#dave filoni

[go-see-a-starwar]

Hayden + Directors | Ahsoka (2023) + Revenge of the Sith (2005)

[darth-memes]

HAPPY REVENGE OF THE 5TH!!!!!

[oodlife]

Anakin, Ahsoka, Rex. 😍

[metalhawk]

2015: god i hope ahsoka survived malachor

2025: god i wish ahsoka had not survived malachor

[phantom-of-the-keurig]

Because media comprehension and critical thinking is so dead I hope bad batch season 3 has a scene where Dave Filoni, in animated form, walks into frame with a chair where he then sits down and makes direct eye contact with the viewer as he says, “This next scene was directly influenced by the current day veteran crisis and the difficulties many ex-military members face while trying to integrate back into the civilian world. In fact, many of the themes and stories within the bad batch are reflections of what many service members experience, told through a Star Wars lens-”

And I hope he doesn’t blink once the entire time

[david-talks-sw]

"In truth, Ahsoka really [cares about the clone troopers]."

"I think the Jedi did care about the clone troopers. And, you know, it's that compassion, which really is at the base-- y'know, [the] fundamental need, of being a Jedi, is they care about other people, even at the expense of themselves. They put themselves at risk for others."

"And... it's hard."

"I think especially as younger Jedi were pressed into service, in a conflict this big, it was hard for them. They were challenged by these emotions and these feelings of responsibility and regret and guilt... and it's kinda what Palpatine wants."

"To pressure all of these good people into a compromised position where they're fighting a war... and where people are dying and where they're having to make choices when people live and die."

"It's very hard. As Qui Gon says, it's a hard life to be a Jedi... it's a challenge."

- Dave Filoni, Ahsoka, S01E05, director's commentary, 2024

[azertyrobaz]

"You're in it now."

[derpymidnight]

this the kinda memes that would make rounds in the gar

[hotstreak2k3]

Dave Filoni parallels never miss.

But even I wasn’t prepared for this one.

[ravenhairedwaywanderer]

[doc-notarealone-salas]

He bamboozled us

[darth-memes]

[matt0044]

Is "franchise homework" actually bad?

I was in a conversation with Star Wars and Doctor Who fans who wanted to have more constructive discussions compared to the destructiveness of the wider fanbases. The topic of "franchise homework" popped up in the form of Ahsoka and the latest seasons of Doctor Who having Classic Who villains return after so long.

Putting aside how they were executed in storytelling (like I do NOT wanna go down that exhausting fanwank), the topic of them being user-unfriendly came up as it seemed to enjoy these new installments, a new fan would've had to be familiar with what came before.

An argument often being that it should follow the creed, "Every comic is somebody's first" with Star Wars and Doctor Who having a long history dating back to the 70s and 60s respectively. Thus spin offs or continuations should remember the new generation of fans even as they return for the old.

The other side of the argument claimed that even when some installments are heavily branching out from what came before, that doesn't preclude newer fans from jumping in and taking it as part of a long legacy or a slice of the franchise that may invite them to discover more.

In the case of Doctor Who, Classic villains and characters have often been reintroduced with the understanding that the Doctor is an immortal being who has been on countless adventures before Rose Tyler found her job blown up by the Ninth. Additionally, more and more of Classic Who has been uploaded free to YouTube with some serials being more timely than others.

In the case of Ahsoka, one made a cheeky remark of how it was quite the power move to make a live action installment a sequel to two animated runs. Given how animations been getting the shaft lately, it is one I respect deeply.

That said, another argument was how we've had the likes of Dragon Ball Z and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders released overseas. The latter especially enjoyed immense success as a gateway Anime despite how they skipped over 155 episodes when it was released in the USA.

Even in Japan, Dragon Ball Kai, released in 2008, only covered the Z portion of the Anime.

As such, I could see Ahsoka working as a standalone series. A fan would realize that the rebellion was more than just Luke, Han and Leia as well as how Anikan's padawan means that a loooot went down during the Clone Wars. Maybe they heard of the Clone Wars and Rebels series but was all "Ewww, cartoons" before this got them curious.

I feel like "homework" is needlessly derisive when "homework" means you aren't having fun. But if you're this into the property, maybe the installment that came before will be interesting to see. Why not have more of a thing you are invested in?

It just... doesn't sit with me right.

[brujaporfavor]

[nerdside]

Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka s01e05

[david-talks-sw]

Debunking more myths in the GFFA: the Jedi and the clones.

I wrote a post debunking the various myths about how "the Jedi condone slavery", a while ago. Something I had omitted (because it's such a big topic) was the following two statements that concern the clone troopers' relations with the Jedi:

"The clones were genetically bred to have accelerated growth, so they're technically child soldiers."

"The clones were slaves of the Jedi."

Both the above statements are inaccurate, let's explore why. 

"The clones were child soldiers"

Let's get the easy one out of the way first, because it's a logic that cuts both ways. If age is our only determination of the maturity of a Star Wars character, then Grogu is not a baby. He is aged 50, and is thus a middle-aged man.

Who cruelly eats the babies of a woman...

... and knowingly tortures animals for his own sadistic pleasure.

Of course, I'm kidding. Grogu's none of the above things.

The narrative frames him as a cute baby who does innocent baby stuff. Him eating the eggs is played off as comedic, as is him lifting with the frog. To this day, some fans still call him "Baby Yoda".

Conversely, despite the clones being 10/14-years-old, their actions, behaviors, way of thinking, sense of humor, morals etc, are all those of an adult.

Like, Ahsoka is technically older than Rex in this scene.

The scene doesn't portray them as peers, though. This isn't written as "a teen and a tween talking". No, Rex looks, acts and behaves like a grown-up and is thus framed as such by the narrative.

You can make the argument "they're child soldiers", but (unless you're doing so in bad faith) you'd also have to argue that "Grogu's an adult".

"The clones were the Jedi's slaves"

Nope. For all intents and purposes, they're in the same boat as the Jedi, who George Lucas stated multiple times had been drafted to fight in the war.

Again: both the Jedi (monk/diplomats untrained for fighting on a battlefield) and clones (literally bred en masse only to fight) are being forced to fight by Palpatine and the Senate.

Though, on paper, the clones were commissioned by Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, it was actually done by the Sith (who either manipulated or assassinated Sifo-Dyas then stole his identity, depending on the continuity you choose to adhere to). The rest of the Jedi had no idea these clones were being created.

So while the clones are slaves... they're not owned by the Jedi.

They're the army of the Republic, they belong to the Senate. This isn't exactly a scoop, they refer to the clones as something to purchase...

... and manufacture.

As far as the Senate’s concerned, clones are property, like droids. 

Like there's a whole subplot in The Bad Batch about this very point: after the war, the clones are decommissioned and left out to dry because they literally have no rights, they served their purpose.

The only trooper to ever canonically blame the Jedi for the clones' enslavement is Slick, who the narrative frames as having been bribed and manipulated by Asajj Ventress into betraying his comrades.

Also, the only canonical Jedi shown to ever be mean, dismissive or mistreating the clones in any way, is Pong Krell.

And it's eventually revealed he’s in fact a full-on traitor, hence why the story frames him as an antagonistic dick from the moment he's introduced. He doesn’t represent the Jedi in any way.

We know this because the other Jedi we’ve been shown are always prioritizing their clones’ lives over theirs, if given the chance.

Finally, if we wanna get even more specific... as Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), the clones belong to Palpatine. 

Palpatine who is a Sith Lord. 

Palpatine who arranged for the creation of the clones and had them all injected with a chip that would activate upon hearing a code-word...

... and forced them to murder their Jedi without hesitation or remorse.

When you bear all that  ⬆️  in mind and when you read this quote by George Lucas...

"The Jedi won't lead droids. Their whole basis is connecting with the life force. They'd just say, 'That's not the way we operate. We don't function with non-life-forms.” So if there is to be a Republic army, it would have to be an army of humans."    - The Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005, 2020  

... narratively-speaking, everything falls into place.

Sidious knows that:

If he orchestrates a war designed to thin the Jedi's numbers, corrupt their values and plunge the galaxy into chaos...

If he wants to draft the Jedi - peace-keeping diplomats who’d never willingly join the fray - to fight in his war...

... then the only way they won't resist the draft and abstain from fighting is if they think joining the conflict will save lives.

So he creates a set of cruel, sadistic villains for them to face, opponents who will target innocent civilians at every turn...

... and instead of lifeless droids, he prepares for the Jedi an army of men... living, mortal people who, despite being well-trained, will be completely out of their league when facing the likes of Dooku...

... Ventress...

... Grievous...

... Savage Opress...

... or the defoliator, a tank that annihilates organic matter.

Thus, in order to save as many clone and civilian lives, the Jedi join the fray despite knowing that doing so will corrupt their values. 

And as the war rages on, a bond of respect is formed between the two groups.

Clearly, the Jedi don't like the fact that the Republic is using the clones to fight a war, but for that matter, they don't like being in a war, in fact they advocated against it.

However, it's happening regardless of their issues with the idea or personal philosophies. Said The Clone Wars writer Henry Gilroy:

"I’d rather not get into the Jedi’s philosophical issues about an army of living beings created to fight, but the Jedi are in a tough spot themselves, being peacekeepers turned warriors trying to save the Republic."

And bear in mind, the Jedi are basically space psychics, the clones are living beings that they can individually feel in the Force... 

... so the Jedi feel every death but need to move on, regardless, only being able to mourn the troopers at the end of every battle.

We see this in the Legends continuity too, by the way.

(that is, when the writers actually try to engage with the narrative)

Also, if you ask the clones, they’re grateful the Jedi have their backs.

When Depa Billaba voices her concerns about how the war is impacting the Jedi's principles, troopers Grey and Styles are quick to make it clear how grateful they all are for the Jedi's involvement:

So the clones aren't the Jedi's slaves. If anything, they're both slaves of the Republic (considering how low the Jedi's status actually is in the hierarchy).

Only I'd argue the clones have it much, much worse. 

The Senate sees the Jedi as "ugh, the holier-than-thou space-monk lapdogs who work for us"... but a Jedi has the option to give up that responsibility. They can leave the Order, no fuss or stigma. 

A clone trooper cannot leave the GAR! If they do, they’re marked for treason and execution. Again, they’re not perceived as “people”.

And it doesn’t help that the Kaminoans, the clones’ very creators, see the troopers as products/units/merchandise. A notion that the Jedi are quick to correct whenever they get the chance.

How The Clone Wars writers describe the clones' relationship with the Jedi.

George Lucas hasn’t spoken much about this subject aside from the quote from further up. But to be fair... the Prequels aren’t about the clones’ dynamic with the Jedi, so it makes sense that he wouldn’t talk on that subject so much.

He did mention that part of The Clone Wars’ perks is that he could:

“Do stories about some of the individual clones and get to know them.”

But that’s as far as it gets. 

So for this part, I'm just gonna let Dave Filoni, showrunner of The Clone Wars and the upcoming series Ahsoka, and TCW writer Henry Gilroy - both of whom worked closely with Lucas - take the wheel. They make themselves pretty clear on how the clone/Jedi dynamic is meant to be viewed. 

Here’s Henry Gilroy:

"In my mind, the Jedi see the clones as individuals, living beings that have the same right to life as any other being, but understand that they have a job to do."

"The clones see the Jedi as their commanding officers on one hand, but also, at least subconsciously, they look to them for clues to social/moral behavior."    

"Some clones may find themselves getting philosophical leadership from the Jedi that helps them answer some of the deeper questions of life."    

"We thought this was a great opportunity to show how the Jedi interact with clones. Specifically, Yoda in a teaching role of the clones, who were socially new, who kind of grew up— who were created to fight, and he really broadened their horizons and helped them realize there was a great big universe out there that was bigger than just fighting and killing."    

And here’s Dave Filoni’s comments:

"I truly believe that the Jedi try to humanize their clones and make them more individual, as Henry says."    

"I think we saw that in Revenge of the Sith, when the Clones were colorful and named under the Jedi Generals, and then in the final shots of the film with Palpatine and Vader near the new Death Star, the ships are grey, the color and life is sucked out. The Stormtroopers are only numbers and identified by black and white armor or uniforms in A New Hope." 

"The soldiers have become disposable to the Emperor."    

"That is something the Jedi would never do."    

"Yoda teaching the clones much like he taught Luke. ‘Cause that was kind of natural for [the Jedi], a natural instinct to take to these clones like they’re students."    

None of the above quotes from two different writers of The Clone Wars, who had many interactions with George Lucas, frame the Jedi and the clones’ relationship in a negative way. 

How much more proof do we need that "the clones were slaves of the Jedi” isn’t the intended narrative?

My point being that while the clones' ordeal is indeed horrible, the Jedi have nothing to do with it. The narrative of The Clone Wars always frames it as the fault of the Sith, the Senate and the Kaminoans.

If you go by the intended narrative, the Jedi were the clones' teachers and brothers-in-arms. The clones and the Jedi were not just comrades.

They were friends.