Maul: Shadow Lord

May the 4th be with you

Introduction:

What a genius way to release a show! Making sure that its finale happened on Star Wars day; May 4th. A great way to celebrate a franchise that is so beloved by so many! Maul: Shadow Lord was a show that probably wasn’t needed but was inevitable with Disney wanting to explore every inch of the Star Wars Galaxy that they possibly can. I was worried that it would be a nothing burger despite Darth Maul being my favorite antagonist from the Clone Wars animated series. I can’t be happier to say that I was wrong. Maul: Shadow Lord offers a very interesting short by playing all of the cards of the Star Wars universe in an elegant and genius way.

Spoiler warning for the Star Wars at large: Mostly The Prequels through Rebels.

SPOILERS

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Maul: Shadow Lord Poster with Inquisitors

What’s Inspirational About Maul: Shadow Lord:

The first thing that is most impressive about Maul: Shadow Lord is the art style. The way they iterated on and improved the Clone Wars animation style is jaw dropping. The way they added painterly elements to the backgrounds when they are out of focus and made the Lightsabers and Blaster Blots look like living charcoal is just the coolest thing ever! The amount of art, cinematography, and care put into the presentation of this show is just incredible.

I thought it was really clever that they made the police force out of robots so that Maul could just cut through them without any blood and without being ‘too’ violent. However, turns out they did this to desensitize us to the true violence the show had in store for us. In the last half of the season Maul, Master Denki, Devon, and the Inquisitors are cutting apart strom troopers and so many other organic beings. Not to mention how brutal some deaths became, but still, they avoided showing any blood. This is a show, like Maul himself, unafraid to cut people up into tiny little pieces.

The next thing that I thought they handled really well was the story. We know from so many other shows and stories that most everyone makes it out alive. From the Inquisitors showing up in later stories, to knowing that Maul meets his death at the hands of Ben Kenobi, to knowing that Darth Vader can’t die yet, and the fact that when we meet Maul in Rebels he is alone. That not many people in this show can die. That doesn't change the fact that there is a lot of death in this show.

Maul: Shadow Lord Poster

We slowly see that Maul’s crew in this show is picked off by little chunks at a time. The people of Janix slowly die and it raises the stakes significantly. Aside from Maul, every other character in this series that is introduced is a classic hero archetype. The Jedi Master Denki, the Apprentice Devon, and the lawman Detective Lawson and his crew (Two Boots & Rylee). This is how the writers raise the stakes. Introducing us to characters we’ve never seen before and whose fate we don’t know. So, the show isn’t just a question if Maul will survive because we know he does. But it brings into question if these heroic side characters will survive their encounter with Maul, or will they break? Each character shows their morals and ethics being stretched when they encounter Maul, a machine built on ruthless revenge or the systemic overpowering evil of Maul’s master, Darth Sidious, the Empire. What a clever way to add story tension to a plot that could’ve easily had none. 

Lastly, I thought they handled Maul’s character fantastically. He was rightfully framed as smart, cunning, and terrifying. The creative team of this show did a magnificent job making Maul a complex character while never losing his intimidation factor or desire for revenge. I love that we got Maul’s backstory and how Sidious stole him from his home. How Maul oscillates between wanting revenge on Obi Wan Kenobi and Darth Sidious is beautiful. What is most heart breaking though is how Maul is constantly reaching out for a family. For those to be close to, we are always seeing him gather a tight knit group of team mates and he’s always looking for an apprentice. So, watching him reach out to Deven so frequently during the show yet letting his fear betray him is so sad. And while Maul is undoubtedly terrifying, seeing him sabotage relationships by being ruled by hate and fear is pitiful. Yet so poignant. 

Final Thoughts:

Maul: Shadow Lord is an excellent Star Wars show that adds depth to one of the most iconic villains in Star Wars. The people who were tasked with making this show were given an almost impossible task to intertwine so much of existing Star Wars lore into a story where we already know who survives. They executed it perfectly. It’s really impressive and such a beautiful show. If you're a Star Wars fan I recommend it and I can’t express how happy I am to see one of my favorite antagonists return as such an underdog. I can’t wait to see if we get a season 2.

May the Force be with you.

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