Dave Filoni’s obsession with wolves is pretty well-known among the Star Wars community, as the filmmaker has not been very subtle with their inclusion in his Star Wars filmography. From naming one of the Clone Commanders Wolffe and his personal squad The Wolfpack to incorporating species of Space Wolves with insane Force abilities, Filoni’s dedication to wolves is admirable.
Following his obsession with them, the current Chief creative officer of Lucasfilm recalled George Lucas once teased him during the making of Clone Wars.
George Lucas Teased Dave Filoni Following His Obsession With Wolves
Wolves have been always fascinating to Dave Filoni since he watched 1983’s Never Cry Wolf, which opened his eyes “to the world and the environment and wolves”. Since delving into the realm of Star Wars, the Ahsoka showrunner has put his love for the animal on full display, which can be both subtle and very on the nose.
Although Filoni refrained from using actual animals for Rebels and Clone Wars despite painting characters alongside wolves, he revealed George Lucas used to tease him about his obsession.
He recalled:
George [Lucas] and I used to talk about it [during Clone Wars] and he’d tease me about it a little bit
Filoni also encouraged viewers, fascinated by his depictions of the lothwolf to take an interest in learning more about real-life wolves.
Dave Filoni Draws Parallels Between Wolves and The Force
While expressing his fascination with the wolves, the Ahsoka showrunner stressed that in folklore, wolves are either seen as positive or vilified, depending on the story. Following this contrast, which varies on the story’s perspective, Filoni found this duality similar to the Force in the Star Wars universe. Considering both wolves and Force have a dark and light side, the Star Wars Rebels creator found them interesting symbols.
They have this duality towards mankind and a representation that to me is very similar to the Force. The Force has a dark side and a light side. These animals have stories that seem to have a dark side and a light side. I thought that they made an interesting symbol as far as an interaction with our Jedi characters [went] and what they might think of them. Or what they might think [the wolves] are actually saying to them.
But wolves aren’t alone, which falls in Filoni’s interests, as he also bears healthy knowledge about witches, as he mentored Leslye Headland on incorporating witches into The Acolyte.
Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars are available to stream on Disney Plus.
