The Death Star Human Resources Department Newsletter. January 20, 2026
My hyperdrive motivator is already busted
Hello there
It’s the second newsletter of 2026 and it’s going out on a Tuesday. Clearly, 2026 is off to a stellar start in both the real world and here at the Death Star Human Resources Department Newsletter. There’s big, big news in the Star Wars universe though and we’ll get to it. That’s about it for this week, and I’ll be most likely back on Friday with a fresh newsletter.
As always, thanks for reading Death Star HR. If you’re reading this and you’re not a subscriber, I’d love it if you entered your email below and smashed that subscribe button. There’s also an official Death Star HR Instagram and an official Death Star HR YouTube page as well and I’d love it if you subscribed there as well.
This Is Where The Fun Begins
Anakin and Boba Fett are BFF. Who knew.
That’s Daniel Logan, aka Baby Boba Fett in Attack of the Clones along with Jake Lloyd aka young Anakin Skywalker. Logan has talked before about befriending Lloyd and trying to do what he can support him as Lloyd struggled with mental health issues and schizophrenia. As Logan told fans at GalaxyCon Richmond:
“He ended up being diagnosed with schizophrenia, and that’s when he withdrew from the convention circuit. I have very close contact with his mom, and I keep saying, ‘I’ll protect him. Maybe we can just do send-ins or something, so that we can help finance his programs, his mental therapies and stuff. She replied to me the other day and said, ‘Jake thinks he doesn’t deserve for the fans to have his autograph and stuff.’”
Logan told Lloyd’s mother that things are different now. Children who grew up watching the prequels are now adults, and they’re attending these conventions, spreading love and positivity for the films and the actors. Logan hopes that one day his friend can experience that love.
Being shitty to actors and actresses because you don’t like the character they play or the way they portray a character is bad. Full stop. Time heals a lot of wounds and the Prequel Kiddies have meme’d the Prequels back into respectability. So like Logan, I hope one day Lloyd can experience the love people have for the Prequels now.
Got a Real ‘Rule of Two’ Situation Here
In a move that we all knew was coming, or at least we were all pretty sure was coming, it was announced on Thursday the 15th that long time Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down from her roll, which she has held for 14 years. Stepping into the leadership rolls at Lucasfilm are Dave Filoni, who will be President and Chief Creative Officer and Lynwen Brennan, who will be Co-President. I know the title’s seem a bit strange, why does Filoni get President while Brennan gets Co-President? I don’t know, but I’m taking this straight from StarWars.com itself.
Dave Filoni, who worked closely with creator George Lucas to build the Lucasfilm animation department on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and helped launch Star Wars live-action series alongside Jon Favreau on The Mandalorian, will take on creative leadership of the company as President and Chief Creative Officer and Lynwen Brennan will serve as Co-President.
Currently, well as of a couple days ago but their pages on Lucasfim’s website haven’t been updated, Cowboy Dave serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer while Brennan is the President and General Manager of Lucasfilm Business. I admire Dave rockin’ the cowboy hat for this headshot on Lucasfilm’s website. Even if he is from the decidedly non-cowboy Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
So how did we get here? Brennan has been with Lucasfilm since 1999, starting with ILM and then taking over as president of ILM in 1999. Since 2015 she’s been in her current position, which essentially is handling the business side of things for Lucasfilm. Her Lucasfilm page specifically states she “looks after” the Lucasfilm legal department. So, Lynwen; call me maybe? It certainly sounds like she’ll continue in her current roll, with the added responsibility of whatever business things Kennedy previously handled.
Filoni has been with Lucasfilm since 2005 when he helped set up the Lucasfilm animation studio which gave us The Clone Wars and Rebels, among other projects. He also created Ahsoka Tano, helped create The Mandalorian with Jon Favreau, is the showrunner for Ahsoka, and in 2005, dressed up as Plo Koon and passed out candy to kids waiting in line to see Revenge of the Sith.
One thing worth addressing, there has been some internet chatter that Filoni did not like Andor. As far as I can tell, this allegation is based on a single anonymous source from an article in The Wrap, titled “Kathleen Kennedy’s Lucasfilm Legacy: A Galaxy in Disarray.” The article is a little more even-handed than the titled would indicate, but we’ll get into the reactions and what I think is an incredibly misguided (putting it nicely) view of Kennedy is a bit.
The series, a stark spy thriller about how tyranny takes root, is unquestionably the greatest creative triumph of the Kennedy era. It was also, according to an individual who worked inside Lucasfilm, a series that Filoni disliked. A Lucasfilm spokesperson denied this as inaccurate.
Lucasfilm denied the report as opposed to ignoring it or a no comment. I can’t find the comment, but per The Movie Blog, Cowboy Dave actually doesn’t dislike Andor.
In a recent podcast, Filoni praised Andor. He said the show is well done and that the creators did a phenomenal job. He added that there is an audience for this type of story. This earlier statement shows that Filoni has spoken positively about the series before.
Or this comment here from Celebration:
I would find it very, very hard to believe that Dave Filoni did not like Andor. I also think it’s fair to say that Andor is not a show that Filoni would have written, even taking into account that The Clone Wars shares more DNA with Andor than you would think.
As Maggie Lovitt notes below, fanbases need a boogie man. If you’re a sports fan, there’s always one player on the team that the fan base collectively decides is the reason the season is going poorly. It doesn’t matter that this person is say the 8th inning arm out of the bullpen. The fanbase has decided all the team’s struggle’s are the fault of that player. It doesn’t matter what’s going on behind the scenes. The player could be injured, or going through some personal stuff. Or they could have just had a couple bad games because everyone has a couple bad games. And really, that player is just one person on the roster. Ever since Uncle George cashed out and sold Lucasfilm to the Mouse, Kathleen Kennedy has been the boogie man, or boogie woman in her case. Even after the first round of “Kennedy is retiring” rumors there was some chatter among certain maybe more vocal sections of the fanbase that Filoni couldn’t be the guy because he was just a “I love laser swords” guy, not a gritty and serious guy like Tony Gilroy. So it’s no surprise we’re seeing some internet whispers about Cowboy Dave already.
At the same time, Filoni’s wheelhouse is the mythology. The Jedi and the Sith. The Force and the Mortis Gods. The Mandalorians. It’s taking the sandbox that Uncle George created and expanding those characters. In The Clone Wars, we got to see more of Anakin, Obi-Wan, and the actual personality of the Clone Troopers. Filoni is a Star Wars fan for the same reason the rest of us did. The action and adventure. The mystical powers of the Force. The moments when a farmboy blows up the Death Star or Vader declares he is the father or The Child first shows his cute little Yoda face. Filoni is one of us.
Andor was the least Star Warsy show imaginable, it has more in common with Tinker Tailor Solider Spy than the Skywalker Saga. There’s no Jedi, the closest we get to the Sith are passing references to the Emperor. There’s at most one scene with the Force and it’s more of a suggestion of a Force healer than say, Cassian crossing paths with one of the numerous Jedi that survived Order 66. Andor is a gritty show about how fascism corrupts and takes over a previously democratic society. Season 1 was a grim warning we chose to ignore. Watching Andor is a lot more fun than living it. It’s also not a show Filoni would have written. And that’s OK. We’re never going to get another Andor. Well, never say never. But given the scope of the show and the cost, we’re not going to get one for a while.
What will Star Wars look like under the Filoni/Brennan regime? Well, for starters it’s almost a chance at a fresh start. As I’ve mentioned before, there’s very little in the pipeline. The Mandalorian and Grogu, the Maul animated show, Ahsoka season 2, and Star Wars: Visions Presents are slated for this year with Starfighter next year. That’s not a whole lot and it gives the Filoni/Brennan Force Dyad a chance to put their mark on Star Wars as a whole. I don’t want to discount Brennan but it certainly seems like she is more on the business side of things and we’re talking what to expect in movies/shows.
If I had to guess, based on nothing more than Filoni’s past work, is we’re going to see another connected universe but set in a post-Sequel Trilogy environment. Starfighter can be the first entry to kick off what’s happening. Who are the new bad guys, what’s the New New Republic up to, how’s Rey’s Jedi Order working, and where is Ben Solo? You can have interconnected characters here while allowing for the stories to go down different paths. Not quite to the extent of the MCU, just because Star Wars moves at a slower pace. But I think we’ll see movies/streaming shows/animated shows sharing a timeline.
Also, I know there was a big Kathleen Kennedy interview with a lot of new information. I’m not neglecting it, I’ll discuss it on Friday. Along with a look-back on her time at Lucasfilm.
Great Moments in Star Wars Merchandising
I went back and forth about posting this one. Ultimately, it’s funny and while there are probably some who could be offended by it. It’s not really risque. It’s PG-13 which is how I try to keep Death Star HR. A woman across the pond in Great Britain is selling on eBay an (unused thankfully) Star Wars thong signed by David Prowse.
As the seller writes in the description, she had purchased said thong before going to a UK Comic Con in 2015, and when she saw David Prowse, she wanted to get something signed that wasn’t one of 8x10’s that are available at the table. At the time of publication, bidding is at £341.00, or $461.00 for those of us in the colonies. If you are a Star Wars collector who’s into rare items, this probably is one of a kind.
If Death Star HR were ever in a position to interview actors and actresses who were in Star Wars, my closing question for everyone would be “what’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever been asked to sign?”
Things My Wife Has Said About Star Wars
It’s not a specific exchange this time. I’ve been binge watching Young Jedi Adventures for…reasons that will be explained later. Look, Young Jedi Adventures is the first Disney+ Star Wars show explicitly aimed at that younglings. Yes yes, I know that George has always said that Wu-Tang, Star Wars is for the children. But let’s be honest, the target audience is actually people like myself with disposable income to spend. Hmmm, that doesn’t resemble anyone I know.
Anyway, as we’ve been watching the show, she’ll make snarky remarks about how . they’re not very good at being Jedi, or how the Jedi are a cult, or questioning how one can be visiting her moms if the Jedi take children from their parents. Spoiler alert, she was talking about Nash who is not a Jedi. And she thinks she’s trolling me. But really, she’s actually been showing how much she’s been paying attention. Warms my heart, I tell ya.
This Day in Star Wars History
Bunch of births today, January 20th, in the galaxy far, far away.
Apple Brook, born Anita Burman, was born today in 1931. She was a British actress and occasional comedian. Her role as “Neighbor” in the 4th episode of Andor season 1 was her last on-screen credit before her passing.
Best known as The Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker was born in 1934. Baker voiced Bendu in Rebels season 3. Bendu was a cool character, it was almost like he was an embodiment of the Force itself.
Dave Fennoy, who voiced Jedi Master Pong Krell in The Clone Wars, was born in 1952. Fennoy also provided some random voices in random Star wars videogames and in Rebels. Fennoy’s voice would be well known to people my age, having appeared in Darkwing Duck, Captain Planet, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Along with doing voicework for videogames such as Kings Quest IV, The Curse of Monkey Island (a LucasArts joint), Mass Effect 2, and Batman: Arkham Knight.
Author R.A. Salvatore was born in 1959. Salvatore wrote the novelization of Attack of the Clones and Vector Prime, the first book in the New Jedi Order series. Per Wookieepedia, those are the only two Star Wars books he wrote, I guess I had just assumed he did more. He also made a lot of people mad when he killed off Chewbacca.
Your monthly reminder that these are fictional characters.
From the Depths of Wookieepedia
Haven’t done one of these in a while, when the randomizer turns up a Wookieepedia entry that really shouldn’t be a standalone entry, because there’s no real information. This week, we’ve got Janeth.
Yup. That’s all we got. For all you Jeneth-stans, sorry there isn’t more. Take it up with Wookieepedia, not me.
News From the HoloNet
The Force was with the Broncos: Star Wars creator George Lucas attends playoff game
I had been trying to figure our why California boy Uncle George was at the Broncos. His wife, Mellody Hobson, is part of the Broncos ownership group. Mystery solved.
January 29 is going to be a major day for Star Wars fans
Happy Ahsoka Tano Day, to all those who celebrate!
Dave Filoni’s STAR WARS Movie Hits Pause, but Would’ve United SKELETON CREW With the Mando-Verse
I think, although am not positive, this is first confirmation that the Skeleton Crew kids were going to be part of the Filoni-verse movie. Neel forever.
That’s it for this week. If you like what I’m doing, please subscribe. I’ll catch you next week, and may the Force be with you.
The boogeyman analogy is perfect - every franchise needs someone to blame when things dont go as planned. What really caught my attention was the Andor discussion tho. I remember watching it in 2022 and thinking how diffrent it felt from typical Star Wars, almost like a John le Carré novel got dropped into the galaxy. That gritty approach worked because it trusted the audinece to handle complexity without lightsabers as a crutch.
Love Filoni's enthusiasm, don't love where his involvement took The Mandalorian. That said, I don't really expect any changes at Lucasfilm. He seemed to have Kennedy's ear. Should be a smooth transition.