Maul: Shadow Lord (2026)

The Galaxy Is Broken, Maul Is Broken, And so is his leg?

Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers shall we?

Not gonna lie, this was one my most anticipated shows of this year, lets see how it was.

This show was released in a pretty smart way. Instead of dropping everything at once, Lucasfilm released two episodes every Monday leading up to May the 4th. Episodes 1 and 2 dropped on April 6, 2026. Episodes 3 and 4 dropped on April 13. Episodes 5 and 6 dropped on April 20. Episodes 7 and 8 dropped on April 27. Then Episodes 9 and 10 dropped on May 4, Star Wars Day.

Now, I know some people love weekly releases. I still do not fully love having to wait a whole month to finish the full story, because when a show hooks me, I want the next episode now, not “see you next Monday, suffer responsibly.” But I will give them credit: two episodes per Monday actually worked for this show. It made each week feel like a mini event, and by the end, it actually felt like the story was building toward May the 4th instead of just randomly being stretched out.

Also, the animation style here is gorgeous. This is clearly taking from The Clone Wars animation style, but it is not just trying to be The Clone Wars again. It feels like the same continuity, but upgraded. It has this painterly, canvas-like look where the movement and lighting sometimes feel like you’re looking at an oil painting that came to life. The colors are darker, the shadows are heavier, and Maul’s red skin looks deeper and more dangerous than it ever has before. This might genuinely be the best Maul has ever looked in animation. The show looks like The Clone Wars grew up, got moodier, walked into a crime noir alleyway, and came out smelling like smoke, fire, and trauma.

Non-Spoiler Plot Overview

Maul: Shadow Lord takes place one year after Maul escapes from Ahsoka at the end of The Clone Wars Season 7. So this is early Empire era. The Republic is dead, the Jedi are being hunted, and the Empire is still in that weird transition phase where you can see old Republic elements being repurposed into Imperial machinery. The ships still look like redesigned Republic gunships, the troopers do not fully look like the classic stormtroopers yet, and the whole galaxy feels like it is being forced into a new shape.

That is one thing I really liked about this show. It understands that the vibe of Star Wars has changed. During The Clone Wars era, even with all the political corruption and messiness, the galaxy still had this larger sense of good versus evil. The Jedi existed. The Republic existed. There was at least some idea of order, even if that order was flawed. But under the Empire, everything becomes more complicated. It is no longer clean good versus evil. It becomes control versus survival. You either fall in line under a regime that controls everything, or you try to survive with smugglers, criminals, scoundrels, and syndicates.

That is where Maul fits perfectly. Maul is not a hero here. Dave Filoni said he would not be heroized, and thankfully the show does not try to turn him into some misunderstood good guy. This is not Maul becoming the hero of the galaxy. This is more like worse versus worser. Maul is bad. The syndicates are bad. The Empire is worse. The galaxy is broken, and Maul is trying to carve out his own power inside the wreckage.

The main story follows Maul trying to rebuild power in the underworld after losing so much of what he built during The Clone Wars. He wants revenge on crime syndicates that turned on him. He wants to rebuild his organization. He wants to eventually take down Palpatine and the Empire. But he also wants an apprentice, and that is where Devon Izara comes in. Devon is a Twi’lek Jedi Padawan on the run with her master, Master Eeko-Dio-Daki, and Maul sees her as someone he can mold into a weapon.

At the same time, the show follows Brander Lawson, a local cop who has absolutely no idea what kind of nightmare he has stepped into. He starts off thinking this is a local crime situation, and then slowly realizes he is dealing with Darth Maul, Jedi survivors, Imperial coverups, Inquisitors, and eventually Darth Vader himself. Lawson also has a son, Rylee, and the show uses that relationship to ground the story emotionally.

I will say this now: if you came into this show only wanting Maul every second, this show can be frustrating. There are stretches where Maul honestly feels like a guest star in his own show, especially around Episodes 5 and 6. A lot of the story focuses on Lawson, Two-Boots, Devon, her master, and the Empire. I understand why the writers did that, because if you focus too much on Maul from his own point of view, you risk making him too sympathetic. Instead, the show often uses him as a force of nature against other characters. But still, when the show is called Maul: Shadow Lord, it is fair to ask, “Where the hell is Maul?”

Even with that issue, I really enjoyed this show. This was the first time in a while, next to Andor, where I felt like Star Wars actually had something again. Not just cameos. Not just nostalgia. Not just “remember this?” This had tone. It had ideas. It had darkness. It had character writing. It had flaws, absolutely, but I was invested.

Character Rundown

Maul is obviously the center of the show, even when the show strangely does not always keep him in the center of the screen. This is Maul after Clone Wars Season 7, after Mandalore, after Ahsoka, after knowing Sidious won. He is trying to rebuild, but he is also still broken. The show understands that Maul is not just “angry because Obi-Wan cut him in half.” That is part of him, yes, but he is broken way deeper than that. He was taken from Dathomir as a child, trained by Sidious, abused, punished, and turned into a weapon. He cannot process grief, responsibility, or pain in a healthy way because he was never taught how. Everything becomes revenge. Everything becomes survival. Everything becomes power.

Devon Izara is the Twi’lek Jedi Padawan Maul wants to make his apprentice. She starts off trying to survive with Master Eeko-Dio-Daki, and you can see right away that she is struggling with what it means to still believe in Jedi ideals when the galaxy has completely changed. She wants to steal food to survive, while her master believes they should rely on kindness. And I’m sorry, but in the Empire era, relying on kindness is a great way to get turned into a cautionary tale. Devon is practical, angry, scared, and exactly the kind of person Maul can manipulate.

Master Eeko-Dio-Daki is Devon’s Jedi master, and he represents the old Jedi way. He believes in peace, justice, goodness, and survival without losing yourself. I respect that, but the show also makes it clear how hard that mindset is in a galaxy where the Empire is hunting people like him. He is not stupid, but he is holding onto a world that does not exist anymore.

Brander Lawson is the local cop who somehow becomes one of the emotional anchors of the show. At first, he seems almost clueless. He does not know who Maul is. He does not know what the Shadow Collective is. He literally calls a lightsaber a laser sword. But that is part of why he works. He is the normal person point of view. He is not a Jedi. He is not a Sith. He is not some galactic super genius. He is a guy trying to do his job while the worst people in the galaxy keep stepping into his life like it is a cursed revolving door.

Two-Boots, or 2B0T, is Lawson’s droid partner. At first, he is frustrating because he is the only one constantly saying they should call the Empire. He thinks the Empire is like the Republic. He thinks calling higher authority means help is coming. No, Two-Boots. You invited Satan to your door. But what makes him work is that he eventually realizes how wrong he was. His arc from protocol-loving droid to someone willing to break rules and save Lawson’s son is honestly one of the better character arcs in the show.

Rylee Lawson is Lawson’s son, and his relationship with his dad adds emotional stakes. Lawson is not a bad father, but he is not fully present. The show makes that clear when he says he will have time off soon and then immediately gets dragged back into work. Yeah, sure, buddy. “I’ll have time soon” is fiction’s favorite death flag wearing a dad jacket.

Chief Klyce is Lawson’s boss, and she understands very early that calling the Empire is a terrible idea. She gives Lawson one more chance to handle things locally, but once the Empire arrives, her authority vanishes instantly. The Empire does not help. The Empire takes over.

Lieutenant Blake is the Imperial officer who comes in and immediately makes everything worse. He questions Lawson and Chief Klyce, takes control, and shows how cold and bureaucratic the Empire can be. This guy does not feel like a helper. He feels like a walking threat with paperwork.

Marrok is one of the Inquisitors, and I will give the show credit here: this show made Marrok more threatening than Ahsoka ever did. In Ahsoka, he was a silent masked guy who got sliced open and leaked green mist like someone popped a haunted Capri Sun. Here, he actually feels like a hunter. He interrogates. He tracks. He appears from the shadows. He feels like a problem.

The other Inquisitor is the beaked-mask Inquisitor from Tales of the Jedi. And this is where I have mixed feelings. Visually, both Inquisitors look cool. They make a cool poster. But emotionally, I do not care about either of them. One was a silent guy from Ahsoka, and the other got one-shot by Ahsoka in Tales of the Jedi. So when the show suddenly wants me to treat them like major threats to Maul, I’m sitting there like, “Oh, these two again. Cool. Why not literally anyone else?”

Rook Kast is Maul’s female Mandalorian ally, and I liked her. She is loyal to Maul, and she has history with him from The Clone Wars and Son of Dathomir territory. She is one of the few people who really seems committed to him. There is also a small moment where she comforts one of the Nightbrothers after his brother dies, and I really liked that because we do not usually see villains show quiet empathy like that.

Icarus and Scorn are the two Nightbrothers working with Maul. They are loyal, but unfortunately Maul is apparently very good at getting Nightbrothers killed. First Savage, now these guys. At some point, someone on Dathomir needs to put up a sign that says, “Do not follow Maul. Life expectancy drops instantly.”

Looti Vario is the small crime boss Maul keeps dragging into his plans against his will. Looti became way funnier than I expected. He is terrified, constantly in danger, and somehow survives longer than he probably should. He is also the guy who basically decides staying with Maul might be safer than taking his chances with the Empire, which tells you everything you need to know.

Nico Deemis is the crime boss Maul frames Looti against in the beginning. Maul makes Nico think Looti stole his gold, which sets off one of the first big underworld power plays of the season.

Marg Krim is the Pyke leader Maul is hunting. Maul wants revenge on him because Marg Krim took power and control away from him after Maul lost his grip on the underworld.

Rheena Sul is Lawson’s underworld contact, the former bounty hunter who gives him information about Maul and the Shadow Collective. She is also the one who casually says she sleeps well knowing she never made a deal with Maul, which is one of those lines that tells you everything about Maul’s reputation.

Dryden Vos shows up near the end, and this is a huge bridge to Solo: A Star Wars Story. Since this show takes place before Solo, Maul is not yet the boss of Crimson Dawn. This show is showing how he gets there. Dryden makes a deal with Maul to help him get off the planet, but in return Maul has to kill Dryden’s Crimson Dawn boss so Dryden can take over. That is pure underworld politics.

And theres one more character, but i won’t say who, because it would give away the final episode.

Pacing / Episode Flow

The pacing is both one of the show’s strengths and one of its biggest issues.

The first four episodes move really well. Episodes 1 and 2 set up the underworld conflict, Maul’s return to power, Devon’s Jedi struggle, Lawson’s investigation, and the Empire slowly looming in the background. Episodes 3 and 4 escalate things beautifully, especially once Maul kills Marg Krim and the Empire finally gets called in.

Episodes 5 and 6 are where the pacing becomes more complicated. They are not bad episodes. In fact, they have some very strong character work with Lawson, Two-Boots, Rylee, and the Empire. But Maul barely appears. That is where the show starts to feel like it is about Lawson and the Jedi more than Maul. Again, I get what the writers were doing, but it still feels weird. If your title character only appears briefly across two episodes, something feels off.

Episodes 7 and 8 bring Maul back more, but even then, some of the action is messy. The Inquisitor fight where Maul escapes by collapsing rocks feels more like Maul escaping than Maul actually winning. It also makes the Inquisitors look weirdly dumb because if they are that determined to kill Maul, why not cut through the rocks or move them with the Force? Instead they just leave like the rocks filed a restraining order.

Episode 8, though, gives us some of the best Maul psychology in the entire season. His visions of being taken by Sidious, being punished by Sidious, seeing Obi-Wan as the aggressor, and misremembering Savage’s final words are all fascinating. That episode is where the show really explains how broken Maul is.

Episodes 9 and 10 bring things together with Dryden Vos, Crimson Dawn, Vader, Devon’s fall, Lawson’s sacrifice, and Maul fully repeating the cycle of abuse that Sidious started. The finale is basically one giant battle, but it works because by that point everything has collided.

So overall, I think the pacing is strong, but not perfect. The show is very engaging, but it absolutely has a Maul focus problem in the middle.

Pros 💚

The best thing about this show is the tone. This is dark Star Wars, and not in a fake “look, Order 66 again, feel sad” kind of way. This show creates new darkness. Maul cuts people in half. Severed droid heads are used as messages. The Empire makes people disappear. A kid gets interrogated by an Inquisitor. Rook Kast gets dragged into the fog by a mysterious figure. A Nightbrother tackles stormtroopers into acid. This show is not playing around.

The animation is hands down the best part of this show, this is the best the animation has looked like, looks very similar to pastel painting.

The animation is also incredible. The painterly style gives the show its own identity while still feeling like a continuation of The Clone Wars. Maul especially looks amazing. The deep red, the shadows, the canvas texture, the fire in the logo, all of it works. This might be Maul’s best animated design ever.

The writing for Maul’s psychology is excellent. Episode 8 especially recontextualizes him. I always knew Maul was broken, but this show makes it clear that he is beyond broken. His memories literally warp themselves to fit his trauma. Obi-Wan becomes the aggressor in his mind. Savage’s dying words become “get your revenge” instead of what he actually said. Maul’s brain cannot cope with reality, so it reshapes reality into something that justifies his pain.

I also loved how the show handled the Empire. The Empire is not here to help. The Empire is here to control. Two-Boots learning that the hard way was great. When Lawson keeps saying not to call the Empire, he is right. Then Two-Boots calls them, and everything instantly gets worse. That is good writing.

The finale also does a strong job showing Maul becoming like Sidious. Maul sacrifices Devon’s master to isolate her emotionally, then gives her half of his saber after she loses everything. That is not kindness. That is recruitment. That is manipulation. That is Maul repeating the cycle.

Cons ❌️

The biggest con is that Maul feels sidelined in his own show for too much of the season. I enjoyed Lawson. I enjoyed Two-Boots. I enjoyed Devon. But the show is called Maul: Shadow Lord. Around Episodes 5 and 6 especially, Maul barely appears, and it starts to feel like a bait-and-switch. If someone came to this show just wanting Maul, I can understand them going, “Why am I watching the cop guy, his son, his droid, and two Jedi more than Maul?”

The whole Empire angle is getting boring at this point, we’ve seen too many shows about the Empire, you get your tropes.

Jedi on the run

Inquisitors persue

Empire being somewhat a problem until they cant aim worth a darn

I mean you know what your getting yourself into with this, its nothing new.

Also dont expect any character depth for Maul because there isnt, he doesn’t get a character development.

The Inquisitors are also a mixed bag. Marrok is way better here than he was in Ahsoka, but I still do not care much about him as a character. The beaked-mask Inquisitor also looks cool, but again, there is not much emotional weight there. And my problem is that we have seen these Inquisitors get handled pretty easily elsewhere, so when Maul struggles against them, it feels weird. If you want Maul to struggle, either make the Inquisitors feel stronger or show Maul clearly getting weaker. Do not just make his robot knee suddenly become his Achilles knee and call it a day.

Speaking of that knee, I still think the cybernetic leg pain was clunky. I understand the idea of nerve feedback and cybernetics being connected to him, but the show does not explain that well enough. It just looks like his robot knee hurts, and my brain immediately starts yelling, “How are you feeling pain in a robot knee?” Vader gets his robotic hand cut off by Luke and he does not scream like, “Ah, my hand!” He just looks at it like, “Well, that happened.” So yeah, Maul’s leg issue needed better setup.

There is also some continuity weirdness with the vision of young Maul and Savage. I like the emotional idea, but if Savage knew Maul as a child, why was he surprised in The Clone Wars Season 3 when he learned he had a brother? The best explanation is that the vision is not literal and Maul’s memory is warped, but still, it is messy.

The finale is strong emotionally, but it is mostly one giant battle. That works, but it also means some story beats move very fast. Lawson’s sacrifice, Devon’s turn, Vader, Dryden Vos, Crimson Dawn setup, all of that happens in a pretty packed ending.

Final Thoughts

Maul: Shadow Lord is not perfect, but I had a great time with it. This is one of the first Star Wars projects in a while, next to Andor, where I genuinely felt like Star Wars was back. Not because it was flawless, but because it had weight. It had mood. It had ideas. It gave me something to actually chew on instead of just throwing keys in my face and yelling, “Remember this?”

This show understands that Maul is fascinating not because he is cool with a double-bladed lightsaber, even though yes, he is very cool with a double-bladed lightsaber. He is fascinating because he is broken. He is a survivor who cannot heal. He is someone who was abused by Sidious, discarded, and then spent the rest of his life trying to build power so he would never feel powerless again.

And the tragedy is that he does not break the cycle. He repeats it.

By the end, Devon loses her master, her safety, and her identity, and Maul is right there offering her anger as purpose. That is what Sidious did to him. Maul does not become better than his abuser. He becomes another version of him.

That is dark. That is interesting. That is Star Wars actually saying something.

I still think the show should have focused more on Maul throughout the season. I still think the Inquisitors were not the strongest villains. I still think some logic and continuity issues are there. But I cannot sit here and pretend I did not enjoy myself. I absolutely did.

Rating

8/10

Not perfect, but really damn good.

Spoiler Warning ⚠️

From this point on, I am going into full spoilers for Maul: Shadow Lord Season 1. I will be talking about deaths, Vader showing up, Devon’s master dying, Lawson’s possible death, Maul’s visions, the Dryden Vos / Crimson Dawn setup, and how the season ends. So if you have not watched the show yet, go watch it first. Because yes, this is one of those rare recent Star Wars projects that I actually recommend watching before getting spoiled.

Spoilers ⚠️

Episode 1 opens up with a heist, and right away the show tells you what kind of story this is going to be. Maul is not just running around swinging a lightsaber like an angry maniac. He is manipulating the underworld. Nico Deemis is transporting gold, and Maul’s Shadow Collective steals it while making it look like Looti Vario was responsible. The cops get alerted, a chase breaks out, and Maul’s people use wire traps to tear up vehicles. It is not just action. It is Maul destabilizing rival crime bosses and setting them against each other.

Then Maul’s ship appears. The cops tell everyone to raise their hands, and Maul’s own people basically say they better do what the cops say. Then Maul steps out with the hood on, Duel of the Fates starts playing, and the cops start shooting at him. He ignites his saber and starts killing them. Then the title card hits. That is a great opening. It is basically the show saying, “Yes, he is back, and yes, he is still a menace.”

Devon Izara and Master Eeko-Dio-Daki are introduced trying to survive. Devon wants to steal food, and her master tells her that stealing is the path to the dark side and they should rely on kindness. I’m sorry, but that is one of those Jedi plans that sounds noble until your stomach starts eating itself. Devon steals anyway, immediately gets caught by robot cops, and ends up being questioned by Brander Lawson. Lawson is lenient with her because she is just a kid, but she refuses to give him her name or any identification.

Lawson then sees footage of Maul killing cops, and he has no idea who Maul is. The system flags Maul as classified and says to report him to the Empire. Lawson sees the hologram and calls the lightsaber a laser sword. This man is so out of his depth it is almost impressive. His droid partner Two-Boots tries to search for the Shadow Collective and finds nothing, which shows how much of Maul’s old criminal empire has either been erased, buried, or hidden from normal records.

Maul’s plan against Nico and Looti continues when Nico invites Looti over because he thinks Looti stole his gold. Looti insists he would never do that, and they argue about Maul. Then one of Nico’s men brings in a plate with the severed head of the protocol droid Maul stole, and the droid repeats the message that Looti stole the gold and will do it again. That is cold. That is not just intimidation. That is psychological warfare.

A gunfight breaks out, and Looti eventually kills Nico himself. Maul watches from above with Rook Kast and says something like he did not expect Looti to take care of Nico. Then Rook says to finish the job, and Maul sends his people after Looti. Looti runs to the cops begging for protection, and when he asks Lawson if he has heard of the Shadow Collective, Lawson says no, am I supposed to? That line is funny, but it also shows just how disconnected regular people are from the underworld nightmare they are now standing in.

Lawson’s home life is also introduced. He has a strained relationship with his son Rylee, and we can see he is trying, but he is not present. He tells Rylee he will have time off soon, which is basically fiction code for, “Something terrible is about to happen to this family.”

Maul breaks into the prison to get Looti before he can talk. Looti hides in his cell, but Maul finds him and drags his lightsaber along the wall toward him. Right before Maul kills him, Looti says he knows where the Pyke leader Marg Krim is and can get Maul to him. Maul stops and says to take Looti alive for now. That “for now” is doing a lot of work. Looti is only alive because he became useful again.

The episode ends with Maul passing by Devon’s cell. He stops, turns, looks at her, and she recognizes him instantly. “Maul.” That is a great ending because up until that point, the Maul crime story and Devon Jedi survivor story are separate. That moment brings them together.

In Episode 2, Maul brings Devon back to his base. She says she is a prisoner, and he says if that is what she thinks she is, then by all means, put her in another cell. That is Maul testing her identity. He does not just want to keep her locked up. He wants to know how she sees herself. If she sees herself as nothing, he can shape her into something.

He later talks to her and says things have changed. What does it mean to be a guardian of peace and justice in a time of lawlessness? Devon says she still believes in those principles. Maul says if only there were more like her, maybe things would not be the way they are today. That line sounds respectful, but it is also loaded. He is basically telling her the Jedi failed.

Devon tells him she knows the stories and to stop pretending he cares. Then Maul says she is operating under the premise that he is somehow the villain here, but it is not as simple as good and evil. That line stuck with me because that is Maul at his most dangerous. Not when he is fighting. When he starts making sense. He is not wrong that the galaxy is different now. The Empire exists. The Jedi are gone. The old rules are dead. But he is using that truth to manipulate her.

Devon tells him to let her out, and Maul says, “By all means, Jedi. Leave.” That is not mercy. That is another test. He wants the galaxy itself to prove his point.

Episode 3 opens with Devon going to see Maul while he is pouring tea. That alone is unsettling. Darth Maul calmly pouring tea and offering a seat is not comforting. It is manipulation in a robe. He tells Devon they should get to know each other’s names and points out they are similar. They were both betrayed, their families were destroyed by the same person, and now they are on the run. Devon calls him a murderer, and Maul says they do what they must to survive.

Now, if you ask me, that is malarkey. Because Maul killed innocent people during The Clone Wars just to get Obi-Wan to come fight him. That was not survival. That was revenge. But this is how Maul operates. He takes a truth and twists it until it justifies him.

Devon steals half of his double-bladed saber, revealing that his saber can split into two blades. She basically says this was fun, but she is leaving now. Maul gets up and says, “Good. I can work with this.” That is such a good Maul line because he is not angry she fought back. He likes it. He sees potential in her defiance. Then he turns off the lights, leaving her in the dark.

On Lawson’s side, he tries to spend time with Rylee at his sports game, but it is obvious he is not going to stay long. Rylee says his friend’s family saved him a seat, and Lawson says he will stand and get a closer look at the action. Translation: I’m about to leave in five seconds. And he does. That relationship is strained for a reason.

Two-Boots keeps wanting to contact the Empire because he says they are completely outmatched. And this is where Two-Boots’ naivety really shows. He thinks the Empire is like the Republic. Back in the day, if you called higher authority, maybe the Jedi would come help. But the Empire is not the Republic. If you call the Empire, you do not get help. You get occupation.

Episode 3 ends with Maul and Devon fighting with sabers. Devon runs off, and Maul uses the Force to pull back the second half of his saber and says he will be needing that back. He gives her one final look as she escapes. It is not anger. It is like he is studying her and deciding she is still useful.

Episode 4 is where Maul’s underworld plan gets tense. Looti is forced to send a message to Marg Krim to make it look like he is still loyal. The plan is to lure Krim out so Maul can kill him. Krim warns Looti that if this is a trap, he will kill him himself, and Looti says fair. Honestly, fair is kind of the perfect Looti response. He knows he is screwed from all angles.

When Looti and Maul get brought before Krim, Krim pulls back the hood and realizes it is not Maul but one of the Nightbrothers. Then Maul walks in and throws the other half of his lightsaber, killing Krim instantly. Womp womp. Maul kneels near Krim’s body and says that in his desperate time he came to him seeking refuge, and instead Krim tried to kill him. He failed. Then Maul puts someone else in charge and makes it clear they answer to him.

Lawson gets an anonymous tip about where Maul is. Before that, Two-Boots tries to report everything to the Empire, but Lawson physically shuts him down. That was probably smart, but also yikes because it damages their friendship. Two-Boots starts to feel betrayed.

Lawson goes to the location, but Maul is not there. Looti is there with a hologram message. Maul appears and tells Lawson he can tell he is a man of honor. Lawson basically responds with, gee, thanks. Maul offers a deal. He will not cause chaos or kill anyone important on the planet if Lawson gives him freedom to operate his organization there. Lawson refuses. Maul respects that and says, “Die well.” That is a great villain line. Cold, but weirdly respectful.

Then Maul’s people attack, and Devon and her master show up. Maul debates them, pointing out how their way failed. When the Jedi master says there is goodness even in the darkest times, Maul says the Jedi were wiped out. The master says they survived. Maul replies that they survived but do not live. That is one of the best lines in the show. It is cruel, but from Maul’s perspective, it makes complete sense. To him, hiding and surviving without power is not living.

The fight between Maul, Devon, and Master Daki happens, and this is where Maul’s robotic leg gets injured. Master Daki kicks him in the cybernetic knee, and somehow it hurts him. I still think this is weird. I get that maybe the cybernetics are connected to his nerves, but the show does not explain it well enough, so it just looks like Maul has robot knee pain. Anyway, Rook Kast shows up and starts setting cops on fire, which is another reminder that Maul’s side is not secretly good.

Episode 4 ends with things getting worse because Two-Boots contacts the Empire behind everyone’s back. Lawson apologizes for shutting him down earlier, and Two-Boots says he hopes Lawson can forgive him. Then all the communication devices start blinking. Oh no. That is the moment where everyone realizes Two-Boots called the Empire. The episode ends with a Star Destroyer looming over the city. Uh oh. That is not good.

Episode 5 is where the Empire arrives, and the title Inquisition fits. Rook Kast sees the Empire land. Devon and Master Daki hide in an alley and realize they need to get off the planet. The Empire grounds all flights coming in and out while they search for Maul. But let’s be honest, those rules only apply to everyone else. The Empire can fly wherever they want because they made the rules.

The early Empire visuals are great. The ships and troopers still feel like repurposed Republic material. It is not fully classic stormtrooper era yet. It is the Empire still forming, and that makes it feel oppressive in a new way. The Republic’s bones are still there, but now they have been painted Imperial gray and used to crush people.

Lieutenant Blake arrives and questions Lawson and Chief Klyce because they failed to report Maul. Klyce says at least they were not harboring Jedi, which is ironic because Lawson kind of did help two Jedi escape. The Empire takes her away for interrogation, and later Blake says she has been transferred because she was not forthcoming. He is holding her badge, and there are marks on the table. Whether the show technically confirms she is dead or just disappeared, the message is clear: the Empire did something horrible to her. That is dark.

Marrok steps out of the shadows, grabs Lawson, and tells him everything. Marrok clearly suspects Lawson is hiding something, but he lets him go because he wants Lawson to lead him to the Jedi. That is important because Inquisitors are not police. They are hunters. They do not care about law. They care about finding Jedi and exterminating them.

Meanwhile, Maul’s people wonder if they should leave the planet, but Maul refuses. Rook Kast asks if this is because of Devon. Maul says Devon will join him eventually and become a powerful ally. Looti complains because the Empire has grounded everything and now he cannot make money. Maul basically tells him his business being destroyed is a necessary sacrifice. Looti asks what he has to show for helping Maul, and Maul says he survived. Looti says that is a fair point. Then Maul tells him their transaction is over and he can leave if he wants, but he will be taking his chances with the Empire. Looti immediately decides to stick around because it is nicer down here except for the smell. Looti choosing Maul over the Empire tells you how bad the Empire is.

Lawson’s ex-wife is revealed to work for the Empire. That adds a lot of nuance. She tells Rylee that the Empire is there for the people, and if they are there, it is for a good reason. That is some propaganda nonsense. But what makes it interesting is that she probably believes it. She sees the Empire as order and stability. Lawson sees it as danger and control. That is a whole family conflict built around ideology.

Episode 5 ends with Lawson going home after interrogation and finding Devon and Master Daki casually drinking tea with Rylee in his house. His reaction is basically, “What the hell did I just walk into?” He does not say it, but his face says it. And honestly, fair. He just got interrogated by the Empire, his boss is gone, and now the Jedi the Empire is hunting are in his living room.

Episode 6 continues from there. Devon and Rylee go to his room while the adults talk. Rylee tells Devon about his mother working for the Empire and how his parents are no longer together. Meanwhile, Master Daki finally explains to Lawson who they are, what happened to the Jedi, and why they need safe passage. Lawson points out that just talking to them puts him and his son in danger because the Empire already suspects him. Daki says probably the same thing they will do to us. That is a heavy line.

Then Marrok slices through the door and attacks. Master Daki pulls out his blue lightsaber, and Marrok realizes he found a Jedi. The apartment catches on fire during the fight, which is a great symbol because Lawson’s life is literally burning down around him.

Lawson, Devon, Rylee, and Master Daki eventually make it to Rheena Sul’s casino/club because Lawson thinks she can help get them off the planet. She reluctantly agrees, saying she will see what she can do. The Empire shows up, and she tries to distract them while the others hide in her office. But the Empire finds them, and another fight breaks out. Lawson and Master Daki stay behind to fight stormtroopers while Devon and Rylee escape.

Devon and Rylee get onto a train, but Marrok follows. Devon pulls out her lightsaber and fights him. Then Maul finally shows up. Marrok asks where Maul is, and Maul is standing on top of the train and says, “Right here.” That is a cool entrance. Maul and Devon fight together against Marrok, and they cut the train cable so Marrok is left behind as the train moves away. Maul then tells Devon that now she has seen the true enemy’s face.

The episode ends with Marrok returning to the Star Destroyer and kneeling before a mysterious hologram. He says Maul is more dangerous than expected and that there are two Jedi helping him. That sets up the bigger Imperial threat.

Episode 7 gets hectic. Maul, Devon, and Rylee are in the sewers, and Maul says he has a ship and they should leave the planet. Devon tells Rylee not to trust Maul, and they are only following him because the Empire is after them. Maul tells them it is their choice to come or stay, but if they stay, they will be left to fend for themselves against the Empire. That is Maul’s version of choice, which is basically “come with me or die politely.”

Lawson and Master Daki are separated from them. Lawson wants his son back, but Daki believes Devon will protect him. That aged poorly. They go looking for a way off the planet and eventually everyone’s paths start converging.

At Maul’s base, Devon and Rylee overhear Maul saying they are going to force them onto the ship. Devon calls him out because he said it was their choice. Maul snaps and says he is getting tired of this behavior. That is the real Maul slipping through. He is patient until he is not.

The Empire attacks, forcing Maul and Devon to fight together. Marrok gets backup from the beaked Inquisitor, and now the Empire’s mission is clear: kill Maul. The Emperor wants him dead.

Maul’s own group starts falling apart. Some of the Mandalorians only care about money and decide to abandon him. Looti tries to get on their ship, but they leave him behind. Karma comes fast because the ship gets shot down and explodes. Hooray for consequences.

Maul is cornered by the two Inquisitors. One of the Nightbrothers tries to help him and gets killed, which causes the other brother to scream for him. That is sad because Maul keeps dragging Nightbrothers into his orbit and getting them killed. He lost Savage, and now these brothers are dying too. It is like Maul unintentionally helps make his own people extinct.

Maul’s injured cybernetic leg starts acting up again, shocking him and hurting him. He is forced down, and the Inquisitors say there is no surrender for him because the Emperor wants him dead. Maul says likewise and collapses the ceiling between them. The Inquisitors run away. I did not love this fight. It does not feel like Maul wins. It feels like Maul escapes. And the Inquisitors look dumb because they should be able to cut through the debris or move it with the Force if they are that desperate to kill him.

Episode 8 is where the show dives into Maul’s mind, and this is one of my favorite parts of the season. Maul falls into this vision sequence where he sees himself as a child being taken by Sidious from Dathomir. We see young Savage too, though that creates some continuity questions because Savage seemed surprised in The Clone Wars when he found out he had a brother. But the way I read this is that Maul’s visions are not literal. They are warped by trauma.

That is confirmed when Maul hears Obi-Wan scream “No!” from The Phantom Menace and sees young Obi-Wan running aggressively toward him with a green saber and cutting him down. But we know that is not how it happened. In reality, Obi-Wan was hanging from the pit after Maul knocked him down. Obi-Wan jumped up, grabbed Qui-Gon’s saber, and cut Maul in half. But in Maul’s mind, Obi-Wan is the aggressor. That is fascinating because it shows how Maul rewrites reality to make his trauma make sense.

Then he sees Savage dying in his arms. In The Clone Wars, Savage’s final words were about being an unworthy apprentice and never being like Maul. But in Maul’s memory, Savage tells him to get revenge. That is not what happened. Maul’s mind changes Savage’s final words into something that justifies Maul’s obsession. That is disturbing, but it is also brilliant character writing.

Maul is broken. Not just angry. Not just obsessed. Broken to the point where his memories rearrange themselves around his pain. He cannot cope, so his mind makes reality line up with his worldview.

The rest of Maul’s group escapes into the sewers, but Rook Kast scouts ahead into fog. That is never a good idea. Devon apologizes to Maul for his friends dying, and Maul looks like he does not care. Then they hear screaming and gunfire. Rook Kast comes out of the fog saying someone is out there, and then she gets yanked back into the fog and killed. Then we hear the breathing.

Darth Vader steps out of the fog and ignites his saber.

That is one hell of a reveal.

The reason the final episode title was hidden is because the final episode is called Dark Lord. If they had revealed that title earlier, fans would have known Vader was appearing. Hiding it was clever.

Episode 9, Strange Allies, starts with Dryden Vos contacting Maul. He offers to bring a ship and rescue Maul and his people, but in return Maul must kill Dryden’s Crimson Dawn boss so Dryden can take over. This is how the show starts bridging Maul into his future position over Crimson Dawn before Solo. Maul is suspicious because Crimson Dawn has betrayed him before, but he respects Dryden’s ambition and agrees.

Maul sends an encoded message to Devon, Master Daki, Lawson, Rylee, and Two-Boots, telling them to meet him. He explains that the goal is to get off the planet so they can live to fight the Empire another day. Spybot shows the map coordinates, and Lawson says the route is impossible because the Empire is everywhere. Maul asks if he knows a better way, and Lawson says he does. Maul says, by all means, lead. This is a nice moment because Maul actually allows Lawson to take the lead. That is not softness. That is strategy.

They travel through an underground route with an acid pit and floating pads that only fit two people each. Spybot activates the pads, and they start crossing. Master Daki senses danger, and then the two Inquisitors attack. Stormtroopers arrive too, and the fight gets brutal. Spybot gets cut in half, which honestly made me sad because I liked that little robot. One of the Nightbrothers tackles two stormtroopers into the acid pit, killing himself and taking them with him. That might be one of the most brutal deaths in this show.

Maul taunts the Inquisitors, telling them that Sidious will want them dead too, just like he wanted Maul dead. He is not wrong, but they do not listen. They barely escape into a foggy area, and that is where Vader shows up and kills Rook Kast.

Vader’s reveal was fantastic. Hiding the final episode title, Dark Lord, was a smart move because if fans had seen that title earlier, they would have instantly known Vader was showing up. Keeping it hidden made the reveal hit harder. The breathing in the fog, Rook Kast getting dragged away, Vader igniting the saber, no dialogue needed. That is how you use Vader.

Episode 10, Dark Lord, is basically one giant battle. Maul, Devon, and Master Daki fight Vader while everyone else fights to get to the meetup point. And yeah, Maul sucks against Vader. Vader slices into his robotic leg twice, and honestly, that makes sense. If Maul struggled against Inquisitors, Vader should be terrifying. Vader is not an Inquisitor. Master Daki senses that too and says this is a dark side user of the Sith.

I believe this is the moment Maul pieces together who Vader is. In The Clone Wars Season 7, Maul tells Ahsoka that Sidious is grooming Anakin to become his apprentice. So now Maul senses this Sith, sees the power, and realizes Sidious did it. Vader is the replacement. Vader is what Sidious chose after Maul.

Maul and Master Daki argue in the ruins. Maul says they have to use anger because it is the only way. Daki says they can only survive by working together instead of giving into hatred. Maul warns that Vader already knows where they are, that he senses their thoughts, and then Vader literally bursts through the wall hand first like The Terminator. That is terrifying.

The fight spills out onto a stone bridge. Devon goes to protect Lawson and Rylee, but the fighting separates everyone. The main group is pinned down by Imperial forces while Two-Boots gets to a turret and helps shoot down an Imperial ship so Dryden’s ship can land.

Meanwhile, Maul makes one of the darkest choices in the show. Devon is in danger, and Maul wants her isolated emotionally. He Force-pushes Master Daki closer to Vader, basically leaving him to die. Vader stabs Master Daki in the chest while Devon watches from a distance. She screams in anger. She does not know Maul caused that situation. From her perspective, Vader killed her master and Maul is the one who later helps her. That is horrifying because Maul is manipulating her grief exactly the way Sidious manipulated him.

Devon loses her lightsaber while fighting the Inquisitor, and Maul appears and gives her half of his saber. That is symbolic as hell. Her master is dead, she is angry, and Maul hands her his weapon. That is not rescue. That is recruitment.

Lawson then makes his sacrifice. He tells Two-Boots to get Rylee onto the ship. He says he did his best as a dad but failed, and he stays behind to hold off stormtroopers. We do not see a body, so in Star Wars terms he might not be dead, but the show wants us to think he is. Rylee is devastated, and Two-Boots comforts him on the ship.

Looti runs onto Dryden’s ship as soon as it lands because of course he does. Maul and Devon jump on at the last second. Imperial gunships pursue them, and Vader emerges from the rubble, looking up at the ship as the Imperial theme plays. He does not say a word. He does not need to. The ship escapes into hyperspace.

The final scene shows the aftermath. Devon is banging her hand against the wall in grief and anger. Rylee is crying, being comforted by Two-Boots. Maul is at the front of the ship with Dryden Vos, who says he held up his end of the bargain and now Maul needs to do the same. Maul says he will honor their deal.

Then Maul goes to Devon. She looks at the half of his saber that he gave her. She looks up at him and says, “Alright. I’m ready.”

That ending is chilling because it is not a victory. It is the beginning of Devon’s corruption. Maul lost so much, but he finally got what he wanted: an apprentice. And the awful part is that he got her the same way Sidious got him. Through pain. Through loss. Through isolation. Through revenge.

That is why this show works for me.

Even with its issues, it understands Maul. Not just the cool version of Maul. The broken version. The tragic version. The version who survives everything and still cannot escape what was done to him.

And now he is doing it to someone else.

That is dark. That is sad. That is fascinating.

And yeah, I’m ready for Season 2.