George Lucas collaborated with Dave Filoni to craft Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The beloved animated series fills the gap between the second and third installments of the prequel trilogy. It also introduced Anakin Skywalker’s Jedi Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, who went on to become a fan-favorite and a major player in the overall lore of the galaxy far, far away.
During an interview, Filoni admitted that his plan for The Clone Wars was originally much different. Moreover, it was extremely serious and his take would have drastically changed the origin story of Ahsoka. However, Lucas interjected and made Filoni make some changes that averted a darker backstory for the character, and here is what Filoni had to say about the same.
Dave Filoni Had a Darker Take on The Clone Wars and Ahsoka Tano’s Backstory
George Lucas directed all three installments of the Star Wars prequel trilogy but could not expand on the conflict of the Clone Wars, which was first mentioned during the 1977 original film. As a result, Lucas teamed up with Dave Filoni to shape Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
The animated series takes place during the height of the said conflict and also follows Anakin Skywalker as he trains his Jedi Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, voiced by Ashley Eckstein. For the series, Filoni had originally envisioned a much darker take on the Clone Wars, revealing the same during an interview with WGA West.
So our original edit was a young girl dragged into a war, she was trained as a peacekeeper, and boy is she out of her depth. This is death-defying and this is tension.
Filoni made the above statement, explaining his approach to the character of Ahsoka, who is introduced as a young 14-year-old Force-sensitive girl, who is still training to harness her powers.
The showrunner’s comments suggest that Ahsoka was meant to have a much more tragic backstory in the original version of the animated series. As a result of being a child dragged into a war, Ahsoka’s personality, choices, and overall story arc would have drastically changed because of this darker tone.
George Lucas Had to Step In and Stop Dave Filoni From Making The Clone Wars Too Dark
While Filoni wanted to have a darker backstory for Ahsoka, Lucas felt differently about this particular approach. The filmmaker wanted Filoni to instill a sense of light-heartedness and adventure in the animated series, reminiscent of the original trilogy. Addressing Lucas’ advice, Filoni added:
George had a different take. He said, this young girl has been trained as a Jedi Knight. The moments aren’t too big for her. She can handle it.
Filoni stated that Lucas wanted the writing team to take things less seriously and have more fun with the idea of a young girl being drawn into the Clone Wars while discovering her skills as a Jedi.
Ultimately, Lucas’ interjection resulted in the self-assured and feisty version of Ahsoka we meet in the animated series. Her young age and thirst for adventure are perfectly contrasted by the more serious issues Anakin faces, resulting in some incredible stories.
Despite his darker take being rejected, Filoni drew back some aspects of that concept for the live-action Ahsoka series. In the series, a flashback depicts Ahsoka becoming overwhelmed during a fight in the Clone Wars. Therefore, Filoni at least partially held on to his original plans for Ahsoka’s backstory.
The Clone Wars and other Star Wars media is streaming on Disney+.
