The Star Wars franchise desperately needs an infusion of new creative voices, following the recent failure of some of its streaming outings. Dave Filoni, who has a long history of working in the space opera franchise seemingly plans to do exactly that as he opened up about the future of Star Wars in a new interview.
Filoni was promoted to the role of Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm in 2023. At a recent awards function, he was asked about the scope of his new role and the future of the Star Wars franchise. In response, Filoni laid down his philosophy to shape future installments, which is arguably much better than what Leslye Headland attempted with The Acolyte.
Dave Filoni Discussed His New Star Wars Role as the Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer
Dave Filoni has worked on some of the most popular Star Wars shows, starting with The Clone Wars animated series. He currently serves as the CCO of Lucasfilm, playing a key role in shaping the future of the galaxy far, far away.
At the 2024 Saturn Awards, Filoni was asked about his new role and plans for the space opera franchise’s future. The Ahsoka creator stated that he was excited about his new role, which allowed him to interact with other creators and help them bring their unique voices to the franchise.
It’s not me telling people how things should be. It’s this great creative collaboration and consideration and inspiration that goes both ways. And I think that’s how you grow as an artist and learn.
Filoni made the above statement, laying down his philosophy for shaping the franchise’s future.
The CCO’s words are in alignment with the approach he followed when he started out as the showrunner for The Clone Wars animated series. From Filoni’s words, it is evident that he values collaboration more than anything, which might just be what the franchise needs to pull itself out of a slump.
Dave Filoni’s Star Wars Philosophy Is Much Better Than Leslye Headland’s The Acolyte
Filoni’s statement also implied that the CCO values individual voices. However, Filoni’s philosophy is built on the idea of mutual respect, something that seems to be sorely lacking when looking at The Acolyte, the latest addition to the Star Wars universe.
Created by Leslye Headland, the series has been largely criticized for its poor writing, uneven pacing, and a myriad of other issues. Fans have also argued that the series has broken several aspects of the franchise’s lore set up by creator George Lucas himself.
In response to the criticism, Headland has often spoken against the arguments made by the fanbase, while also backtracking certain ideas the show itself puts forward, which are contradictory to the franchise’s lore.
Moreover, Headland is a self-proclaimed fan of the franchise, which makes it even more frustrating to watch her series not honor what came before and turn into an incoherent and inconsistent mess.
Ultimately, it is safe to say that Headland’s approach clearly hasn’t worked. On the other hand, Filoni’s simple philosophy, despite the mixed reception of Ahsoka season 1 is likely to benefit the franchise in the long run.
The Acolyte and other Star Wars shows are streaming on Disney+.
