Dave Filoni acknowledges George Lucas's creative genius, saying, "Whatever he would come up with would be different," and notes that he essentially rents the building he works in from Lucas, so George is welcome back whenever he'd like.
According to ComicBook.com, Filoni shared his thoughts on the years of mentoring he received from George Lucas in Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast. Filoni, like the rest of us, would love to have George back and still has complete faith in Lucas's ability to surprise everyone by creating something very different, but he thinks George is simply too busy for Star Wars:
"He has a museum to finish, which is gonna be a phenomenal experience and project for everyone to see. It never ceases to amaze me how George just gives, always, in his whole life."Dave Filoni.
Due to Lucas's busy schedule, Filoni is picky about when to go to him for advice, even though Lucas is a giving and generous creator who's always ready to share his wisdom with his "Padawan" Filoni:
"He's just always giving and so I'm very cautious. I've had a lot of mentoring from him and the answer is yes, I do every now and then, but it's gotta be something really important for me to go and seek him out now."Dave Filoni.
Filoni added that he's indebted to George for his involvement in The Clone Wars and compares their relationship to Anakin and Obi-Wan's, with the latter's role being very similar to what George played in Filoni's career:
"To know that, no matter what we did, he was the backstop, and it had to be a little like maybe how Anakin felt with Obi-Wan sometimes, like, 'Obi-Wan's got my back, I know he's there.' So when he's not there, you're flying free, flying down that trench, and you're figuring out, 'Am I gonna hit that exhaust port?' I don't always know. But we do our best... We do it. We don't try; we do our best."Dave Filoni.
While Filoni's time on Star Wars is still a work in progress, he acknowledges that, at times, without Lucas' involvement, it can get a little overwhelming to meet everyone's expectations. Although everyone sees Lucas as a creative and imaginative genius, Filoni says, while referring to Anakin and Ahsoka's nicknames for each other, that it's George's understanding of human relationships and emotions that he's come to appreciate as time passes:
"I always think he has such keen insight on those types of human things that make characters real, that make his galaxy real. It's not just that the starships look worn, that things look lived-in. He creates a lived-in world because the characters have experience and they're very knowledgeable of their world. They've lived a life, and that's what he taught us when we worked in animation."Dave Filoni.
When pressed further regarding his feelings on George's return, Filoni admitted that the door's always open for George to come back anytime:
"Would you say no? We rent the building I work in from George, so he has all the keys anyway. He can come right in, he has the pass. I'll tell you, whatever he would come up with would be different. He was always the most surprising in what he would do and how he would push things."Dave Filoni.
While returning to directing a full-length feature film may be unlikely for George Lucas, a potential comeback in the director's chair for an episode or two of Dave Filoni's projects, such as Ahsoka or The Mandalorian, could be more feasible. This would mean a lot to fans, and it would be interesting to see how George directs Rosario Dawson's live-action Ahsoka and Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin.
For now, Dave Filoni is at the helm of the Star Wars galaxy created by George Lucas, with occasional guidance and input from Lucas, who must be very proud of how far his Padawan, Filoni, has come.