Movies

Star Wars Fans Are Repeating Past Mistakes and Still Wrong 13 Years Later

BBG News

As a devoted cinephile, I recently found myself utterly captivated by my latest binge-watching experience – Disney+’s blockbuster hit, “Andor.” This masterpiece, crafted brilliantly by Tony Gilroy, is undeniably one of the most compelling additions to the Disney+ Star Wars franchise. Over two gripping seasons, it delves into the life of Cassian Andor before the events of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” taking us through his recruitment into the Rebellion and his formative years as an Alliance agent. The series has garnered universal acclaim for its intense narrative, emotionally resonant character development, and powerhouse acting performances.

As a devoted cinema enthusiast and ardent Star Wars fan, I can’t help but join the chorus of praise for the critically acclaimed series, Andor. However, it seems that this admiration for Gilroy’s masterpiece has ignited debates among fans, leading some to critique other Star Wars projects which they believe fail to measure up to the grandeur of Andor. Regrettably, this discourse appears to be a reenactment of the past, as the Star Wars fandom seems to be repeating history by voicing criticisms towards one of the franchise’s esteemed creators.

Star Wars Fans Are Turning on Dave Filoni After Andor’s Success

Misguided Fans Are Trying to Pit Dave Filoni Against Tony Gilroy (And They’ve Done This Before)

Following the acclaim of the latest Star Wars production, some ardent Star Wars fans are unwisely criticizing Dave Filoni, the new Head Creative Officer at Lucasfilm, who has been a key figure in the Star Wars universe for years. He served as supervising director and executive producer for numerous popular animated series such as The Clone Wars and Rebels, and contributed to the development of live-action Disney+ series like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, eventually taking on the role of showrunner for Ahsoka. Now, Filoni is poised to direct his first live-action feature film, marking the conclusion of the current Star Wars era, often called “the Mandoverse.” However, despite the widespread praise for Dave Filoni’s Star Wars projects, some fans are attempting to twist the positive reviews of Andor into a negative reflection on the Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm. They scrutinize minor aspects of Filoni’s more child-oriented series, suggesting that his work is inferior to Tony Gilroy’s successful Disney+ miniseries.

It’s quite astonishing to see Star Wars enthusiasts, who are renowned for scrutinizing everything, criticize someone who has been delivering top-notch content for nearly two decades. These so-called fans (using the term loosely as it barely applies to the majority) seem to have overlooked Filoni’s impressive work on various Star Wars projects, including one that might be the best since the Original Trilogy.

Before he was appointed Chief Creative Officer, fans have been urging Disney for years to promote Filoni to a higher position at Lucasfilm. While some fans may dislike the direction Filoni has taken the Star Wars universe, it’s premature to judge his new creative control based on less than two years in power.

Regrettably, rather than celebrating Andor as a potential triumph for the franchise, some Star Wars fans have turned it into more fuel for their persistent anger.

Dave Filoni isn’t the first Star Wars creator to encounter the turbulent backlash from fans, but he’s just the most recent in a series of figures who have been unfairly targeted throughout the franchise’s history. Even George Lucas experienced similar controversy in the early 2000s. Passionate fans, fueled by their displeasure with various elements of the new trilogy, began to question whether George Lucas should continue leading the franchise. While constructive criticism is essential for artistic growth, it can easily cross a lineand Star Wars fans have demonstrated an uncanny knack for pushing that boundary.

George Lucas faced intense and severe criticism after the release of his Prequel Trilogy, which ultimately led him to sell the Star Wars franchise to Disney over a decade ago. Interestingly, since then, Lucas has regained favor among Star Wars fans as if he had done no wrong at all. It’s almost as if the disdain they felt for the Prequel Trilogy vanished overnight and was replaced with criticism of whatever Disney had in store (this dissatisfaction began well before The Force Awakens was even conceived). Bob Iger, Kathleen Kennedy, and now Dave Filoni have taken on the roles of scapegoats in this long-running saga. This pattern over several decades suggests that Star Wars fans’ anger isn’t primarily about the quality of work each creator delivers; instead, it seems to be about having someone or something to criticize.

The Dave Filoni/Tony Gilroy Comparisons Aren’t Fair

The Talented Showrunners Aren’t Trying to Achieve the Same Goal

The contrast between Dave Filoni and Tony Gilroy is preposterous for numerous reasons, one of them being they don’t aim to create similar works. Tony Gilroy focuses on themes of imperialism and resistance, crafting a profoundly introspective narrative far grimmer than anything ever depicted in the Star Wars universe. If we disregard minor references to the broader galaxy, Andor could function independently as a standalone series. It carries the Star Wars label incidentally, standing alone rather than leaning on a larger franchise.

On the contrary, Dave Filoni opts for more cheerful tales that cater to the nostalgia of the original saga. This may not be the most independent creative choice, but it is essential when constructing a franchise. Andor is excellent, but it’s also exceptional. If every new Star Wars project were like Andor, there wouldn’t be much of a franchise left. The Star Wars universe requires projects such as The Clone Wars and Ahsoka to expand its scope into the broader galaxy that it has evolved into.

The Clone Wars. If someone doesn’t recognize this, they might not have recently watched Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Dave Filoni’s Star Wars Is Much Closer to George Lucas’s Vision

Star Wars Needs Dave Filoni

It’s a hard pill for Star Wars fans to swallow, but Dave Filoni’s approach to the franchise aligns much more closely with George Lucas’s original story compared to Tony Gilroy’s. During the creation of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Filoni earned the title of Lucas’s ‘apprentice.’ His work consistently adheres to the core themes of hope, mysticism, and heroism in the face of long odds, which are central to the Star Wars universe as created by Lucas. Gilroy also includes some of these elements, but he tends to focus on making the usually grandiose Star Wars galaxy more realistic.

It’s strongly argued that Dave Filoni is the ideal candidate to guide Star Wars into the future, given his deep understanding and appreciation for the franchise, evident in his work on the Prequel Trilogy. Critics will always emerge with every new project, criticizing creative decisions, as they did with George Lucas and more recently with the Sequel Trilogy. Yet, history suggests that Star Wars endures and is cherished by each new generation. As such, Dave Filoni may, like Lucas, find acceptance from a repentant fanbase in the future.

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2025-05-29 16:06

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