May The Force be with the Star Wars director who deemed Anakin Skywalker ‘the greatest Jedi of all time.’
Filmmaker and screenwriter Dave Filoni sparked a fuse of controversy by claiming that the boldly impetuous Jedi who would later metamorphose into a malicious brute is “the greatest.” So, naturally, a frenzy of disbelief took over the entire fandom that was upended at the mere insinuation of such a thing.
While some fans crafted vehement yet calculated arguments to prove otherwise, others went straight for the jugular as they targeted Filoni instead.
The Chaos Caused By Dave Filoni’s ‘Greatest Jedi of All Time’ Comment
Back when the Disney+ series Ahsoka was doing press rounds before its release, a video of Dave Filoni elucidating on Rosario Dawson’s protagonist went viral. In it, the Lucasfilm executive claimed how Ahsoka was trained by Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker, who doubled as “the greatest Jedi of all time” (via Star Wars).
Sure, Anakin was nothing if not a man of potential and valor, but last we checked, he’d fallen prey to The Dark Force and transformed into Darth Vader, a literal agent of evil. And fans know only too well the atrocities he committed as the menacing galactic tyrant.
On the other hand, Anakin – who was easily one of the most formidable Jedis in Star Wars – was given the moniker of the “hero with no fear.” After all, he was the Chosen One, something which was corroborated by Star Wars creator George Lucas himself.
Be that as it may, Filoni’s remark went far from unnoticed and fans of the space opera franchise vehemently protested the idea of Anakin Skywalker being the ‘greatest Jedi’ within the Star Wars universe (via Twitter).
If Not Anakin Skywalker, Then Who?
The debate on who deserves the prestigious crown of the ‘greatest Jedi of all time’ continues even today. While some believe that it should be the small yet stupendously potent humanoid alien Yoda, others claim that nobody deserves the sobriquet more than the legendary Obi-Wan Kenobi under whose aegis Anakin trained to become an unparalleled force.
Although some fans did seem to agree with Filoni’s perspective, they were few and far between as the vast majority pilloried the 50-year-old producer for his unabashed remark.
Prime Obi-Wan would like a word.
— DrixPerspective (@washedjohn) June 8, 2024
That’s a very weird way of saying Obi-Wan.
— 💛❤️💙🤍treystar679 🍉 (@treystar679) June 8, 2024
I perfer ObiWan or Luke over Anakin
— Amy B (@AmyJBurger) June 9, 2024
He’s the coolest but he’s actually one of the worst jedi 😂 So bad in fact actually he became one of the strongest sith ever.
— Myles, Is this easy mode? (@MowzaProduction) June 9, 2024
It’s Yoda and you can’t convince me otherwise
— Josh (@JoshKlein19) June 8, 2024
Meanwhile, the Indiana Jones creator had a completely different outlook and saw Luke Skywalker as the greatest Jedi. In a 2005 Vanity Fair interview, Lucas, akin to Filoni, mentioned how Anakin was well on his way to becoming the ‘greatest Jedi of all time.’ But he believed that after capitulating to the dark side and ultimately turning into a cyborg, Anakin’s potential was rendered untapped and inhibited, even.
Besides the likes of Yoda and Obi-Wan, however, some fans vouched for other characters, including Reva and Cal Kestis. But it looks like this is a debate that may never get settled after all.
