episodes as production is set to start next week.

Behind-the-Scenes Stories Reveal More About Ahsoka

Alongside the big reveals for Season 2, we learned more about Ahsoka, its inspirations, and more from the actors and creatives who brought it to life. Dave Filoni shared that he has been deeply inspired by Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki, with his favorite movie being Princess Mononoke. This film is the reason Ahsoka has two wolf fangs on her cheeks.

Filoni was joined on stage by Jon Favreau and Rosario Dawson, who discussed how the Ahsoka series came to life. It all began after Season 1 of The Mandalorian when Filoni and Favreau were discussing what to bring to life next. Filoni's love for Ahsoka Tano, a character he helped create with George Lucas, led them to explore bringing her to live-action.

Rosario Dawson was chosen to play Ahsoka in live-action after Ashley Eckstein's wonderful portrayal in the animated series. Dawson shared her excitement about being cast, mentioning the online push for her to play the character and how she reacted when shown art and drawings of her as Ahsoka.

"Even if this never happens again, I’m so grateful," Dawson said. "It was just so magnificent on so many levels. To see the fan reaction that allowed this story to continue was a dream come true."

Ahsoka's journey continued beyond that initial episode, despite initial doubts about sustaining her presence on screen. Jon Favreau noted that as they moved into the Ahsoka episodes with revisited characters like Bo-Katan, everything shifted toward continuing what Dave and George had done with animation while culminating established storylines.

For the team, Ahsoka is akin to watching A New Hope, as it starts in the middle of Ahsoka's journey with much that came before and after. It just made perfect sense. There is still much to learn about Ahsoka, and Dawson is as excited as fans to explore and fill out her story.

"I did not know where this character was going in live action," Dawson said. "I could understand her fear, anxiety, and stress and desire to help from afar. She wasn't willing to take over the mentor role herself, so it became a wonderful thing that I got to explore."

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