Dave Filoni Gets His Own 'Star Wars' Action Figure
How do you know if you have made it in a certain science fiction franchise? It is when you are immortalized as an action figure. Of course, it is no surprise that characters like Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, Rey, and Kylo Ren would have action figures and toys made of them as soon as they appear on screen (and sometimes even before!). So when the good people behind the camera lens who brought the magic on screen get their own action figures, it is a special treat indeed. Imagine the excitement when Hasbro first announced its Star Wars fall 2021 lineup.
At first, one might be confused as to why the internet is raging over Hasbro’s release of yet another X-wing pilot and questioning why it deserves the $29.99 price tag. After all, Hasbro’s average price for Star Wars The Black Series 6” scale action figure runs at about $22.99. If you take a closer look, you would see that this veteran of the Rebellion, now pilot for the New Republic, Trapper Wolf bears a resemblance to our very own Dave Filoni. That is right. The creative mind behind Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance, The Mandalorian, and most recently Star Wars: The Bad Batch is getting his very own Star Wars action figure! This 6-inch scale fully articulated figure comes with a detachable blaster rifle and helmet so that you can re-enact your favorite scenes. Most of us would probably try to preserve its collectible mint-in-box condition. To the disappointment of many fans, the figure does not come with Filoni’s iconic cowboy hat.
Technically, this was not Filoni’s first action figure, as Hasbro had previously released a figure of Chopper, which was voiced by him in Rebels. However, this would be the first to bear his likeness. Dave Filoni had two cameo appearances in The Mandalorian as the X-wing pilot Trapper Wolf. In Season 1 episode "Chapter 6: The Prisoner,” when Din Djarin was hired by a certain Ranzar “Ran” Malk to help a certain prisoner escape from the New Republic Correctional Transport Bothan-Five. Wolf was one of the New Republic X-wing pilots who followed the tracking beacon to intercept the escaped prisoner on board his former employer Ran’s space station. We would see him again in Season 2 episode “Chapter 10: The Passenger,” when he and Captain Carson Teva encountered Din Djarin and the Razor Crest while he was transporting “Frog Lady” and her eggs. After the Razor Crest crash landed on the planet of Maldo Kreis, Wolf and Teva would help blast the swarms of alien ice spiders that were attacking the heavily damaged ship.
Dave Filoni was also not the first of the Star Wars production team to have his own action figure, nor was he the first to make cameo appearances onscreen. George Lucas had two figures. One was an X-wing pilot aptly named Jorg Sacul (created exclusively just for the toy), and the other was for his brief cameo as Baron Notluwiski Papanoida (from Revenge of the Sith). Return of the Jedi director Richard Marquand had an action figure for his AT-ST Driver Major Marquand (from Return of the Jedi). Concept artist Ralph McQuarrie also had a figure for his Rebel General Pharl McQuarrie (from The Empire Strikes Back).
Hopefully, we will see more of Trapper Wolf (and Dave Filoni) on screen in future Star Wars productions. While Rangers of the New Republic is reportedly no longer in active development, we may still see the character in future live-action series set in the New Republic era, such as Season 3 of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka.
Star Wars The Black Series Trapper Wolf will be available exclusively on Hasbro Pulse in Fall 2021.
Source(s): Den of Geek, Fandom, Hasbro Pulse