Dave Filoni's work for Lucasfilm makes him seem ideal to take on this role someday, from his first job as supervising director on Star Wars: The Clone Wars to his current position as Star Wars TV shows proves the franchise doesn't need Filoni as president.

Andor Is The TV Show That Dave Filoni Had The Least Involvement With

And he's involved in just about everything!

Filoni has been involved in nearly every Star Wars television production since ing Lucasfilm in 2005. He was a director or supervising director on seven shows, the creator of six, a writer on seven, an executive producer on eleven, the showrunner on four, and more. His promotion to Chief Creative Officer in 2023 means Filoni is now a creative consultant for the early development of most Star Wars projects.

Andor is one of the few exceptions to this rule, with Filoni having no credits and seemingly no involvement. This isn't a big surprise, as Filoni is primarily involved with the animated series or the live-action shows directly connected to The Mandalorian. Filoni also wasn't promoted to Chief Creative Officer until 2023, so he wouldn't have been involved in the early development of Andor.

Understandably, Filoni can't be involved in everything, but this stands out to me because Andor is easily one of the best Star Wars TV shows, if not the best. It has fantastic production values, near-flawless writing, more room to breathe across 12 episodes, and a solid character arc for Cassian Andor. Of course, Filoni wasn't involved with disappointing shows like The Acolyte, but Andor is notably the polar opposite of one of Filoni's Star Wars shows.

Everything Andor Does Right... Ahsoka Does Wrong

Two completely different approaches to Star Wars

One of the most recent Star Wars shows created by Filoni was Ahsoka, where he served as showrunner, wrote every episode and directed two episodes. As a huge fan of Filoni's previous shows, I really wanted to love this Ahsoka, and there is a lot it does right. Unfortunately, most of its first season is underwhelming, mainly because Filoni took the opposite approach to Tony Gilory's work on Andor.

Andor succeeded because it stands on its own merit, rather than being too reliant on references and fan service. There are certainly familiar characters, elements, and locations, but they only come into the story when necessary. Even if a viewer has never seen Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and doesn't know where these characters end up, they could still follow the plot and be engaged in the captivating story.

Conversely, Ahsoka is highly dependent on viewers already being invested in the stories that preceded it. To fully understand Ahsoka, viewers must watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and Ahsoka's episode in The Mandalorian season 2. This wouldn't be a problem if Ahsoka had great performances, exceptional writing, good pacing, etc., but the show is often lacking in all these categories.

Dave Filoni Is One Of The Greats, But He's Not What Star Wars Needs Right Now

Let someone else determine Star Wars' overall direction

Filoni's contributions to the Star Wars franchise are undeniable, and he will be a valuable asset to Lucasfilm for many more years. However, most of Filoni's animated and live-action shows inevitably connect too heavily to past projects. This either makes it hard for new viewers to get into Star Wars or leads to creators prioritizing fan service and references over quality.

If Filoni eventually takes Kathleen Kennedy's place as president of Lucasfilm, then he would have more power to continue driving Star Wars in this direction. The franchise needs more shows like Andor that put a fresh spin on Star Wars, so maybe someone with a similar mindset to Tony Gilroy is better suited to head Lucasfilm. All this is pure speculation until Lucasfilm says otherwise, but it's still worth considering.

Having said all this, I want to stress that I still greatly ire Dave Filoni. He's responsible for some of my favorite Star Wars stories, and hearing him speak makes it clear that he loves this universe and understands what makes it special. I absolutely want him to stay involved with Star Wars at Lucasfilm, but whenever Kathleen Kennedy decides to step down as president, maybe she should consider ing the torch to someone else.

Dave Filoni

Birthdate

June 7, 1974

Birthplace

Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, USA

Notable Projects

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Height

5 feet 8 inches

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