‘Maul – Shadow Lord’ Takes Star Wars Animation to New Heights
Star Wars animation is one of the best bits of Star Wars out there. From the Clone Wars, to Rebels and The Bad Batch, each show has brought exciting art styles and directions as well as amazing new characters, some of which have since made their live-action debuts. Animated Star Wars is a way to tell different stories and have unlimited scope and freedom as compared to filming with real actors and sets. Bringing back Maul in the Clone Wars was one such use of this animated freedom. Controversial at the time, his reappearance in the franchise only led to greater feats for the character, and even appearing during the time of the Empire. This has led to the creation of Disney+ series Maul – Shadow Lord, another Clone Wars spinoff.
Maul – Shadow Lord launched with a 10-episode first season this year. The story brings us straight into the action as we follow Maul while he attempts to rebuild his fledgling syndicate empire, last seen at the end of the Clone Wars. The show delves deep into Maul as a character, bringing new sides of his psyche to life as well as showing how he is still on his path of revenge. There are characters old and new within the show who bring all sides of the Star Wars universe to the forefront as we see how Maul and others interact with them and what it means for him going forward.
[Warning: This review will have major spoilers for the season]
Maul rebuilds himself during the rise of the Empire in Maul – Shadow Lord
Maul – Shadow Lord follows Maul (voiced by Sam Witwer), around a year after the events of Revenge of the Sith, on the planet Janix. This planet has a large city that is filled with warring syndicates and an overworked police force. Janix is chosen as the stage for Maul’s revenge against those who betrayed him when his shadow collective of syndicates disbanded.
Here we find him with Rook Kast, a Mandalorian warrior who served alongside Maul during his time ruling Mandalore, along with several other Mandalorians and two Zabrak warriors who act as bodyguards. This ragtag team aims to restart Maul’s shadow collective during the time of the Empire.
On the opposite side of this, we meet Captain Brander Lawson of the Janix police department, who gets dragged into Maul’s revenge arc when Maul starts to make a name for himself on the planet by causing various disturbances. Captain Lawson is a bit of a cliché he within the show, being your typical grizzled detective who doesn’t always agree with the rule of law but still wants what’s best for his planet. Voiced by award-winning actor Wagner Moura, Lawson spends a lot of the show aiming to find out more about this Maul character and bring him to justice.
Captain Lawson also has a son, Rilee (voiced by Charlie Bushnell), who has a strained relationship with his father. They hardly see each other due to Lawson’s desire to be a good detective. This is where the cliché elements come into play with his character, but it is still fun to see it play out within the Star Wars universe.
Thrown into the mix of Maul vs. the Janix Police are that of two Jedi who survived the purge and have been on the run for a year. Jedi Master Eeko-Dio Daki (voiced by Dennis Haysbert) and his padawan Devon Izara (voiced by Gideon Adlon) represent the side of “good” within the story, as they too find out about Maul and his ongoing disturbances. Aiming to do the right thing, the pair want to take him down without attracting too much attention.
Devon Izara is the most interesting character of the pair to both the audience and to Maul. As we see within the season as it progresses, there is a hidden anger to Devon who doesn’t want to do things the Jedi way anymore after being on the run for so long. This gets the notice of Maul, who aims to win her over to his side throughout the show as he promises her the powers of the Dark Side. This plays brilliantly against her master, who is very stuck in the Jedi of old’s ways. This helps bring a good balance to the show about what is right and wrong.
The Empire is a looming, menacing presence
The latter half of the season really kicks things up a gear when the Empire shows up. A lot of the first few episodes show how bad it would be for the Empire to show up for a lot of the characters. Maul doesn’t want them as it would bring along trouble; like the Emperor knowing about him as well as sending Inquisitors after him.
The police and Captain Lawson don’t want them to show up, as once they do, they never leave. We also find out Captain Lawson’s ex-wife has now joined the Empire, adding to the animosity. They think they can handle Maul and his disturbances in the city by themselves. And the Jedi don’t want the Empire to show up for similar reasons to Maul; it wouldn’t be safe, and it would lead to a lot more hassle and danger.
During our time with the Janix police, we learned that a lot of their forces are filled with droids. Once such a droid is Captain Lawson’s partner, Two Boots, a police droid who wears two red boots (voiced by Richard Ayoade). We learn that Two Boots is very by the books, even more so than other members of the police. When the threat of Maul becomes too big, Two Boots is the one to call in the Empire, spelling certain doom for everyone involved.
The Empire’s arrival also brings along two imperial Inquisitors who are fallen Jedi, now trained to kill other Jedi. Each was given a number, a “brother” or “sister” designation, and a red double-ended lightsaber that can spin. First introduced in Star Wars: Rebels, the Inquisitors have often been used as fodder for the hero Jedi to kill, or they provide a distraction for a few episodes. What I loved about their appearance in Maul – Shadow Lord is that they are given such a haunting presence and become a genuine threat to Maul and the Jedi in the latter half of the season.
We are reintroduced to Marrok and The Crow, who have appeared in Ahsoka and Tales of the Jedi before, but they are given new life and haunting features. The pair of inquisitors proves an unstoppable force for Maul and the Jedi as they hunt them down across several episodes, always on their tail and ready to fight.
All the characters end up teaming up as being hunted by both the Empire and the Inquisitors proves too much for them individually. Captain Lawson and Rilee along with Two Boots, escape from imperial custody to join up with Master Daki and Devon. They all want to get out of the city and away from the Empire. This turns them to Maul and his crew, as they also have plans to escape the city and Janix and the threat of the Empire.
The climax of Maul – Shadow Lord comes as Maul, the Jedi, and the Janix crew all try to leave the city. Being hunted by the Empire and the Inquisitors leads to some side characters meeting fateful ends, but the real trouble comes in the final two episodes of the series, when Darth Vader arrives.
Unlike his other appearances, Vader does not say a single word in these last two episodes of the show, simply being there to try to defeat Maul and the Jedi. Vader has been in a lot of Star Wars projects recently, and it’s no surprise he shows up here and now. However, what I enjoyed was the lack of speech and that he was just on a mission to try to stop Maul and the Jedi.
Eventually, Master Daki, after fighting Vader on his own, succumbs to Vader’s might and dies. Causing Devon to be pushed over the edge into darkness and into Maul’s hands. The season ends with only Maul, Devon, Rilee, and Two Boots making it safely off planet on board a Crimson Dawn ship.
Captain Lawson ends up sacrificing himself so his son can make it safely away from the Empire after a heart-to-heart between the pair. As well, Rook Kast dies in the fog of the outskirts of Janix when Vader first shows up. Devon is angry, and Maul wants to use this. It will be exciting to see where the show heads in season 2, which was announced recently and is hopefully set to come out next year.
Also check out: Darth Maul Companion Guide
The characters and production elevate this animated Star Wars series
What I love about Maul – Shadow Lord is that it gives us significant insight into Maul as a character. We especially get to see this later in the season, where we get flashbacks to his journey so far, from his training with Darth Sidious to his revival by night sister magic. The show takes an already haunting character and turns him into something far more complex than just being a simple Sith.
Maul was kept the villain of the story by having him play off Devon as we see him manipulate her, and also fueled purely by his quest for revenge against his master. It was great to see Maul at the forefront of his own series after so many years of his character. I do wish there were more insight into how he wants to rebuild his shadow collective of syndicates. Maul being a syndicate leader is very intriguing, and so is the underworld of Star Wars, which doesn’t get as much love sometimes.
There was also a great mix of characters within the show, all providing different points of view. The Jedi really felt stuck in their ways within the show. I think that was important to help you relate to Devon’s wish to do things differently, despite her still believing in her master and being sad and emotional at his death.
A character I haven’t mentioned much is that of Dario (voiced by Chris Diamantopoulos), a small-time gang leader on Janix who ends up being kidnapped by Maul in order to help him get revenge on the Pykes. He provides a bit of comedy and levity to the episodes, which is much needed in some scenes and doesn’t take away from any of the emotional hits. I enjoyed his character, and he actually survives the end of the season, mainly by acting a bit like a cockroach and sticking to whichever side is winning. It will be interesting to see how his relationship with Maul grows and whether he will still feel trapped or enjoy the company of the shadow lord.
One of the wonderful aspects of this animated series is the art and sound design. Star Wars animation has been taken to another level here, with every scene being designed to almost look like a moving painting, with lots of brush strokes and wild edges to the character designs. The backdrops and establishing shots are phenomenal to look at and really give the show a certain flair that works for the messy nature of the character.
There are many lightsaber fights, with some episodes almost being entirely lightsaber fights, and coupled with the art style, they look astonishing. The light reflecting off the characters adds a lot to the scene, and the vivid motion of the lightsabers makes the fights pop and seem much more fluid and real.
Adding to this is the sound design, which adds remarkable things to the show. One of my favorites is that Maul’s lightsaber swings have added screams voiced by Sam Witwer, they are blended into him swinging and striking his saber, and it makes Maul’s presence that much scarier.
Another outstanding sound design is one of the Inquisitors, The Crow, who has almost skeletal creaking every time he turns his head around, which is called “bone leather” by the sound editors. It’s little things like this that I find really add to the show itself, pushing Maul – Shadow Lord into one of the greats of Star Wars animation just one season in.
Final thoughts on Maul – Shadow Lord season 1
Overall, I really enjoyed the first season of Maul – Shadow Lord. I think the show takes Star Wars animation to new heights. It’s darker, more fluid, and does much more with its art style, not just looking like a Clone Wars spin-off.
Maul is a fascinating character, and there is much he can get up to between now and his appearance in Rebels. Devon, I found to be a very interesting character as someone falling into the dark side. Whether she will find the light again is another reason to be excited for a second season.
There is plenty done right with this show, and little I would ask for improvements-wise. Every character felt necessary, and even if there were cliché moments, they still felt fine in the grand picture of the show. With the announcement of season 2, I can’t wait to see what happens next with Maul and Devon, as well as the growth of his syndicate and what it means for the future of his place in the galaxy. Maul has never felt so captivating as a character.
Also check out: Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Premiere Review
