Dave Filoni is the brain behind modern Star Wars. The Clone Wars showrunner has formed the Star Wars streaming landscape in his own image, with shows like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka forming his “Mando-verse,” an inter-connected saga that will come to a head in his upcoming feature film.
Right now, however, he has a more immediate task: overseeing the second season of Ahsoka, the live-action series that essentially served as a follow-up to the animated series Rebels. A recent update from Filoni reveals the new season is well underway, but it’s repeating Season 1’s riskiest strategy.
In an interview with Extra at the Skeleton Crew premiere, Filoni provided an update on Ahsoka Season 2. “I’ve been writing it. I’m still the single writer on it,” he said. “Working some of these arcs through has been a challenge and making sure that it’s all going to come out in a way that is exciting for fans. I know that they’re interested in where some of the things I developed in Season 1 go. I’m pretty happy with it.”
While it’s good to know that work on Season 2 is underway, especially considering whole years pass between seasons of The Mandalorian, it’s concerning that Filoni is still Ahsoka’s only writer. He’s certainly qualified, having created the character of Ahsoka Tano, but having him be the sole writer is a risk. Every other Star Wars series, including the most acclaimed ones like Andor and Skeleton Crew, had a team of writers behind them.
Ahsoka certainly has its fans, but its galaxy-hopping action and deep-cut references relied on past knowledge of Rebels and drifted into self-indulgence. For hardcore Star Wars fans, Grand Admiral Thrawn’s appearance was a monumental reveal, but casual fans were left to wonder who the heck that blue guy was and why they should care about him, to name just one example.
Filoni may be the keeper of the Mandoverse, but a writer’s room would go a long way towards cracking down on his worst habits, offering insight into what might confuse outsiders, and leaving him with more time for all his showrunning duties. Writing an entire series, directing multiple episodes, and serving as showrunner on multiple shows is a lot to ask. Let the man get a little help.
