Ivanna Sakhno's Tribute To Late Ahsoka Co-Star Ray Stevenson Will Make You Cry
Several principal actors from the "Star Wars" spinoff series "Ahsoka" paid tribute to late Baylan Skoll actor Ray Stevenson just hours before finale premiered October 4 including Ivanna Sakhno, who plays the villain's apprentice Shin Hati.
Stevenson died at 58 on May 21 after he completed filming Baylon for the series, nearly three months before its debut on Disney+. The "Star Wars" saga honored the late Baylan Skoll actor with a tribute at the end of the first episode with a black screen with white lettering that simply said, "For our friend, Ray."
Echoing the sentiments of the production, Sakhno's wrote, "For my friend Ray. Forever your Wolf. X," in her tribute to Stevenson on Instagram. The tribute was accompanied by a black and white sketch, which is effectively artistic representation of Stevenson's and Sakhno's character names in "Ahsoka."
Die hard "Star Wars" fans almost immediately caught on to the references of what the villains' names meant once they surfaced publicly earlier in 2023. "The two apparent villains of Ahsoka are reportedly named Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati. In Norse mythology, Skoll and Hati are two WOLVES who chase the sun and the moon respectively. I see you ['Ahsoka' creator] Dave [Filoni]!" wrote u/mikev431 on Reddit.
Dawson thanked Stevenson for 'deepening and enriching every moment'
Ivanna Sakhno's tribute to Ray Stevenson on Instagram before the "Ahsoka" season finale premiered was accompanied by emotional comments by many of Stevenson's fellow cast members.
Rosario Dawson, who stars in the title role in "Ahsoka," wrote, "Grateful for you always Ray. Thank you for deepening and enriching every moment. You will forever inspire," while Sabine Wren actor Natasha Liu Bordizzo replied with a heart and infinity emoji.
In addition, Diana Lee Inosanto, who plays "Ahsoka" villain Morgan Elsbeth, wrote, "To Ray, our 'Poetry in Motion', May we always be reminded of you when we look to the stars" — which was accompanied by contentment and heart emojis. Eman Esfandi, who played the pivotal "Ahsoka" role of Ezra Bridger, also replied to Sakhno's tribute to Stevenson by posting a wolf emoji.
Disney+ and Lucasfilm has yet to announce if there will be an "Ahsoka" Season 2. Until then, fans can take the time to digest all of the happenings in the eight episode series, including the "Ahsoka" Season 1 finale lines that mean more than you realized.