Almost 30 years after his cinematic debut, iconic villain Darth Maul returns to glory in his long-overdue Disney+ series, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord. Set a year after the Clone Wars ended, Maul – Shadow Lord follows the titular villain (Sam Witwer) as he tries to rebuild his criminal empire in the shadows of the Galactic Empire. At the same time, he pursues the fugitive Jedi Padawan Devon Izara (Gideon Adlon) in the hopes of making her his new apprentice.
Only two episodes of Maul – Shadow Lord have debuted on streaming at this time. Nevertheless, the show has already established itself as a strong, unique addition to the Star Wars Universe. It is rated fresh by both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, and Disney and Lucasfilm are already working on a second season.
Not only does the series expand Maul’s story, but it also brings fresh faces to the franchise that help tell a relevant and engaging crime story. Mixing the social and political intrigue of Andor with the animation, whimsy, and mysticism of The Clone Wars, Maul – Shadow Lord is a must-see Disney+ series for Star Wars fans, young and old.
Maul shines in Shadow Lord
Since his debut in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Maul has become one of the most popular villains in the franchise. However, it was in animated shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels that his character achieved greater depth and prominence. Rising from the depths of this failure to become a vicious crime lord, Maul became a terrifying and powerful force all his own. Voice actor Sam Witwer imbues the character with greater intensity through his eerie, hypnotic performance.
Maul – Shadow Lord captures the fear his character invokes as he becomes the center of his own story. Though his syndicate, the Shadow Collective, collapsed during the rise of the Empire, Maul continues to inspire dread in the hearts of crime bosses such as Nico Deemis (John Carroll Lynch) and Looti Vario (Chris Diamantopoulos). This series is very much the Star Wars version of DC’s The Penguin, with shows depicting a villain trying to gain power in a ravaged, crime-filled world, taking on a new protégé, and waging war on multiple crime families.
Such a show also fills in the gaps in Maul’s story between his fall in the Clone Wars and his return in Star Wars: Rebels. We glimpsed at Maul’s criminal empire after the Clone Wars in Solo: A Star Wars Story, which revealed that he was the one behind the syndicate Crimson Dawn. However, after the film underperformed in theaters, the Star Wars franchise failed to expand upon it until now with Maul – Shadow Lord.
A grounded, thrilling cop drama in the Star Wars universe
Maul – Shadow Lord adds variety to the Star Wars franchise by presenting a procedural crime drama set in the galaxy far, far away. Though Maul is the title character, we also follow police detective Brander Lawson (The Secret Agent’s Wagner Moura) as he investigates the villain’s crimes on the planet Janix. On top of that, Lawson has a sort of “buddy cop” dynamic with his droid partner, Two-Boots (voiced by The IT Crowd‘s Richard Ayoade).
Lawson isn’t a Force-user or an Imperial soldier. He’s just a regular guy trying to do good in a world that gets progressively bleaker. Lawson struggles even more as he tries to connect with his son, Rylee (Charlie Bushnell), only for his police work to pull him away. With a character like Lawson, the series breaks away from the Skywalkers and Palpatines to tell a hyper-local story about ordinary people trying to live and maintain order in a galaxy ruled by criminals and a corrupt government.
Maul – Shadow Lord draws heavy parallels to the cyberpunk film Blade Runner as it follows Lawson through his robot-filled police precinct and the vibrant, neon streets of Janix. The show also injects plenty of thrills into its stories as the cast engages in high-speed police chases featuring blasters and hovercrafts.
Star Wars remains a timeless story
Since its inception in 1977, Star Wars has presented deep political and social commentaries through its tales of the Jedi, the Sith, the Rebellion, and the Galactic Empire. Maul – Shadow Lord continues this franchise’s tradition by exploring the modern issues and anxieties through its characters.
For example, in the series, we see Lawson is reluctant to get the Empire involved in his local investigation into Maul’s crimes, fearing they’ll put Janix on lockdown. Whether or not this was intentional, this storyline reflects the growing anxieties and conflict between state and federal law enforcement in the United States following the Trump Administration’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Shadow Lord also explores crime and its connection to poverty. Having been branded a criminal with all the other Jedi, Devon resorts to stealing to survive on the street as she and her master, Eeko-Dio-Daki (Dennis Haysbert), hide from the Empire. Maul exploits Devon’s desperation and resentment for the Empire to persuade her to join him in getting revenge on his former Sith master, Emperor Palpatine.
In Star Wars, we’ve seen good characters like Anakin Skywalker turn to the dark side after succumbing to fear, anger, hate, and greed. Through Devon and her relationship with Maul, we see how a good person can be tempted to enter a life of crime when they’re left on the streets with little food or money. The fact that Devon was falsely accused of being a criminal by the Empire highlights how crime and poverty can be created or worsened by the governments meant to prevent them.
While Rebels fans are familiar with Maul’s ultimate fate in the franchise, Shadow Lord is a crucial, entertaining chapter in the villain’s story that demands to be seen. As we follow the dark lord in the shadows of Janix, we continue to see the world of Star Wars grow as the franchise explores new creative territories.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is now streaming on Disney+.