STAR WARS: MAUL – SHADOW LORD Brings a “Cops and Robbers” Twist to the Galaxy Far, Far Away
The Star Wars universe has explored wars, rebellions, Jedi legends, and criminal underworlds, but the upcoming animated series Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is taking things in a slightly different direction.
According to the creative team, the new Disney+ series is shaping up to be the franchise’s first real “cops and robbers” style story, with Darth Maul stepping into the role of the galaxy’s most dangerous outlaw.
Set in the shadowy period between Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, the show continues Maul’s story after the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. With the Empire rising to power, Maul is still out there, still scheming, and still driven by revenge.
Animation supervisor Keith Kellogg explained the fresh angle the team is taking with the series, saying: "We’ve kind of never done a full-on, for lack of a better word, cops-and-robbers kind of Star Wars."
In this case, the lawman hunting Maul down is Brander Lawson, setting up a classic chase dynamic between an officer of the law and one of the most dangerous figures in the galaxy’s criminal underworld.
The show will also dive deeper into Maul himself. While the character became a fan favorite after Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, he has always remained somewhat mysterious.
Supervising director Brad Rau says the creative team wanted to explore what Maul was doing during the Empire’s rise and why his thirst for revenge still drives him.
"The thing that Dave [Filoni, Lucasfilm president and chief creative officer] put to us is, how do we tell this portion of this guy’s story? What is he doing when the Empire rises? What is he doing, trying to get revenge?"
"He only has, like, two lines in Phantom Menace, so he’s just always been this mysterious, interesting character that we felt like the time was right to tell his story."
The series’ official premise reveals that Maul is trying to rebuild his criminal power base. The story finds him on a world the Empire hasn’t touched yet, where he begins laying the groundwork for a new syndicate.
Along the way he encounters a young Jedi Padawan who has lost faith in the Jedi Order. That meeting could shape both of their futures as Maul searches for someone who can help him carry out his relentless plans.
The creative team is also careful not to strip away the mystique that makes Maul such a compelling character in the first place. Rau explained that balancing revelation and mystery is part of the challenge.
"We keep a measure of mystery around him," Rau continued. "It’s an interesting narrative balance. How do we focus on facets of this character without ruining him by telling you too much?"
Between its crime-driven storyline, the hunt between Maul and a determined lawman, and a deeper exploration of the former Sith’s motivations, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord sounds like it’s bringing a cool new flavor to the franchise’s animated corner.
Fans won’t have to wait long to see how this underworld chase plays out. Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord premieres on Disney+ on April 6.
Source: Animation Magazine