Star Wars’next TV show,Maul: Shadow Lord, is breaking a massive George Lucas-era rule. Announced atStar WarsCelebration 2025,Maul: Shadow Lordwill follow the Sith apprentice turned crime lord as he builds his criminal empire under the Empire’s watchful and oppressive gaze, tying intoMaul’s resurrected storylineinStar Wars: The Clone Warsand his brief, holographic cameo inSolo: A Star Wars Story.
As we know fromMaul’s (Sam Witwer) timeinThe Clone WarsandStar Wars Rebels,the Dathomirian Force-user was always on the hunt for an apprentice of his own;Maul: Shadow Lordwill introduce audiences toStar WarsLegends characterDarth Talon as Maul’s mentee.Shadow Lordhas noticeably been inspired by George Lucas’ originalStar Warssequel vision, which would likewise have followed Maul’s exploits in the criminal underworld.
Though we don’t know how closelyShadow Lord’s specific plot beats would have matched Lucas’ ideas for Maul, the animated show’s premiere will break a massiveStar Warsrule – one that Lucas was seemingly hoping to break himself before he sold the franchise to Disney.
The New Darth Maul Show Is The First One To Star A Villain
Maul: Shadow Lordwill be the first mainlineStar Warsproduction, animated or live-action, to feature a villain as its central “protagonist.”WhileStar Warsis famous for its villains– Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Grand Moff Tarkin, Kylo Ren, Count Dooku, General Grievous, the Nihil’s Marchion Ro, Grand Admiral Thrawn, the Inquisitors, and countless others – they’ve never been the sole, central focus before.
Even anthology shows likeStar Wars: Taleshave never studied theStar Warsgalaxy’s villains during their darkest phases.Tales of the Empirefeatured Barriss Offee and Morgan Elsbeth, victims of circumstance more than outright villains.Tales of the Jedishowed us Count Dooku’s turn, but he was still a Jedi at the time.Tales of the Underworldgave us Cad Bane’s backstory before he became a bounty hunter.
EvenThe Book of Boba Fett, which featured one ofStar Wars’ most iconic bounty hunters, a bounty hunter who worked for Darth Vader, no less, didn’t portray Boba as an outright villain. His experience in the Sarlacc Pit, his partnership with Fennec Shand, and his time with Din Djarin inThe Mandalorianchanged him.
Shadow Lordis different, however.We already know Maul will never be redeemed, as we’ve witnessed his (final, presumably) death inStar Wars Rebels. He was always haunted by power, revenge, and darkness. Maul is a villain through and through.Shadow Lord, therefore, is new territory forStar Wars, and that’s undeniably exciting.
Maul’s Story Is A Chance To Show How Evil The Sith REALLY Are
Maul may be an outright villain, but inShadow Lord, he’ll be hiding his operations from an even bigger threat: the Sith.Darth Sidious considers Maul a liability – this is made clear when he tries to kill Maul and his brother, Savage (the latter does not survive this encounter), inThe Clone Warsseason 5, episode 16, “The Lawless.”
Maul’s continued criminal enterprise will no doubt attract the attention of Darth Sidious and his new apprentice, Darth Vader. Whereas in mostStar Warsstories, the Sith’s villainy is hidden behind the façade of the Empire,Maul: Shadow Lordmay be an opportunity to showcase just how dangerous the Sith truly are.
What if Maul and Sidious go head-to-head once more?What if he finally duels Darth Vader? What if whatever happens inShadow Lordis what leads Maul to visit (and become stranded on) Malachor inStar Wars Rebels, looking for a weapon to defeat the Sith once and for all?
Is Star Wars Going To Tell More Villain Stories?
With Disney+, there’s an opportunity forStar Warsto expand its repertoire. In a sense, it already has, with shows likeAndor,The Mandalorian, andStar Wars: Skeleton Crewexploring different genres and narrative structures with great success. ThroughAndor,Star Warshas also explored a more mature kind of storytelling, which it could repeat in the future should it decide to dig into Maul’s inner darkness and the horrors of his time with Sidious.
Maul occupies a unique position withinStar Wars: he’s both villain and victim.
I think it would be exciting forStar Warsto tell more on-screen stories from the villain’s perspective. They’ll have an interesting and more complicated view of the galaxy, the Empire’s regime, and the Sith’s encroaching darkness, a point of view not as black-and-white asStar Wars’usual heroic fare.
Maul occupies a unique position withinStar Wars: he’s both villain and victim, especially where Palpatine is concerned. IfMaul: Shadow Lordsucceeds and digs into his past and his state of mind more thanThe Clone WarsandRebelsever did, there’s every chance we’ll get more in-depth (animated) on-screen stories aboutStar Wars’greatest villains.
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Ahsokaseason 2 (live-action_
Maul: Shadow Lord
Cast
Maul: Shadow Lord is an animated series that follows Star Wars' iconic Maul. Formerly appearing on the big screen in Star Wars: Episode 1 and Solo: A Star Wars Story, Maul’s journey from Sith apprentice to a force to be reckoned with in the criminal underworld has previously expanded on the small screen inThe Clone WarsandRebels.
