Commentary — ‘Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord’ Highlights The Character’s Unique Situation
by Frank Martin
On the surface, it may seem as if Star Wars has a very straightforward way of determining its heroes and villains. After all, it specifically names the Light Side and the Dark Side of the Force to juxtapose between good and bad. Things are rarely that simple, though. There are bad guys who aren’t part of the Sith just as there are Jedi who can lose their way. In the case of Maul (Sam Witwer), he occupies a unique space within the Star Wars universe. His first solo show, Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord, does a great job highlighting just what his unique situation is.
The show takes place during the early days of the Empire, after Maul’s rule on Mandalore has come to an end. And as he is in the process of rebuilding forces and influence in the galaxy, he comes across Devon Izara (Gideon Adlon), a Jedi Padawan in hiding alongside her master Eeko-Dio Daki (Dennis Haysbert). Unfortunately, the Empire becomes aware of their existence and comes riding in with Inquisitors to capture them. Although the Jedi and Padawan know that Maul is not to be trusted, they have no choice but to join forces in order to escape.
As an ex-Sith and apprentice to Sheev Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), Maul holds a special position within in the Star Wars universe. He is a loose end and unknown factor that Palpatine, now the Emperor, does not want roaming around the galaxy. So despite being a Dark Force user, he is also an enemy of the Empire, just like the Jedi. Although there are only two Siths in the Galaxy — the Emperor and Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen/James Earl Jones/David Prowse) — they have no problem employing other Dark Force users to do their bidding, such as the Inquisitors. Since they all utilize the Dark Side, there’s no reason why the Empire couldn’t try to employ Maul in some fashion. It’s only because of his personal grudge with the Emperor that he is poised against them, solidifying his unique stance in the universe.
Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord is now streaming on Disney+.
