Dave Filoni Discusses Ahsoka Tano and Her Future, His Future with STAR WARS Animation, and Not Catering To The Fans

Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Rebels, The Mandalorian) recently sat down with Deadline to discuss his work with the Star Wars franchise. He has done some great things and told some awesome stories in this universe and with him now moving into live-action, it’ll be interesting to see what he ends up bringing the fans in the future.

There’s been a lot of talk about the fan-favorite Star Wars character Ahsoka recently. Not only did she play a huge part in the final season of The Clone Wars, the character is also going to be brought to life in live-action form in The Mandalorian thanks to Rosario Dawson. When talking about the character and why she has mesmerized fans, Filoni says:

“I was fortunate enough to learn directly from George Lucas kind of the Do’s and Don’ts, and it was a learning experience. If my team and I have had any success now, it’s improving and getting better over the years, and learning from George. That’s what makes this all work. I think people like Ahsoka because they relate to her. I think that her being very young and very brash and the way that she behaves allowed the greater scope for her to have a maturity, for her to progress and grow as a character that over a long period of time paid off. I think when people go and watch Luke Skywalker as a young man in a New Hope, a lot of people commented, ‘Oh, he sounds whiny.’  George knew to begin with a character of inexperience, whether we like that or not, and grow them in a way that the audience came to respect them.

“Kids related to Ahsoka because she was a kid first and foremost like them. She was someone growing up at a time. Maybe they related to some of the difficulties she had or some of the challenges she had. She’s right next to one of the greatest Jedi of all time, Anakin, and one of the most skilled and one of the most knowledgeable, Obi-Wan Kenobi. It can be hard when your older brother is somebody that’s impressive and somebody that’s sure of himself.

“I always try to look at it as relating to kids, because I was a kid when I first watched Star Wars. The more real world you make that experience as a character, even if the situation itself is fantastic, the better it relates to the audience, and that’s something that George reinforced time and again to me while I made this stuff.”

One question that a lot of fans have at this point regarding Ahsoka is if there are any plans to develop another project that would completely focus on her, whether it be a TV series or a film. In regards to that, Filoni said:

“I couldn’t speak to anything at this point. I have a lot of ideas and I’m really fortunate that I’ve had the opportunity now to work in both animation and live action, so just getting that exposure is interesting. First for me there’s a story and then I have to decide what’s the best medium, and I think there are certain avenues open to me at this point. Right now I’m really enjoying the collaboration I have with Jon Favreau on Mandalorian. We’re having a great time making that show, and you know, we’ll see. But first, before I decide where it’s going to go, I need to decide on a story I want to tell, and invest my time in, because it’s a lot. I mean, there’s a lot riding on everything Star Wars, especially for me personally, being here so long, I want to make sure I get it right. I’m learning, you know.”

It’s hard not to believe that there are at least discussions going on at Lucasfilm about a project that would continue the story of Ahsoka in some way. It’s a move that makes a lot of sense! It’s something the fans would love to see and if they have a solid story to tell with her, the smart move would be to tell it!

Filoni went on to reveal that he only directed one episode of The Mandalorian in Season 2, and as you might imagine, he’s excited about it:

“I just did one episode this coming season. I’m really excited about it, I wrote it and directed it, so you know, that’ll be a fun thing for me, and I’ve been learning from Jon. He’s a great mentor. You know, to be in that situation in a live-action show with someone like him and a fantastic team of people, it’s a really fortunate place for me to land because you’re with people that can really help you and realize the things that you’re trying to do story-wise.'“

While he’s only directed one episode, the guy is clearly on the set of the series all the time helping out in any way that he can. Hell, if I had the opportunity to be a part of this series I’d be on the set every day as well! With Filoni now in the world of live-action, though, will he ever go back to develop another animated Star Wars series? When asked about that, he said:

“Yeah, I’m really focused on that [The Mandalorian], working with Jon, and we’re having a great time. I’ve got a bunch of things that I’m preparing and mulling over.”

He obviously does offer any information about the things that he’s preparing and mulling over. They could be anything!

Filoni then goes on to talk about the fans of the franchise and if he and George Lucas ever talked about the fans and what they will and won’t allow in the franchise. When asked if he feels that he’s continually walking a tightrope in regard to how they might react, he explained that they don’t cater to the fans, he just wants to tell good stories:

“Well, I don’t know. I don’t really ever think of it in those terms. George and I, we never really talked in those terms as far as what the fans would allow. It was more his experiences making the films and more his sensibilities that we always discussed. Ultimately, when it comes down to it, as the storyteller you have to tell a story that you like and hope other people like it too. I think that there’s enough shared sensibilities of what we all liked about Star Wars as far as this being an adventure, it’s fun, there’s a great deal of tension and mythology, but you know, everyone can come at it from a different point of view.

“Working with George I would be able to watch firsthand decisions being made and instincts he had, and I’ve tried the best I can to replicate that, but ultimately as a fan, I put these stories in the context that I like. I always felt if you’re just chasing what fans are going to like or not like, I don’t think you’ll ever get done. And really early on when I worked here, when I first started on Clone Wars, I thought, if I can’t make this show in a way that’s natural to me, that George likes, then I probably shouldn’t be doing it. I would be wrong for it, and that would be fine, but I had to take my crack at doing it off of what he taught me and see if it worked, and so far so good. Fifteen years later, I’m still here, so I guess I get it right most of the time, I hope.”

This is how Lucasfilm should have handled the final trilogy in the Skywalker saga! Just focus on telling great Star Wars stories, and don’t worry about what the fans might like and might not like. They shouldn’t be worried about the fans. Most of us will be fine.

Filoni has done an incredible job with the projects he’s been a part of and the stories he has told. He is one of the driving forces behind the franchise and it’s a shame that Lucasfilm didn’t bring him in earlier to help with the development of the films. He would have made sure that they took things in the right direction.