Dave Filoni

“When you’re working with Star Wars you know you’re never going to make everyone happy, but try to tell a story you like”

“Just that it’s “Star Wars”, I mean, I hope, that’s what I feel, You know it’s “Star Wars” that Jon and I love, and we’re really excited and proud of it. And we’re proud of our team that came together to make this show. We feel really good about it and we want the audience to feel good about it. We want them to get that feeling of adventure and excitement. We like that we're not dealing with the bigger moving, shaking, moments of the galaxy, but kinda of a gritty, underbelly, street level view you know, which to me, reminds me more of what I pictured coming out of “A New Hope”. It’s more of that realm of cantinas and villainy. But there’s something brewing maybe. And that could be quiet fighting. The not knowing of things that are happening outside your view.”

“That’s when “Star Wars” is at its best, when we are relating to it. Not because it's a galaxy far far away but because it feels like something that happens in our everyday life. We just experience it through the fantastic, which is the “Star Wars” Universe.”

“Nothing really ever ends, things end then begin, they end they begin, so the end of “Rebels” is just the beginning of another story. And in this way, it’s a story even more focused on Sabine and what she’s become.”

Filoni served as an executive producer of Star Wars Rebels, which debuted in fall 2014, alongside Greg Weisman and Simon Kinberg. For the first two seasons he also served as its supervising director. He appointed Justin Ridge as his successor for the remainder of the show, though he still remained as executive producer. Filoni departed as supervising director in September 2016 when he was given the job as overseer of all future and current Lucasfilm Animation projects. Then he returned as supervising director for season 4. He directed two episodes of The Mandalorian television series, making his live action debut.

Filoni's office, as seen in the extra features on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars DVD, is filled with Plo Koon paraphernalia. He has a bust of Plo Koon's head, a model of Plo Koon's ship, an autographed portrait by the actor who played Plo Koon, a replica of Plo Koon's lightsaber on his desk, and his personal Plo Koon costume on display. Filoni also has a notebook-sized planner on his desk with Plo Koon's picture taped to the outside, and he has written the words "Plo Kool" on concept art designs for the Clone Wars, indicating that he liked those designs. Filoni also has a small model of the character Appa on his desk, from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Filoni has attended all the Clone Wars premieres and attended the fifth season premiere in Orlando, Florida during the special event Celebration VI on August 24, 2012. He is most associated with developing the characters of Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex.

Filoni made an appearance at Celebration IV on Sunday, May 28, 2007 with producer Catherine Winder to discuss the beginnings of the new television series and reveal how The Clone Wars is being created. At the time, he announced he would be writing for the Clone Wars monthly comic. Filoni voices the bounty hunter Embo during various episodes in different seasons. In February 2009, Filoni was inducted as an Honorary Member of the 501st Legion international costuming organization in recognition of his contributions to the continuing Star Wars saga.

Dave Filoni grew up in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. He graduated from the Mt. Lebanon High School in 1992 and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 1996. Filoni's father was an opera and a classical music fan, according to composer Kevin Kiner (who did most of the music for The Clone Wars and Rebels); as such, he inherited appreciation for classical music and helped with the collaboration process, with Kiner crediting Filoni for suggesting the organ in Grand Admiral Thrawn's theme from Rebels. Filoni has also said that his grandfather and uncle were pilots, with the latter specializing in restoring planes. He cited this as a significant influence with regards to the concept of Star Wars Resistance.

David Filoni (born June 7, 1974) is an American animation director, voice actor, television writer, television producer, and animator. He is most known for his work on Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Mandalorian, and on the theatrical film and television series of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He was also the creator and an executive producer on Star Wars Rebels for all four seasons, and served as its supervising director for the first two and fourth and final seasons. (Justin Ridge served as supervising director for the third season when Filoni accepted a promotion to oversee all of Lucasfilm Animation projects.) Filoni is also credited as one of the executive producers of the web series, Star Wars Forces of Destiny and as the creator of the 2018–2020 animated series, Star Wars Resistance.