Lucasfilm’s co-president laid out his approach at a D23 panel. The reaction split immediately over whether one of the five groups he named actually exists.
Dave Filoni has a list.
Speaking at a D23 panel, the Lucasfilm co-president broke the Star Wars audience into five distinct groups and said his job is serving all of them at once.
Within days, a chunk of the internet was arguing that one of those groups is not real.
What Dave Filoni actually said
“We have several different generations of Star Wars fans, right?” Filoni said. “There’s original trilogy fans, prequel fans, sequel trilogy fans, Clone Wars fans, expanded universe fans. They all have different interests.”
“And I always look at how we’re going to serve all these different interests. And most importantly, how do we bring them all together because they have this common love of Star Wars.”
He made the remarks at a panel for Leslie Iwerks’ documentary “Worldbuilders,” which examines how Disney franchises become theme park experiences.
Why the sequel trilogy line caused a fight
A notable share of online commenters rejected the premise that sequel trilogy fans constitute a meaningful, distinct audience within the fandom.
Writing for ComicBook.com, one critic pushed back on that pushback, noting he attended Star Wars Celebration 2023 and saw the reaction when Daisy Ridley took the stage. Rey was the most common cosplay he encountered at the event.
The gap between online discussion and convention floors is the actual subject of that argument, and it is not one Lucasfilm can resolve by scheduling.
What “expanded universe fans” means
The fifth group Filoni named carries the most complicated history.
When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, the company decanonized decades of material. Video games, novels, comics and cartoons were rebranded as Legends, leaving only the six films as official continuity.
“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” received a carveout. That series, which Filoni largely ran, stayed canon.
So the executive now promising to serve expanded universe fans is the same person whose show survived the purge that created them.
The criticism of Filoni’s approach
Not everyone reads the strategy as a strength.
ComicBook.com argued that Filoni’s approach is backwards-looking, aimed at established fanbases, while George Lucas consistently pushed toward something new.
Lucas told the original trilogy, then stepped back to the prequels and reframed the saga around the Chosen One prophecy. When he made “The Clone Wars,” he reinterpreted Anakin Skywalker’s story through the eyes of a Padawan.
That instinct produced controversy every time. It also produced the eras Filoni is now trying to unify.
The likely practical result of his stated approach is segmentation: some projects aimed at original trilogy fans, others at Clone Wars fans, others elsewhere.
Where Filoni’s job came from
His title changed this year, which is part of why every public comment is being read closely.
Filoni became Lucasfilm co-president alongside Lynwen Brennan of Industrial Light & Magic, following Kathleen Kennedy’s exit after fourteen years running the studio.
He created “The Clone Wars” as a director under Lucas, then built “Star Wars Rebels” and “Ahsoka.” He is, by background, an animation person now running the entire franchise.
How the current slate
Two upcoming projects show the segmentation in practice.
“Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” was marketed as family-friendly theatrical adventure, reaching Disney+ on Sept. 2 after finishing near $345 million worldwide, short of Disney’s expectations.
“Ahsoka” Season 2, arriving Jan. 20, sits in entirely different territory, continuing prequel-era characters and storylines from “The Clone Wars” and “Rebels.”
“Star Wars: Starfighter” opens May 28, 2027 with Ryan Gosling, set five years after “The Rise of Skywalker” and telling an original story. That date falls on the weekend the original film opened 50 years earlier.
Three projects, three different audiences, one stated goal of bringing them together.
Editor’s note: Pirates & Princesses previously prepared coverage of these remarks using a condensed version of the quote and without an attributed source. The comments came at a D23 panel for the documentary “Worldbuilders.” Filoni is Lucasfilm’s co-president, not president.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
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ComicBook.com, the full Filoni quote, the D23 panel context and the critical analysis contrasting his approach with George Lucas’
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Fiction Horizon, the co-president appointment alongside Lynwen Brennan and the Kathleen Kennedy transition
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GeekTyrant, the “Worldbuilders” documentary context and the segmentation analysis across current projects
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TheWrap (January 2026), the 2012 Legends decanonization and The Clone Wars carveout
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AOL, the additional quote reproduction
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