The once-beloved Star Wars filmmaker Dave Filoni might now be falling out of grace with the fanbase that once loved him.
Filoni has been a massive creative force behind Star Wars for two decades now. Putting aside the specific projects he's created (The Clone Wars, Rebels, Bad Batch, etc.), the man has added some of the most crucial lore the franchise has ever known.
He created the beloved Ahsoka Tano, helped properly flesh out the prequel era, better Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side, expanded the mythology of The Force, and so much more.
The Tide Might Be Turning Against Dave Filoni
Recently, there's been a shift among many fans regarding the reputation of Star Wars filmmaker Dave Filoni, turning the tide against the once revered creative.
On social media, the negative sentiment against Filoni isn't hard to find. As X (formerly Twitter) user @CodyFandom_ pointed out in the comment section of a post from The Direct, there's "a bunch of people who've turned their back on Dave entirely."
For example, user @dirtyoldashaman feels very strongly against Filoni's time with Star Wars currently, going as far as to claim that "he's lived long enough to become the villain:"
"Dave turned his back on us. He’s on board with Kathleen. He praised Headland and signed off on this along with all the terrible decisions on ['The Mandalorian'], 'Ahsoka' and 'BoBF'. He’s lived long enough to become the villain. Time for an entire leadership change."
Alongside the announcement of Dave Filoni co-writing The Mandalorian and Grogu, X user @thatstarwarsgirl complained that the movie will surely be "filled with plot holes:"
"So it’s going to be filled with plot holes, lore breaking tropes & random wolves? Yay…."
@HYPErBeam.bnb declared that "Season 3 fell off pretty hard:"
"Unless Din Djarin ends up making a new dark saber and is the one to ride the Mythosaur, then idk man.. Season 3 fell off pretty hard."
@SamuelStark93 pointed specifically to the failings of The Acolyte while falling out Filoni when responding to the harsh feedback: "After 'The Acolyte' and the last few year... don't blame them."
While it might seem odd to blame Filoni for The Acolyte (and it still kind of is), the reasoning for that is because the filmmaker is the Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm––which means he does have final approval on scripts.
Is the Hate for Dave Filoni Reasonable?
It is interesting to see a new parallel unfold, as fans' reactions to Dave Filoni's recent material does mirror the general reception of Star Wars creator George Lucas' later work in the series.
While Lucas was renowned for the original trilogy, he quickly fell out of favor with most fans as the prequel trilogy was released. Ironically, that's when Dave Filoni first experienced his rise in the Star Wars world with his beloved work on The Clone Wars.
From there, he went on to craft another beloved animated series, Star Wars: Rebels. Filoni was even partially involved in The Mandalorian's early seasons, content which saved the franchise following the abysmal reactions to Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
There's not to say that there isn't room for criticism when it comes to Dave Filoni's Star Wars work. While his mythology can be really intriguing, his written dialogue is lacking at points.
But one thing is clear: he is extremely passionate about the franchise and knows his stuff. It's hard to see how that's a bad thing for Star Wars at this point.
After all, the first footage for The Mandalorian and Grogu looked pretty damn promising.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is set to hit theaters at some point in 2026, while Dave Filoni's Ahsoka Season 2 is in development.
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