Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm Dave Filoni discussed one key aspect ofStar Wars14 years ago, and his comments have me a little concerned aboutAhsokaseason 2.Ahsokaseason 2 is currently the only live-action project confirmed amongStar Wars’upcoming TV shows, so it feels as though a lot is riding on it.
Althoughdetails aboutAhsokaseason 2have remained tightly under wraps, as is typical inStar Wars,theAhsokafinaledid provide some insight into what this upcoming season could hold, from Ahsoka’s possible reconnection with Anakin Skywalker’s Force Ghost to Thrawn’s efforts to unitethe Imperial Remnant.
Those concepts are certainly exciting, but there’s still so much we don’t know. Now,one 14-year-old interview with Dave Filoni has me particularly worried aboutAhsokaseason 2 because of his commentary on a critical aspect ofStar Wars, although we’ve already forgiven Dave Filoni for it.
Dave Filoni Has Never Really Cared Much About Politics In Star Wars
Contextually, Filoni’s Resistance Makes A Fair Bit Of Sense
As shared bymatpolloyon X,14 years ago, Dave Filoni expressed hesitancy about exploring politics in hisStar Warsprojects, pointing to the idea that fans weren’t really interested in it. Specifically, Filoni said that one episode ofStar Wars: The Clone Warsworked because of the decision to:
“…give some action to the fans that, you know, don’t want all the political speech, let’s be honest. They want a little zip in their Star Wars.”
This quote comes from the behind-the-scenes featurette onThe Clone Warsseason 3, which is particularly notable because it means this interview took place around the midway point of the show—a show which, notably (and by necessity), became more political toward its end.
Eventually,The Clone Warsonly had so much control over how political it needed to be, as it had to run right intoStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, one ofStar Wars’most political installments. Yet,it is the context of theStar Warsprequel trilogy that makes the rationale behind Filoni’s comments easy to understand.
That is, one of the biggestcomplaints about theStar Warsprequel trilogywas its emphasis on politics. AsThe Clone Warswas released not long after the prequels, it makes sense that this criticism would be front of mind for Filoni. The notion thatStar Warsfans wanted some ‘zip’ was therefore likely dead-on accurate at the time.
While this assessment may have been understandable 14 years ago, though,some worry that Filoni might have maintained this resistance to exploring the political, based onAhsokaseason 1. In fact, many viewers found thatAhsokaseason 1’s political scenes were a bit lacking at a time when they really needed to land.
Ahsoka Season 1’s Political Scenes Were The Show’s Biggest Weakness
Ahsoka Season 1’s Political Scenes Generally Didn’t Land
Ahsoka Tano is inarguably Filoni’s brainchild, and he continues to define that character’s story today. Given Ahsoka remains one ofStar Wars’best charactersand a beloved fan favorite, it’s safe to say Filoni has done well with the character. Yet, Ahsoka’s show proved disappointing for some (and not because of her).
Specifically,some viewers felt thatAhsoka’spolitical scenes were among the show’s least compelling. This included the scenes involving the New Republic senators, who spent considerable time deliberating over the fate to be decided for Hera Syndulla, who had acted without the permission of the Senate.
That was a shame, as politics should be at least a partial focus at this point intheStar Warstimeline. After all, with the Empire having fallen and the New Republic scrambling to pick up the pieces, quickly rebuild, and safeguard the future of the galaxy against lingering Imperial threats, this political landscape would be an interesting one.
It’s also a bit ironic, particularly givenGrand Admiral Thrawn’sown story in Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn books, in which his own struggles with playing politics were at the fore. The humor of that aside,this has led to some concerns about whatAhsokaseason 2 could holdin terms of its story and its success.
Dave Filoni Really Needs To Get Another Writer Involved With Ahsoka Season 2
We Adore Filoni, But We Really Do Need Someone With A Political Mindset Involved
Dave Filoni has had an incredible influence onStar Wars, and I’m excited to see how he fleshes out Ahsoka’s story, as well as the stories of characters like Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger, and even Anakin Skywalker. Even with my adoration of Filoni, however, I can see thatAhsokaseason 2 really needs to bring someone politically-minded onto the team.
As mentioned, it’s understandable, contextually, that Filoni was resistant to a deep-dive into politics inThe Clone Wars, and Filoni’s interest is clearly having fun with the characters and the thrilling story opportunities this galaxy far, far away offers (the ‘zip’ he referred to in that interview). However,Ahsokaseason 2 can’t abandon politics.
Ahsokaseason 2 can’t abandon politics.
The criticism ofAhsokaseason 1 makes that clear, butAhsokawill now be compared to anotherStar Warsshow as well, and it has an uphill battle in that respect.Andorproved to be one ofStar Wars’best TV shows, and part of what made that show so successful was its brilliant exploration of politics inStar Wars.
Revisiting that same irony,Dave Filoni could even take a page out of Thrawn’s book here as he, too, needed to bring on political allies to achieve his aims. In fact, the combination of Filoni’s creativity and depth of knowledge as George Lucas' protégé with a political writer (perhaps even fromAndor) would be brilliant.
I’m not part of the cohort who thinks Dave Filoni has had any negative impact onStar Wars—far from it—but I do think Filoni recognizing his limitations here would be a positive thing. We already forgive (and understand) Dave Filoni’s resistance to politics inStar Wars, butAhsokaseason 2 really does need it.
