Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord: These are the allies
Dave Filoni’s new animated Star Wars series “Maul: Shadow Lord” follows the former Sith Lord (Sam Witwer) on his quest for revenge against his former allies in the crime syndicate and his search for a new apprentice. The Mandalorian Rook Kast (Vanessa Marshall) serves as Maul’s right-hand woman and helps him set up his operations on Janix, an urban world on the edge of the influence of the new Galactic Empire.
Filoni already mentioned Rooks and Maul’s criminal connections in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Maul had a rough time after being cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi in “The Phantom Menace.” He descended into madness and grew spider legs. He was rescued by his brother, the ridiculously named Savage Opress. Together, they plotted revenge against Obi-Wan and allied themselves with the Death Watch, a splinter group of Mandalorians who were fed up with the planet’s pacifist ruler, Duchess Satine.
Star Wars Universe: Black Sun, Pyke Syndicate and Hutt Clan
Knowing he needed more support to conquer Mandalore, Maul recruited members of criminal organizations such as the Black Sun, the Pyke Syndicate, and the Hutt Clan. He united these gangs with the Nightbrothers, other Zabrak from Maul’s home planet of Dathomir, under the name Shadow Collective. As Maul’s influence grew, so did his ambition. He saw the conquest of Mandalore as the first step toward building a power base that could rival that of his former master, Darth Sidious, also known as Chancellor Palpatine.
Pre Vizsla, the leader of the Death Watch, turned against Maul and declared himself ruler of Mandalore. However, Maul killed him in a duel and ascended the throne. Although some Mandalorians were reluctant to accept a stranger as their leader, Rook was among the first to pledge allegiance to Maul and paint her beskar armor in his colors.
Maul’s possessions were repeatedly attacked by Jedi and Sith, with Sidious directly intervening to kill Savage. Finally, Maul was defeated on Mandalore by the former Jedi Ahsoka Tano and her clone troopers. While Maul was in Republic custody, Sidious put his master plan into action, forcing the clones to turn against the Jedi through Order 66. Ahsoka released Maul so he could create a diversion she could use to escape.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord picks up shortly after the events of the seventh season of The Clone Wars and Revenge of the Sith. Palpatine has ascended to the throne as Emperor and has killed the majority of the Jedi. The new Galactic Empire strives to establish a new regime in the galaxy.
Rook continues to serve Maul, who has come to Janix with a small group of Mandalorians and Zabrak to rebuild his empire and take revenge on the criminals who he believes betrayed him in his time of need. He also senses that fate is leading him to find a new apprentice who follows the Sith Rule of Two and once again challenges the power of his former master.
The ten-episode first season of “Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord” premieres on Disney+ on April 6th with two episodes initially. Two more episodes will then be released every Monday until Star Wars Day on May 4th.
