The new Star Wars series, Maul – Shadow Lord, delivers on George Lucas’s original vision for the Sith apprentice. Lucas himself admitted he regretted killing Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace and quickly sought ways to revive the character. One early idea involved turning the cyborg General Grievous into Maul, rebuilding his body with technology. Ultimately, Lucas moved away from that concept, but later brought Maul back in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, with Sam Witwer providing the voice.
Dave Filoni, the creator of the series, explained to StarWars.com that Darth Maul is a character they felt a strong obligation to develop. He and George Lucas had discussed Maul’s potential story for years, and Filoni believed the Maul – Shadow Lord series would fulfill those plans and reveal a future Lucas had envisioned. While the story takes place within the Star Wars timeline, Filoni feels this series perfectly concludes Maul’s story.
George Lucas Planned For Maul to Become a Crime Lord
George Lucas had a long-held vision for a show that would delve into the criminal side of the Star Wars galaxy. Originally called Star Wars: Underworld, it was meant to be the first live-action Star Wars television series. He revealed plans for the show, set in the gritty underbelly of the city-planet Coruscant, at Star Wars Celebration in 2005. Unfortunately, the project was canceled because Lucas couldn’t find a way to make it financially viable. Interestingly, the world of Janix in Maul – Shadow Lord appears to intentionally resemble Coruscant, and its visual style is similar to the limited footage that exists from the canceled TV series.
George Lucas brought Darth Maul back to life in The Clone Wars and quickly established him as a leader within the galaxy’s criminal underworld, heading an organization called the “Shadow Collective.” As revealed in Paul Duncan’s Star Wars Archives Episode 1-3 The Prequels, Lucas had much larger plans for the character. He originally envisioned Maul as the primary villain for a new trilogy of films, intending for him to become a powerful crime boss after the fall of the Empire. These ideas were likely included in the drafts Lucas shared with Disney in 2012.
As a huge Star Wars fan, I’ve noticed a big shift in how things play out in the official canon. Unlike the older stories, Darth Maul actually dies before the original trilogy kicks off. He has a really great send-off in an episode of Star Wars Rebels called “Twin Suns,” which happens right before A New Hope. That leaves a bit of a gap between when he came back during the Clone Wars and his final moments. The new comic, Maul – Shadow Lord, fills in that gap, but it shows us a slightly different take on things. We still see him as a powerful crime lord, but in this version of the story, he’s really fighting to stay alive as the Empire takes over.
Darth Maul Is Seeking an Apprentice
In Maul – Shadow Lord, it’s revealed that Darth Maul is looking for someone to train as his new apprentice. He thinks he’s found that person in Devon Izara, a Twi’lek with pink or reddish skin who survived the infamous Order 66. Devon and her Jedi Master, Eeko-Dio Daki, are traveling to the planet Janix, hoping to find a place to hide from the growing Empire. Janix has remained mostly untouched by the Empire, which has allowed criminal organizations to thrive. Maul arrives on Janix seeking revenge against the crime lords who wronged him, and he believes he might also find his apprentice there.
George Lucas initially planned for Darth Maul to have an apprentice, drawing inspiration from a character created for earlier, non-official stories. This character, Darth Talon, was a red-skinned Twi’lek who appeared in tales set long after the events of the Skywalker saga, during a revival of the Sith. According to Paul Duncan, Lucas liked Darth Talon’s look so much he considered including her in his sequel trilogy. The plan would have seen Darth Maul taking on Darth Talon as his apprentice, continuing the Sith tradition of having only two Sith Lords at a time – a master and an apprentice.
Devon Izara and Darth Talon share a lot of similarities. While it’s not confirmed yet if Maul will train Devon as his apprentice, the announcement of Season 2 of Maul – Shadow Lord suggests it’s a strong possibility. Regardless of whether he succeeds, it makes sense that Maul is now interested in a red-skinned, Force-sensitive Twi’lek who he thinks could be a good student. The story in Maul – Shadow Lord clearly draws heavily from elements created by George Lucas.
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2026-04-06 19:14