Darth Maul is back in the new Star Wars animated series, Maul – Shadow Lord, and he’s determined to rebuild his criminal empire and control the galaxy’s criminal world. This naturally brings him into conflict with rival crime bosses, local law enforcement, and ultimately, the Empire. Promotional materials for Maul: Shadow Lord confirm the Empire’s involvement, even though Maul is trying to stay hidden on a remote planet.
The comic Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord takes place on Janix, a planet in the Mid Rim – the same area of the galaxy as worlds like Kashyyyk and Naboo. While Janix is new to Star Wars lore, it feels instantly recognizable. As a sprawling city with dark alleys, bright neon lights, and a criminal underworld hidden beneath its streets, Janix strongly resembles Coruscant. It’s easy to imagine the story unfolding on the galactic capital, and that seems intentional.
Janix Looking Similar To Coruscant Makes Sense For Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord
Okay, so Janix isn’t exactly the glamorous capital world of Coruscant, but honestly, it works for the story we get in Maul – Shadow Lord. It really feels like a glimpse into some of George Lucas’ original ideas – ideas he actually had for Episodes 7, 8, and 9! Apparently, he envisioned Maul becoming a major crime lord after the Empire fell, and that’s a thread this story picks up on. It doesn’t go quite that far, but we definitely see Maul building his power base, fueled by revenge against Palpatine, and taking on a new apprentice. This new Twi’lek feels very similar to Darth Talon, another character Lucas had in the pipeline for those sequel plans. It’s fascinating to see these lost ideas brought to life, even if it’s in animated form.
Considering the ideas Lucas had for the sequels, it seems likely some scenes would have been set on Coruscant, with Maul controlling the criminal world there. This is similar to what the cancelled TV show, Star Wars: Underworld, intended to explore, though without Maul as far as we know. That show, announced in 2005 with many scripts already written, would have focused on the dark underbelly of Coruscant and its criminal activity. It feels like Maul – Shadow Lord is drawing inspiration from those original plans. Given all of this, it’s understandable why the planet Janix feels reminiscent of the prequel-era Coruscant.
It’s a smart move that the story isn’t set on Coruscant. From a story perspective, it wouldn’t make sense for characters like Maul, Devon, and her Jedi Master to be there under the Empire’s control. Plus, Janix offers a welcome change of scenery. We’ve seen Coruscant a lot, especially recently in Andor, so exploring a new, more relaxed world adds something fresh to the Star Wars universe.
New episodes of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord – episodes 3 and 4 – will be available to stream on Disney+ starting Monday, April 13th.
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2026-04-07 18:46