The hierarchy of power in the Star Wars galaxy is changing, with Dave Filoni taking over as the Chief Creative Officer at LucasFilm. Whether that is a good move or not remains to be seen, but he has promised we’ll see something fresh compared to what’s come before.
It’s fair to say Star Wars has endured ups and downs over the last decade. While Disney’s big screen efforts have largely been successful (The Rise of Skywalker aside), the studio has struggled with its various Star Wars series, often relying too much on the past.
There are a number of new Star Wars movies on the way, and Filoni is going to be a huge part of bringing them to life. Speaking to Vanity Fair about what we can expect from the new movies, Filoni did give us some hope: “I’m setting up what seems to be a larger conflict with the Imperial remnant. That conflict can’t just mirror what we’ve seen before. It has to take on a different shape. It can’t just be the Empire versus what looks like the Rebellion, or even the Republic. It has to be visually different.”
That’s music to my ears, to be honest. I love Star Wars so much, but it’s a franchise that has been crying out for something of a tonal and thematic shift for a long time. The Star Wars characters we’ve loved over the last 45 years are just a small fraction of the galaxy, and it’s time to move on.
Filoni is not innocent in that respect — both The Mandalorian and Ahsoka are full of nostalgia bait and references to the Skywalker family tree — and I’m not expecting him to give up that attachment too easily. Still, the fact he understands the franchise needs to offer fans something different at this stage is a positive step in the right direction.
In his new role, Filoni will have a bigger influence on the future of Star Wars, including which characters are used and what stories they will tell. An unhealthy obsession with Star Wars villain Grand Admiral Thrawn aside, one thing you have to admit is that Filoni is incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about Star Wars.
Having someone like that at the heart of the creative team at Star Wars can only be a good thing, surely. Remember, Filoni is the man who gave us The Clone Wars; he knows what makes for great conflict in this galaxy; he just needs to find the right way to frame that conflict. And he really, really needs to learn to kill his darlings.
We have a while to wait until we see just how brave and bold Filoni will be with his vision for the future of Star Wars, so why not rewatch all the Star Wars movies in order again (one more time won’t hurt)? While you’re at it, learn all about the Star Wars cast, or look ahead to the Andor season 2 release date and The Acolyte release date. If you’ve lost faith in the Force, you could always dive into something totally different, like Deadpool 3.