If Star Wars fans have taught us anything, it’s that they can be a tough crowd to please. While most of them are passionate about the storied franchise and what happens to their favorite characters, some can be a bit demanding when it comes to what they personally want to see. This is something that Lucasfilm has been dealing with for years. Although, Star Wars: The Clone Wars producer Dave Filoni doesn’t fret when it comes to meeting fan expectations. He only thinks of it in terms of what he’s doing as a storyteller, something he learned from working with George Lucas:
Well, I don’t know. 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. 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.
Dave Filoni explained to Deadline that he can only craft a story within a context that he’s comfortable with and, if he spends too much time only focusing on what the fans will think, you probably won’t get a product that you’re satisfied with:
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. 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. Fifteen years later, I’m still here, so I guess I get it right most of the time, I hope.
There’s a lot of merit to Dave Filoni’s logic. Storytellers can only tell the tales that feels right to them. If it’s not something they would want to see, there’s a good chance other people may not want to either. Taking every single fan suggestion into account could also cause creatives to second guess themselves. Plus, in any situation, you’re probably not going to please everyone anyway, so there’s really no point and aiming for such a difficult feat.
And Filoni’s career does speak for itself, as he’s added more than a few things to Star Wars lore through The Clone Wars and Rebels. His work his garnered praise from fans and Lucas himself. One of his greatest achievements has to be the character of Ahsoka Tano, who he transformed from a naïve padawan into an accomplished Jedi Knight.
More recently, Dave Filoni also proved his strong storytelling abilities through the Clone Wars series finale, which effectively wrapped up the animated series.
It’s no wonder Dave Filoni has been so successful for so long and, if he maintains this way of thinking, the Star Wars franchise should thrive for years to come.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is now streaming on Disney+.
