George Lucas is a fan of the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Today, Disney+ airs the first of the final three episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a long-running animated series that fills in the gaps between Attack of the Clones and Revenger of the Sith. Showrunner Dave Filoni, who also worked on The Mandalorian, is determined to give us an ending to remember. The show will wrap up with the Siege of Mandalore story arc, with Jedi Ahsoka Tano and friends fighting to liberate the planet of Mandalore from the Shadow Collective led by the former Sith Lord, Maul. And before it’s all said and done, the two will engage each other in what is sure to be an epic lightsaber duel.

We also have Order 66 to look forward to. With all the excitement, it feels like we’re watching a feature-length film. And according to Sam Witwer, the voice of Maul, that’s the idea. “Funny enough, [showrunner] Dave Filoni’s live-action experience definitely played into this final arc, because this final arc is more of a film read in terms of the vocal stuff that I was doing,” Witwer told Star Wars Holocron. “I was like, ‘This is how I would do it if I were shooting it and [original Darth Maul actor] Ray Park was on the set. This is how I would go about it.’ By the way, Ray does a great job in this season.”

This is the first I’m hearing of Ray Park being involved in The Clone Wars. He didn’t say a word in the prequel movies, so it’d be interesting if he’s doing voice work. Or maybe he’s provide some motion capture work for Maul and Ahsoka’s fight?

Anyway, Witwer and Filoni had several conversations on how to bring this version of Maul into the story. Witwer voiced the character for The Clone Wars during its earlier seasons as well as in the spinoff Star Wars Rebels, so he’s gotten used to going back and forth. “There’s some stuff that happens [in the Siege of Mandalore arc] that I wasn’t aware of,” he said. “When I read the script, I was like ‘Wow, okay. This is what happens. This is how the war ended and these are the specifics. This is what Maul was trying to do’. I was floored when I read the script. I was very surprised and very interested, and the fun of that was having disagreements with Dave as to where [Maul’s] heart is at (Laughs).”

"That’s the fun of working on this stuff. [Star Wars creator George Lucas] and Dave are the overall story guys who say ‘here’s how the story goes. Here’s the shape of it and this is what we’re trying to say.’ Then it’s my job to push against the boundaries of that story as much as I can so that little things make their way into the episode that spark debate. That’s at least what I think my job is, y’know? So what will happen inevitably and what’s happened many times in the past is that me and Dave will have a disagreement as to what’s going on with the character, and then we’ll be doing takes and both agree on the take that we liked. And it’s a fascinating thing because he’ll hear something different in it than I do. I’ll say ‘Well no, clearly the character is saying this when he says this’. And then Dave goes, ‘Well no, I wrote it. Clearly when he means this and that’s in the take’. And then I go ‘I think my interpretation is in the take’ and then [Dave] goes ‘Then that’s the take’ (laughs). And that’s the one [take] because people get to import their own beliefs in what is going on with this character."

Ultimately, Witwer hopes that Lucas — who is very much still watching, enjoys their work. “George has been calling Dave and giving him nice little comments on the episodes. I really, really hope we get some positive feedback from the maker himself when this comes out,” Witwer said. “This show has such a special place in George’s heart. He was so happy when he was making this show, and we were so happy to be implementing it for him…you really did just get a directive from George, and that directive got discussed and translated by Dave Filoni, and then it went right to the actors, animators, lighters, everything. It just got done.”

"That’s the fun of watching the Siege of Mandalore, because it just feels pure in its intention… It’s so cool that this is the last George Lucas produced Star Wars. The last Star Wars that has George’s fingerprints on it. I truly loved to hear that George was reacting well to [the final season of The Clone Wars]. And I’m happy to hear that he likes how Clone Wars is going so far this season and I really hope he likes our finale because that’s where it all counts."

Lucas infamously felt “betrayed” by the sequel trilogy, so it’s great to hear he’s enjoying this last season of The Clone Wars. Hopefully, the big finish will meet his — and all of our — expectations.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 airs on Fridays, only on Disney+.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels