Star Wars: Dave Filoni Says He’s Not Worried About Fan Backlash

Star Wars fans are known as some of the most passionate of any fandom, which also means they are some of the most difficult to please, with Dave Filoni recently detailing how not only does he never think of how fans will receive a story after its release, but also that George Lucas never concerns himself with those reactions. Having created the beloved Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, Filoni has found success by following his instincts with the galaxy far, far away, which we can assume will continue with his work on Season Two of The Mandalorian.

“I don’t really ever think of it in those terms. George and I, we never really talked in those terms as far as what the fans would allow,” Filoni shared with Deadline when discussing the anticipation of fan reactions. “It was more his experiences making the films and more his sensibilities that we always discussed. Ultimately, when it comes down to it, as the storyteller you have to tell a story that you like and hope other people like it too. I think that there’s enough shared sensibilities of what we all liked about Star Wars as far as this being an adventure, it’s fun, there’s a great deal of tension and mythology, but you know, everyone can come at it from a different point of view.”

Given that it focused in the prequel era and that it was an animated series, The Clone Wars didn’t initially win over Star Wars audiences, only for Filoni to prove over the course of seven total seasons his storytelling abilities, which he also demonstrated with Rebels and in his work on Season One of The Mandalorian. While Lucas himself may have left his franchise behind for good, Filoni’s approach to the saga appears to be the closest we’ll get to Lucas’ return.

“Working with George I would be able to watch firsthand decisions being made and instincts he had, and I’ve tried the best I can to replicate that, but ultimately as a fan, I put these stories in the context that I like,” Filoni admitted. “I always felt if you’re just chasing what fans are going to like or not like, I don’t think you’ll ever get done. And really early on when I worked here, when I first started on Clone Wars, I thought, if I can’t make this show in a way that’s natural to me, that George likes, then I probably shouldn’t be doing it. I would be wrong for it, and that would be fine, but I had to take my crack at doing it off of what he taught me and see if it worked, and so far so good. 15 years later, I’m still here, so I guess I get it right most of the time, I hope.”

While there are no currently announced plans for a new animated series, there are a number of live-action series in the works, leaving fans to wonder which ones Filoni could potentially play a part in developing.

What do you think of Filoni’s remarks? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!