[Ed. note: This article contains spoilers for Star Wars Maul – Shadow Lord episodes 9-10.]
The final two episodes of Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord arrived on May 4, and they deliver one of the most epic and bloodiest finales in the history of Star Wars animation. However, more importantly, the last two episodes prompt you to reevaluate everything you knew about Darth Vader and his presence within the era between Maul — Shadow Lord and Maul’s later appearance in Rebels.
Vader’s canonical timeline, detailing where he is at any given time, has always been hard to pin down. When he isn’t searching for ways to bring back his dead wife, Padmé Amidala, the terrifying, hulking Sith Lord is doing his master Darth Sidious’s bidding. Usually this means hunting any Jedi lucky enough to survive Order 66, but this time, Maul’s destabilizing presence on the seedy planet of Janix has earned the Emperor’s attention. When Inquisitors Marrok and Eighth Brother proved insufficient to deal with Maul, it was only a matter of time before the Empire sent in the big guns, i.e, Vader.
Across all Star Wars media, Vader’s presence often feels like the Grim Reaper arriving. He is ultimately considered the big boss that characters either have to run from (like Cal Kestis in Jedi: Fallen Order) or die confronting (like the poor rebels that perish in that brutal corridor scene in 2016’s Rogue One). In Maul — Shadow Lord’s final episode, “The Dark Lord,” Vader has to deal with multiple Force users, including powerful Jedi like Master Eeko-Dio Daki, Daki’s Padawan Devon Izara, and Maul himself. However, even that combination isn’t enough to stop the Sith Lord. After Vader brutally slays Daki, Maul and Devon are lucky to escape with their lives.
Although Vader’s brutality is well-known, his appearance in Shadow Lord marks a significant shift for Maul. Having lost all members of his Shadow Collective — including his second-in-command, Rook Kast — Maul now has no one left who was once close to him, except his vengeful new apprentice, Devon.
We know from Maul’s appearance in Rebels that he has a deep fear of Vader. At first, it was thought to be due to Vader’s reputation as Sidious’s glorified attack dog, capable of extreme violence and mass destruction. However, thanks to Shadow Lord’s finale, we now know that Maul’s wariness stems from two different things. First, his firsthand experience confronting the galaxy’s most formidable Sith Lord and barely escaping; and second, witnessing his friends and allies being killed. It’s no wonder that, thanks to Vader’s involvement, Maul’s only salvation comes from of Dryden Vos and Crimson Dawn.
With season 2 confirmed, we know Darth Maul’s adventures are far from over. But we also know from Vader’s single-minded hunt for his quarry, as established in his pursuit of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Kenobi, that it’s highly unlikely we’ll see the last of Vader. Will season 2 establish Vader’s timeline in this era to be a sole focus on hunting down Maul? We can’t wait to find out.
All episodes of Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord are available now on Disney Plus.
