Dave Filoni Talks the Force
Dave Filoni appeared on Entertainment Weekly’s Star Wars podcast, Dagobah Dispatch, to discuss the Force and how it is shown in Ahsoka. Check out an excerpt, transcript courtesy of That Park Place:
“The idea that she’s not incredibly adept at wielding the Force, I think,” Filoni says, “is a strong thing… It’s amazing how fans and the Star Wars franchise have evolved. There are all these thoughts, and opinions, and groups. You can find different camps on how they think everything works. But very fundamentally, if you just pay attention to the films George made, you understand that the Force is an energy field created by all living things.”
“Take martial arts skills or even something like yoga and say that if I did that,” he continues, “that’s better for me, that’s healthier, that’s empowering. So why don’t we all do it? It takes time. It takes commitment, and even people that do it don’t all turn out to be great at it.”
I consider myself a Filoni fan because of his work on Avatar: The Last Airbender, the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, and Star Wars animation most of all. That said, I don’t like most of what he said here. If you watched the original trilogy, you know the Force is made up of all living things. Yoda spells that out pretty firmly and clearly in The Empire Strikes Back. But being a part of the Force doesn’t mean you’re sensitive to it; for example, Din Djarin didn’t even know what it was. I also don’t think yoga or martial arts are a perfect metaphor because while they’re admittedly pretty awesome, the Force grants unimaginable powers. Yoga won’t let me throw things without touching them, mind-trick people, or overpower much larger opponents. The Force would be an amazing skill that’s hard to compare to what we have in the real world.
As for Sabine, it’s no secret that I didn’t want her to be a Jedi. While I’m unhappy with her unlocking the Force at the end of Ahsoka season 1, I still don’t consider her a Jedi. She doesn’t think, believe, or behave like one. And that’s okay; there should be all kinds of characters in fiction, just like in our real world. But she doesn’t have the temperament, disposition, or skills of a Jedi. I thought she was much more interesting as a hardheaded warrior artist. Her story was plenty complex without the Force, and not every major hero character needs it to be cool.
But what do you think? Let us know in the comments!
Comments (2)
Filoni is simply quoting George. George himself said that anyone can train to use the force and put it just akin to Yoga and karate, but that you need to be really into it and have amazing discipline to do it and even then, if you’re not naturally talented you may use it but not as great as someone who has the talent. It’s very well documented on The Making of Return of the Jedi, it’s a transcript of a conversation between George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan and Richard Marquand. So to criticize Filoni in this instance, is to criticize George himself.
I totally agree! And I didn’t even know Filoni worked on Avatar: The Last Airbender! Could also be the one to review Wonka movie? I think you are perfect person to review the movie! I very much trust your reviews!