Dave Filoni discusses the end of Star Wars: The Clone Wars

The penultimate episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars aired today, and saw Ahsoka Tano fight for her life against Captain Rex and his fellow clone troopers who were tasked by Emperor Palpatine to execute Order 66. The final episode of the beloved animated series will air on Monday, May 4, and fans are anxiously waiting to see how showrunner Dave Filoni finishes a story that began way back in 2008 when he created the show with George Lucas.

“I guess that we are bringing this to a close,” Filoni told Entertainment Weekly. “I find that exciting. I’ve been through it before with Rebels. It helps frame the rest of the work. It feels like it gives it a purpose. For me it’s 15 years now, and to just apply all that and say, ‘Let’s do this the best we can possibly do it.’ And it seems like that’s coming across, from what people are saying. I’ve had this story in my mind in various versions for a while, so there’s something unique about finally putting it down and saying it’s done.”

The ending of The Clone Wars began with the four-part story-arc the Siege of Mandalore, and its something Star Wars fans have been clamoring for since Disney ended the show for the first time back in 2015. It also provides a bridge to the final film in the prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith, in which Anakin Skywalker fell to the pull of the Dark Side and helped Palpatine wipe out the Jedi Order.

Photo: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 709 “Old Friends Not Forgotten” – Image Courtesy Disney+

“I was trying to get at answering what Ahsoka’s story was about, what Rex’s story was about, giving those a shape,” Filoni said of what story he is telling in this final season. “George covered Anakin’s story in the film, so I’ve tried to always work in support of that, but then also give a point of view on it that comes from these other characters that know him, or other characters that are around him, while not changing the nature of what George’s messaging for Star Wars was in Anakin’s path.”

"Those are some key things I had to do in Rebels. You know, Rebels wasn’t about just making a story that wound up running into Rogue One or A New Hope. It was about telling a story about a kid and his family. I’m trying to give a big perspective on the Jedi in this war that they fought, and how the galaxy up became an empire, in greater detail than had been done before."

Filoni’s storytelling isn’t meant to oppose Lucas’ in the prequel films, but rather run parallel to them. And because he learned about Star Wars from Lucas himself, Filoni has decided to tell the story of The Clone Wars from a particular point of view.

Photo: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 709 “Old Friends Not Forgotten” – Image Courtesy Disney+

“I was very interested in what the Jedi were like in this era,” he said. “So the films are just a real delight for me to watch and rewatch over and over, and then to get to work on that time period is a really great experience. So I was just bringing those stories to light, whereas the films concentrate very much on Anakin’s story and how everything is affecting him.”

Filoni also serves as showrunner on the first-ever live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, and there’s a bit of connectivity from the way Mandalorians are portrayed on The Clone Wars to that show.

“There might be things that shade in certain directions; I’m sure people will see connections that I don’t see. It wasn’t like one of the primary goals,” said Filoni. “There are touchstones with everything, Jon [Favreau] worked on Clone Wars with me, he was a voice on it, so he’s aware of it. I’ll bring those things up, and we talk all the time. You make what connections you can to make it feel like the big, vast galaxy that we would like it to be. There are little things, but mainly more within Clone Wars itself and probably more likely to reflect on Rebels, because the Rebels time period is closer in proximity to the end of Clone Wars.”

Pedro Pascal is the Mandalorian in THE MANDALORIAN, exclusively on Disney+

Speaking of The Mandalorian, production on the second season is in its post-production phase. “It’s a lot of fun,” Filoni said, describing the filming process for season 2. “Maybe that’s just me reacting to making it. Now that I have a year of it under my belt, doing live action — and I need so much more experience.”

"I wrote in Clone Wars “experience outranks everything,” and I need to get some. So it was a great learning experience, working with a great team of people, working with Jon. I’ve applied what I’ve learned into the second season to the best of my abilities. And I think everything is getting better and better, and everyone was energized from the reaction we got from the first season. We’re looking forward to sharing it with everybody when we’re finished."

Finally, when asked about the potential for an Ahsoka live-action series, Filoni kept things close to the vest. “All those rumors! Over the years people have always asked me about that character and potential live-action possibilities,” he said. “It’s a real credit to the animation team and everybody that’s been involved with her over the years to make a character that fans say, ‘Hey, that would be great. We would want to see that.'”

Photo: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 709 “Old Friends Not Forgotten” – Image Courtesy Disney+

“And the debates that surround that,” Filoni continued. “When we started in 2008 giving Anakin Skywalker a young Padawan wasn’t at top of mind for a lot of people. It seemed a bit out of left field and risky. George always knew that it would work if we did it the right way. The great thing about the character is she’s proved herself and earned her place among the Star Wars leads out there. So whatever the future holds, who knows? But for now, we’ll get to see this ending of Clone Wars and see how that goes.”

Star Wars: The Clone Wars will air its final episode on Star Wars Day, May 4, only on Disney+.

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