Star Wars: Ahsoka Fans Celebrate Dave Filoni's Birthday

Star Wars fans are celebrating Dave Filoni's birthday. The Clone Wars veteran turns 49 today and people are posting their favorite moments from his extensive work with the galaxy far, far away. As Star Wars television has ramped up with the arrival of Disney+, Filoni has taken on even more of a role in the creative circle making decisions. His work with Jon Favreau on The Mandalorian delivered the streaming service's first sure-fire hit. As time has gone on, more of his creations from the animated worlds of The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels have seeped in over time. Star Wars: Ahsoka fans were delighted to see Thrawn positioned as the big bad of this era and he told Empire Magazine all about that last month.

"Definitely, in my eyes. When Timothy Zahn wrote Heir to the Empire, Thrawn became this very iconic villain, because he was different than anything we'd seen before. He wasn't another helmet-wearing, lightsaber-wielding bad guy, you know? There's a lot of pull to make characters that are like Vader, because it is so iconic," Filoni explained.

"But the boldness that Tim had was to make somebody that wasn't like that, that didn't have those abilities, but could fight in a different way," he added. "In the words 'Star Wars,' the 'war' part of it -- him being a Grand Admiral, a leader, a military strategist, a Moriarty archetype, someone that will out-think you, out-strategize you -- that really resonated. He's a critical player in this time period. We're fortunate to have that character, and fortunate to have Lars [Mikkelsen] playing him."

Have you enjoyed Filoni's increased role in the franchise? Let us know in the comments down below!