Dave Filoni's contributions to the Star Wars franchise have been manyfold these last few years, but perhaps his greatest achievement is his continued interrogation of Anakin Skywalker. In fact, actor Hayden Christensen, who's set to return in the upcoming Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi series, likely has Filoni to thank for the character's reemergence in the story.
The young man destined to become Darth Vader has one of the richest backstories in the entire Star Wars mythology, but much of the character's complexity can be attributed to Filoni's work on the Clone Wars series, which largely followed Ani's arc between Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clone and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. At the time of the show's release, the fallen Jedi Knight was in desperate need of re-examination, considering the lukewarm reception to his backstory in the oft-maligned Star Wars prequels which were, unfortunately, met with middling critical response.
As the trilogy was ostensibly designed as an origin story following a young Anakin Skywalker in the days before his Vader transformation, some unfairly blamed Christensen (who played the role in the latter two prequel films) for the poor reception. The task of playing such a monumental and mysterious character would have been a daunting task for any actor, but Christensen's job was complicated further by having a relatively short amount of screen time to make such a drastic transformation from boy to menacing Sith Lord. To make matters worse, an entire war is waged between Episodes II and III, obscuring important events in Anakin's history and character development.
However, with the release of the Clone Wars series, details of that crucial time in Anakin's life began to emerge, filling in the gaps and fleshing out moments that had been referenced but never known. Filoni - handpicked by Lucas as a quasi-successor - was handed the Herculean task of detailing the years-spanning galactic conflict - one that had been previously alluded to by characters since the very first Star Wars film many years prior. Of course, one of the series' primary objectives was to further explore Anakin Skywalker's role during the war, in which he served the Jedi Order as a powerful general and inspiring leader. During its seven season run, Clone Wars impressively lays the ground for the legendary hero's slowly emerging Dark Side, subtly hinting at his steadily increasing disillusionment with the Jedi Order, Palpatine's growing influence over, and moments anger inspiring bursts of Vader-like violence.
Clone Wars most effectively humanizes Anakin by taking time to delve into his relationships with the show's various characters. For example, fissures between Anakin and his wife begin to emerge after he brutally beats Padme's former lover Clovis, doing damage to their already tenuous marriage and showcasing his corrosive jealousy. Anakin's bond with Obi-Wan is explored heavily in the series, making moments like Kenobi's cry of "You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you." in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith much more resonant and heartbreaking than on a first watch. But perhaps the relationship which redefined Anakin's arc most drastically was his one with Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka effectively unlocks an entirely new facet of Anakin, serving as both his padawan and something of a kindred spirit who truly understands him. Her departure at the end of season 5 is tragic, not only because it illuminates Anakin's failure as a mentor, but also because one could wonder if her absence contributed to his eventual fall from grace. Dozens of moments like this can be found in Filoni's Clone Wars, slowly inching Anakin toward his dark fate and giving the events in the prequels an entirely new sense of perspective and weight.
Filoni is representative of an exciting new era for Star Wars, one in which fans who grew up following and obsessing over the franchise's beloved characters are now telling their stories. It is amazing that a figure like Darth Vader, who has been captured millions of imaginations since his debut in 1977, continues to evolve so many years later. The power of George Lucas' original story is alive and well considering Disney's slate of upcoming Star Wars projects, with those like Dave Filoni promising to bring the Galaxy Far Far Away into even sharper focus.