Star Wars’ Dave Filoni Doesn’t Think Franchise Canon Is Important
Dave Filoni, the executive producer of Lucasfilm in charge of Star Wars content, doesn't feel that canon is important to the franchise.
No one can simultaneously love and hate a franchise as well as a Star Wars fan, and arguing about what’s ‘canon’ in the franchise is a favorite debate. Dave Filoni, a major creative force at Lucasfilm who was worked on recent hits like The Mandalorian, has his own opinions on the canon, and they’re definitely not typical. In a recent interview, Filoni said, “People get into all these debates of what’s canon and what’s not, and sometimes forget the special nature of telling a good story and creating great characters,” adding, “I look at it very broadly, and I just say there’s a love of Star Wars.” (via CBR)
Coming from someone else, Star Wars fans might have some pushback about this comment. However, Dave Filoni has been responsible for some of the best content in the franchise following the original trilogy. Filoni worked with George Lucas to create the all-time fan-favorite character Ahsoka and was a director and creative force on the animated Clone Wars series throughout its run.
Arguably, Star Wars: The Clone Wars is what helped bring people around to liking the prequel films. Dave Filoni, George Lucas, Catherine Winder, and Cary Silver helped to fill in a lot of story and plotlines that deepened the lore around the timeline of the prequel films, providing some much-needed context and giving the characters space to breathe. The show was so beloved that it was brought back from the dead twice.
After proving his deep Star Wars knowledge and ability to please fans with the Clone Wars series, he moved on to another animated series with Rebels. While this wasn’t quite as beloved as the Clone Wars series, it introduced plenty of important characters who will be showing up in live-action, expanded Ahsoka’s story, brought back Darth Vader, and even provided a satisfying conclusion to Darth Maul’s story. By the end of that series, most fans pretty much trusted Filoni’s direction for the franchise implicitly.
Those Star Wars fans would not be disappointed, as Dave Filoni was finally given the reins to help lead some of the major live-action entries to the franchise. The first was when Jon Favreau brought him on to help with The Mandalorian, which helped to revitalize interest in new Star Wars projects. He would executive produce that show as well as The Book of Boba Fett.
His Star Wars career continues to grow, as he’s executive producing the upcoming Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew shows for Disney+. He also serves in various creative roles for the ongoing Bad Batch and Tales of the Jedi series. In short, he has a lot of creative sway in the franchise, so it is a bit surprising that he doesn’t think the canon matters too much.
Star Wars fans have mostly enjoyed all of Dave Filoni’s contributions to the franchise, but his biggest test is yet to come. At the recent Star Wars Celebration, it was announced that Filoni would be directing his first feature-length film for the franchise. The film will focus on the New Republic and tie together storylines from The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew.
Whether you’re a Star Wars canon zealot or not, it’s hard to disagree that the franchise seems like it’s in pretty good hands with Dave Filoni. And even though he says he doesn’t put too much stock into the canon, he still seems to be one of the most knowledgeable creatives at Lucasfilm who has deep knowledge about the franchise. We’ll just have to wait and see if his movie can be as well-received as his shows.
