This weeks Your Nerd Side Show:
The late Star Wars actor Ray Stevenson was honored at the end of the series premiere of Ahsoka, which premiered on Disney+ on Tuesday, Aug. 22.
Stevenson plays Baylan Skoll in the latest Star Wars Disney+ series, a Dark Jedi who survived Order 66 and is now a mercenary working to find Grand Admiral Thrawn. Before the end credits on "Part One: Master and Apprentice," a screen appears reading "For our friend, Ray." The actor -- who previously voiced a Mandalorian commando named Gar Saxon in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels -- died on May 21 at the age of 58, after production had wrapped on Ahsoka. Skoll was Stevenson's final acting role of his career.
Ahsoka Co-Stars Pay Tribute to Ray Stevenson
When news of Stevenson's death first broke, several of his co-stars from the Star Wars show posted tributes to the late actor on social media. Ivanna Sakkno, who portrays Skoll's apprentice Shin Hati in Ahsoka, recalled Stevenson's friendly antics on set. "Ray would constantly make noises," Sakhno said. "I remember the first scene that we were filming, [Ray] came up with a song for Shin. I can't say too much of the scene itself, but Ray would just constantly walk around like, 'Who let the Shin out? Who, who, who…?"
Rosario Dawson, who stars as Ahsoka's titular Jedi, also shared a social media post that included several-the-scenes photos with her late co-star. "At a loss for words… just wanted to mark this moment and share your ever-ready and present smile," the caption read. "Love you forever. Holding your family in my heart."
Heir to the Empire
Announced by Lucasfilm in December 2020, Ahsoka follows its title character as she investigates an emerging threat to the galaxy following the fall of the Empire. The series, which has been described by creator Dave Filoni as Star Wars Rebels Season 5, has been certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 93 percent critics' score. Alongside the aforementioned names, Ahsoka stars Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Eman Esfandi as the live-action versions of Star Wars Rebels characters Sabine Wren, Hera Syndulla and Ezra Bridger, respectively.
Lars Mikkelsen also appears as Grand Admiral Thrawn, reprising his voice role as the character from Rebels. Other Star Wars veterans that are part of the ensemble cast include Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Genevieve O'Reilly as Mon Mothma, Clancy Brown as Governor Ryder Azadi and David Tennant as the voice of the lightsaber-crafting droid Huyang.
The first two episodes of Ahsoka are now streaming on Disney+. New episodes will premiere every Tuesday at 6 p.m. PT until Oct. 3.
Source: Disney+