The Architects of the Mandoverse

Host Andi Gutierrez welcomes two legends to the Star Wars Celebration LIVE! stage, describing them as two people who “sort of creating an entire television world for Star Wars” [00:35]. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni take the stage to wild applause from the crowd, sitting down to discuss the ongoing success of The Mandalorian and the rapidly expanding Star Wars television universe [00:56]. Gutierrez playfully chides the crowd, joking that it’s a “lukewarm crowd today” [02:16].

Exploring the Galaxy in Season Three

Gutierrez notes how fun it has been to watch The Mandalorian evolve in its third season, pointing out the exploration of different genres, such as the buddy cop procedural format [04:42]. Favreau explains that the biggest shift has been moving away from the “first person ground level adventure” of the early seasons [04:59]. He notes that they have slowly woven themselves into the larger fabric of Star Wars by introducing legacy characters. With the upcoming Ahsoka series existing in the same time period, there is a lot of coordination required. While they try to preserve the show’s original personality, Favreau admits, “every once in a while the greater galaxy has to rear its head and affect the way things play out” [05:36].

The Return of Kelleran Beq

The conversation shifts to the special cameo of Jedi Master Kelleran Beq, played by Ahmed Best [06:00]. Favreau explains that deciding who rescued Grogu involved two components. First, they looked at the Star Wars canon and even elements outside of it, deciding that Beq, who looked after younglings in the Jedi Temple Challenge game show, made perfect sense [06:41]. Second, they considered the actor. Favreau specifically recalls Ahmed Best walking out on the Celebration stage in Chicago in 2019 to overwhelming fan support. He notes that this reaction made them realize it would make perfect sense for him to take on the role [07:02]. Favreau emphasizes, “we’re a show that’s made by fans and people… everybody who works on the show has to feel the same way about Star Wars as we do” [07:32].

An Emotional Connection with the Fans

Gutierrez brings up the massive reaction the fans had to seeing Ahsoka, Sabine, and Hera together in live-action [08:14]. When asked how it feels to bring the Ahsoka series to the screen after working with these characters for two decades, Filoni becomes visibly emotional [08:32]. Staring out at the crowd, he takes a long pause, saying, “I’m just taking this all in” [08:46]. He expresses deep gratitude for the fans, their costumes, and their continuous support. “It means so much to me,” Filoni says, choking up [09:23]. He explains that taking characters he has worked on for years and putting them in live-action “doesn’t happen without you supporting it for all this time… it’s a real privilege” [10:12].

Star Wars is Forever

Filoni reflects on the uncertainty after the release of Revenge of the Sith, noting that many thought Star Wars was over [11:08]. However, the fans kept it alive. He praises the collaborative effort at Lucasfilm, giving shoutouts to Leslye Headland’s work on The Acolyte and Tony Gilroy’s “THX awesome evil” vision of the Empire in Andor [12:24]. He emphasizes that they all inspire each other and are building in a great direction together [12:36].

An Amblin Adventure: Skeleton Crew

Before concluding, Gutierrez asks about the upcoming series Skeleton Crew, comparing its tone to 1980s Amblin productions like The Goonies or Willow [13:53]. Favreau confirms that this was exactly the pitch from creators Jon Watts and Chris Ford [14:25]. He loves that the show starts from the perspective of ordinary people in the suburbs of the Star Wars galaxy before launching into a dangerous adventure, providing a great entryway for younger viewers while remaining authentically Star Wars [14:51]. Filoni notes that while fans will have to wait to see it, the team is happily hard at work looking at every detail of the galaxy with a microscope [15:39].