Many speculate thatDave Filoniwill become the next president of Lucasfilm, but despite how much he’s accomplished with the company, I believe this would be a bad choice forStar Wars. Reports recently circulated that current Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy would soon be stepping down. WhileKennedy is not retiring fromStar Wars, she did confirm that discussions regarding her eventual successor are ongoing.
Dave Filoni’s work for Lucasfilm makes him seem ideal to take on this role someday, from his first job as supervising director onStar Wars: The Clone Warsto his current position asLucasfilm’s Chief Creative Officer. However, as much respect as I have for Filoni, he has also made mistakes that cast doubt on him being Lucasfilm’s best choice. One of the best and most recentStar WarsTV showsproves the franchise doesn’t need Filoni as president.
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And he’s involved in just about everything!
Filoni has been involved in nearly everyStar Warstelevision production since joining Lucasfilm in 2005. He was a director or supervising director on seven shows, the creator of six, a writer on seven, an executive producer on eleven, the showrunner on four, and more. His promotion to Chief Creative Officer in 2023 meansFiloni is now a creative consultant for the early development of mostStar Warsprojects.
Director and development artist.
Supervising director, writer, voice actor, executive producer, and showrunner.
Star Wars Rebels
Creator, supervising director, writer, voice actor, executive producer, and storyboard artist.
Additional voices and special thanks.
Creator, voice actor, and executive producer.
Director, writer, actor, and executive producer.
Director, writer, and executive producer.
Special thanks.
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi
Creator, supervising director, writer, executive producer, showrunner, and executive creative director.
Creator, supervising director, executive producer, and showrunner.
The Mandalorian and Grogu (Upcoming)
Writer and producer.
Untitled Star Wars movie (Upcoming)
Andoris one of the few exceptions to this rule, with Filoni having no credits and seemingly no involvement. This isn’t a big surprise, asFiloni is primarily involved with the animated series or the live-action shows directly connected toThe Mandalorian. Filoni also wasn’t promoted to Chief Creative Officer until 2023, so he wouldn’t have been involved in the early development ofAndor.
Understandably, Filoni can’t be involved in everything, but this stands out to me becauseAndoris easily one of the bestStar WarsTV shows, if not the best.It has fantastic production values, near-flawless writing, more room to breathe across 12 episodes, and a solid character arc for Cassian Andor. Of course, Filoni wasn’t involved with disappointing shows likeThe Acolyte, butAndoris notably the polar opposite of one of Filoni’sStar Warsshows.
Everything Andor Does Right… Ahsoka Does Wrong
Two completely different approaches to Star Wars
One of the most recentStar Warsshows created by Filoni wasAhsoka, where he served as showrunner, wrote every episode and directed two episodes. As a huge fan of Filoni’s previous shows, I really wanted to love thisAhsoka, and there is a lot it does right. Unfortunately, most of its first season is underwhelming, mainly becauseFiloni took the opposite approach to Tony Gilory’s work onAndor.
Andorsucceeded because it stands on its own merit, rather than being too reliant on references and fan service. There are certainly familiar characters, elements, and locations, but they only come into the story when necessary. Even if a viewer has never seenRogue One: A Star Wars Storyand doesn’t know where these characters end up, they could still follow the plot and be engaged in the captivating story.
This wouldn’t be a problem ifAhsokahad great performances, exceptional writing, good pacing, etc., but the show is often lacking in all these categories.
Conversely,Ahsokais highly dependent on viewers already being invested in the stories that preceded it. To fully understandAhsoka, viewers must watchStar Wars: The Clone Wars,Star Wars Rebels, andAhsoka’s episode inThe Mandalorianseason 2. This wouldn’t be a problem ifAhsokahad great performances, exceptional writing, good pacing, etc., but the show is often lacking in all these categories.
Dave Filoni Is One Of The Greats, But He’s Not What Star Wars Needs Right Now
Let someone else determine Star Wars' overall direction
Filoni’s contributions to theStar Warsfranchise are undeniable, and he will be a valuable asset to Lucasfilm for many more years. However,most of Filoni’s animated and live-action shows inevitably connect too heavily to past projects. This either makes it hard for new viewers to get intoStar Warsor leads to creators prioritizing fan service and references over quality.
If Filoni eventually takes Kathleen Kennedy’s place as president of Lucasfilm, then he would have more power to continue drivingStar Warsin this direction. The franchise needs more shows likeAndorthat put a fresh spin onStar Wars,somaybe someone with a similar mindset to Tony Gilroy is better suited to head Lucasfilm. All this is pure speculation until Lucasfilm says otherwise, but it’s still worth considering.
Having said all this, I want to stress that I still greatly admireDave Filoni. He’s responsible for some of my favoriteStar Warsstories, andhearing him speak makes it clear that he loves this universe and understands what makes it special. I absolutely want him to stay involved withStar Warsat Lucasfilm, but whenever Kathleen Kennedy decides to step down as president, maybe she should consider passing the torch to someone else.
