Summary
When it comes to theStar Warsfranchise, the fans have always been vocal regarding their issues with new projects. This started with the prequels, and persists to this day. These days, fans seem to blame one individual: Lucasfilm President, Kathleen Kennedy. From constant rumors of being fired, to continually questioning her ability to do the job, Kennedy takes the blame for everything wrong withStar Wars.
However, Kennedy is only one person, and she isn’t the only one behind the current state ofStar Wars. In fact,Dave Filoni is theChief Creative Officerat Lucasfilm, and yet, he somehow manages to escape the same criticism as Kennedy.With Filoni serving as an important figure within the franchise, helping to develop new projects, it’s only fair for him to bear some of theStar Warscriticism.
Dave Filoni’s Involvement with Star Wars
Dave Filoni began his career as a director on the hit Nickelodeon series,Avatar: The Last Airbenderin 2005. He left Nickelodeon after George Lucas offered him a job developing an animatedStar Warsseries, which would becomeStar Wars: The Clone Wars. While he only worked as a director onThe Clone Wars, it would serve as Filoni’s first foray into a galaxy far, far away. Filoni’s first bigStar Warsproject would beStar Wars: Rebels, where he served not only as a director, but also as an executive producer and writer. Filoni continued working onStar Warsanimated projects, includingStar Wars: The Clone Wars, before making the leap to live-action projects withThe Mandalorianin 2019.
Since then, the ever-busy producer and director has been a part of every newStar Warsseries. Having been very involved withStar Wars’most recent offerings, at least on the smaller screen, Filoni waspromoted toChief Creative Officer at Lucasfilmlast year, reporting directly to Kathleen Kennedy. This new position allows Filoni to be involved from the point of a project’s inception, giving him more power at Lucasfilm over more than just the animated projects.
The news of Filoni’s promotion was well-received by fans, who hoped that theStar Warsfranchise would soon return to a positive standing. However, it’s important to note that, while Filoni was only promoted within the last year, he has been a part of theStar Warscreative team for over a decade now. He’s been involved in nearly every Disney+ series that has hailed from Lucasfilm, including the poorly receivedThe Book of Boba Fett. Yet, he hasn’t received half the criticism that Kennedy has received forStar Wars' current state.
Why Kathleen Kennedy Doesn’t Deserve All the Blame
With Kennedy serving as thepresident of Lucasfilm, most of the blame regardingStar Wars' current state falls on her. However, the problems with theStar Warsfranchise seem to stem more from the creative side of things, which the Chief Creative Officer would be in charge of handling. Recently, the franchise has resorted to using cheap tricks and lackluster storytelling along with fan service to try and propel the franchise forward. These tactics have disappointed fans and hurt the franchise as a whole.
Interestingly, Marvel Studios (another Disney banner) has also faced these criticisms in recent years. However, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige hasn’t been the one to carry the blame for the subpar projects. So, why is the situation so different when it comes toStar Wars? Filoni is more hands-on withStar Warsthan Kennedy; yet, he seems to come out unscathed.
This is an issue that Filoni needs to tackle going forward.Star Warsneeds to go back to what makes it such a classic franchise. It needs to try to recapture that magic through its storytelling rather than relying on fanservice moments that are meant to prop up poor storytelling. With Lucasfilm already in production onThe Mandalorian & Grogu, it remains to be seen whether the creative team has learned from its past mistakes.
Over the past few years, Lucasfilm has had a slew ofStar Warsprojects announced that haveyet to come to fruition. Given the state of the franchise, one has to hope that those involved with thedevelopment of new projects, Filoni included, take the time to consider what each project has to offer and whether the story is strong enough to be told. Racing to put out new content will not helpStar Wars, or Filoni, successfully pivot the franchise to where it needs to be. There needs to be a creative overhaul, and it needs to start at the developmental phase with creatives who have what it takes to understand the strength of a good story. Given Filoni’s long career with Lucasfilm andStar Wars, it’s about time he was held accountable for the franchise’s state, too.
