Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have been described as the “saviors of Star Wars”. But why do people think that Star Wars needed someone to save it?
Star Wars has been around for forty-five years. It started with George Lucas having an idea but before being able to make his movie he had to prove himself as a capable director.
Once he made A New Hope, the entertainment world changed forever. The innovative practical and special effects combined with the technology he and his team developed set the base of modern filmmaking. You can learn more about this on the Industrial Light and Magic Documentary.
A couple of decades went by and George Lucas decided to do another trilogy, this time the story would be about a young Anakin Skywalker. Everything would be centered on the young Padawan; his development as a powerful Jedi Knight and the eventual downfall of the chosen one to the dark side.
This trilogy gave us the best lightsaber duels to date, characters that would be beloved by millions, and the most heartbreaking moment in all of Star Wars history. There are many things in this trilogy that are either loved or hated but the huge impact that it had on fans of all ages is undeniable.
As someone who was born in the 90s, the prequel trilogy is what I grew up with. I saw Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé develop and mature as characters; as much as I love Luke, Leia, and Han, the emotional bond I have with the characters of the prequel trilogy is on a whole different level.
Three years after Revenge of the Sith was released in cinemas, The Clone Wars animated show aired for the first time. This show was created by George Lucas but Dave Filoni directed it.
Our first experience with The Clone Wars was a small movie that introduced a character that was “controversial” at the time but that has become one of the most treasured Jedi of all: Ahsoka Tano.
This series began as a very light-hearted show where the powerful Jedi generals led the armies of the Republic against an endless supply of battle droids. As time passed, the episodes became darker and more “real”.
Exploring themes like politics, the side effects of war, manipulation of the facts, and how the people in power will rarely put the interests and well-being of the people above theirs.
The Clone Wars let us experience the conflict between the Galactic Republic and the CIS through many different lenses. We were able to learn a lot about Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka in a much more intimate way.
This helped us all to appreciate the characters to a bigger extent but at the same time, it makes it more painful every time I see Revenge of the Sith.
The 2000s were also full of incredible Star Wars games that changed how we see Star Wars forever. Knights of the Old Republic, Republic Commando, The Force Unleashed, Battlefront, Galaxies, Jedi Knight, Rogue Squadron, and more. The kind of stories that fascinated us as kids were brought to the gaming industry in ways that were revolutionary for both games and Star Wars itself.
The Clone Wars and these incredible Star Wars games were enough to keep us engaged for a good number of years but everything changed in October of 2012 when it was announced that The Walt Disney Company acquired the Star Wars franchise for 4 billion dollars.
It was a very strange announcement and the responses were mostly negative, I remember watching a lot of memes and posts of angry fans calling out George for this decision.
The Clone Wars was canceled and as a result, the “final season” was inconsequential to the story. Or at least that’s how I think of it. With no proper ending, we were left with more questions than answers.
On top of it, a lot of the content we all loved so much would no longer be considered canon, because Disney wanted to create their own Star Wars content.
Star Wars fans aren’t the most welcoming when it comes to change, that is no secret, so you can picture (or probably remember) the kind of things that were said about Disney, George, and the entire situation.
I remember not knowing how to feel about it. It was strange, to say the least, at that point in time I was a little detached from Star Wars so that probably helped me come to terms with the situation.
In 2014, Star Wars Rebels was released on Disney XD. This is another animated show that appeared to be aimed towards kids but the stories and characters are on par with what we saw on The Clone Wars. This is no coincidence, as Dave Filoni was one of the creators of the show.
The visual style of Rebels is something that might turn off the grown-up audience but this is compensated by the great stories and shocking plot twists that happen in this series. I highly recommend you to watch it, especially if you want to have the context for the Ahsoka series.
Three years later after the Star Wars acquisition by The Mouse company, The Force Awakens was released in theaters. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking but many of us thought that it had the potential to be something interesting. Nostalgia and excitement about a new Star Wars trilogy were at their highest.
Fast forward four years and the excitement is pretty much gone. To say that The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker are controversial would be an understatement.
Some people love them while others hate these movies. In financial terms, they were a huge success but many of the more dedicated fans were furious about how the trilogy ended.
Apart from the sequel trilogy, two other movies were released; Rogue One and (Han) Solo. Rogue One did decent enough at the box office but Han Solo failed to reach Disney’s expectations. It was after this that the higher-ups decided to re-think their strategy regarding future Star Wars content.
The decade of 2010-2020 saw the success of streaming platforms. Many of the Disney shows and movies were being streamed on Netlix because Disney didn’t have their own platform. But this would change in November 2019.
Disney’s catalog of classic movies and shows is immense, but even they had to come up with something that would convince the customers to buy their product.
A series that was appealing and new while also having something familiar so that everyone could relate to it, this series was The Mandalorian.
I still remember when I saw the first episode. Watching Din Djarin walk into that cantina while hearing the iconic Mandalorian theme play for the first time.
Watching him take out those thugs, and then hearing Pedro Pascal speak for the first time: “I can bring you in warm or I can bring you in cold”. This was an incredible way to begin the series that would mark the new age of Star Wars content.
The first episode introduced Din Djarin; a lethal, mysterious, and charismatic character. Mandalorians are one of the most iconic groups in Star Wars and they have been around for decades but this didn’t prevent the more mainstream fans from instantly being captivated by this show.
It only took one season for The Mandalorian to take over the world. A western-inspired series inside the Star Wars universe where the main character is a deadly Mandalorian with charisma and strong paternal instincts towards an adorable being that is surrounded by mystery itself was amazing.
A new era for Star Wars was about to begin and the men responsible for it were Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni.
Six months after The Mandalorian was released, the last and final season of The Clone Wars aired. This time it would be a proper final season where many questions would finally be answered.
The debut of the Bad Batch, Ahsoka Tano’s return, the Siege of Mandalore, and the dramatic tie-in with Revenge of the Sith.
The series beloved by fans that grew up with it (including myself) got the ending it deserved. It was emotional, epic, and incredibly satisfying.
More than a year later, The Mandalorian would return for the second season. In my opinion, the best season of a Star Wars show. It introduced new characters and most importantly, it brought back fan-favorite characters like Bo-Katan, Ahsoka Tano, and Boba Fett.
The bond between Grogu and Din Djarin grew stronger with every episode, but so did the stakes. Moff Gideon is a very stubborn enemy and he would do anything to complete his objective. He pushed Din Djarin to the limit but the Moff didn’t know what he was getting into.
The season 2 Finale of The Mandalorian is to this date my favorite episode of any Star Wars series ever. Boba Fett, Din Djarin, Bo-Katan, Cara Dune, Koska Reeves, and Fennec Shand against Moff Gideon and his Phase III Dark Troopers. As good as they were as a strike team, the Dark Troopers were too much to handle.
It looked like everything was doomed and then the most shocking thing happened. Luke Skywalker himself appeared out of nowhere and showed the prowess of a true Jedi Master. Every time that I watch that scene I get goosebumps and the greatest thing is that it’s not even the most emotional moment of the episode.
Din Djarin saying farewell to his adoptive son is my favorite emotive moment of Star Wars just after Order 66. I still remember tearing up when watching it, and the best thing is that there were thousands of fans that felt the same way. Filoni and Favreau did it again.
I firmly believe that when people love their work it shows, especially in any sort of creative environment. Whenever I watch something that involves Filoni and Favreau I know that it is something made by some very hardcore fans, especially Filoni.
This can be seen not only in their work but also in interviews. Star Wars Celebration 2023 happened last week and it is a very good example of it. Filoni mentions how after the prequel trilogy many fans said that “Star Wars was over”, this happened again with the sequels and it will probably happen again.
Accepting change is not easy when people are so emotionally invested in something that is such a significant part of their childhoods. Not everything will meet our expectations and that’s fine. Even if something is not my cup of tea I appreciate that Filoni, Favreau, and the people at Lucasfilm are still trying new things.
Andor, Star Wars Visions, The Acolyte, Tales of the Jedi, and The Bad Batch are just some of the more recent projects. All of them have their own identity and while Filoni and Favreau aren’t involved in some of them I believe that without their work none of these new series would exist. Particularly Andor and The Acolyte because of the risk those series represent.
My favorite moment of the interview at SWC 2023 was when Dave Filoni got very emotional when talking about how much the fans have supported their work and how invested they are in the characters. I know it sounds a little too cliche but without us fans, these series and projects would never be made.
What the Favreau/Filoni duo have contributed to Star Wars can’t be understated. Creating the series that would warranty Disney millions of monthly subscribers, introducing characters from animated series into live-action, and most importantly, connecting major storylines. Ahsoka, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and all three trilogies.
That is something that has to be done very carefully. The infamous line “Somehow Palpatine return” left many fans upset and confused. The sequels were very controversial, to say the least, but with shows like Ahsoka, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and The Bad Batch the puzzle is slowly being put together.
Not everything can be of the same quality and not everything will be equally enjoyed by fans but I think that so far they have made a very good job. The best thing is that they are also teaching the future generation of producers and writers.
Star Wars is a generational thing and as such, they will eventually have to pass the torch to younger talents, just like George did with Dave. Disney’s buyout of Star Wars made many believe that the franchise was doomed but with Dave and Jon leading the way, Star Wars is at its best state in decades, maybe ever.
