- Created by Dave Filoni
- Developed by Dave Filoni and Matt Michnovetz
- Based on Star Wars by George Lucas
- April 27, 2026
- Disney+
Voice Cast
- Maul-Sam Witwer
- Devon Izara-Gideon Adlon
- Det. Brander Lawson-Wagner Moura
- Two-Boots-Richard Ayoade
- Master Eeko-Dio-Daki-Dennis Haysbert
- Looti Vario-Chris Diamantopoulos
- Rylee Lawson-Charlie Bushnell
- Rook Kast-Vanessa Marshall
- Spybot-David W. Collins
- Marg Krim-Stephen Stanton
- Police Chief Klyce-Keiko Agena
- Rheena Su-Pamela Adlon
- Reb-Sam Corlett
- Icarus-Steve Blum
- Marrok-A. J. LoCascio
- Scorn-Dave Fennoy
- Lt. Blake-Alastair Murden
- Drea Lawson-Tamlyn Tomita
Here we are at the two episodes before the final two episodes which should just be one episode before the final episode but I have complained enough about that already. Everybody is basically on the run so let’s see what happens.
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Maul is on the run while Lawson and his comrades try to rescue Rylee and flee the planet.
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Chapter 7: Call to Oblivion
- Directed by Nathaniel Villanueva
- Written by Julia Cooperman
- April 27, 2026
The Empire arrests Riley while Maul tries to tempt Devon.
Like the previous episodes of Star Wars: Maul-Shadow Lord, Chapter 7: Call to Oblivion is a bit on the light side by inching the story along. Entertaining and exciting but not quite action packed or drama filled. Just enough of both to make it acceptable.
We have everybody searching for everybody and everybody trying to get out of the city and off the planet. This has me asking: is ‘Janix’ the name of the planet or the city or both? Is this a hyper-urbanized planet like Coruscant? We get a look at lower levels that are natural with rock formations and waterfalls. In hindsight the environments/planets of Star Wars generally take severe swings between all city or some city.
Rylee and Devon link up with Maul who does the worst job possible of tempting/creating doubt in Devon. For a big bad of the show, he is not acting too intelligently in those moments but improves elsewhere. That comes in his handling of a lightsaber duel between not only the pursuing Marrok but the newly arrived Eleventh Brother. Why did they not show together? This series takes place over a few days.
I assumed the complaining Mandalorians would cause problems issues in the final episode or two. Instead their comeuppance takes a page from the ‘70s disaster genre where they panic and get to the source of escape only to die. Just as cliché as my expected turn for them while also turning them into useless extra characters.
Much of the action of the episode is all battles and chases involving Stormtroopers that just keep finding the characters. Lotsa gunplay with the one Nightbrother going all Jesse Ventura in Predator with a Star Wars gatling gun.
I’m not sure what’s going on with Two-Boots. Once he learns that Rylee has been arrested I am uncertain if he is conflicted or not. Is he a droid with a more human capacity or something closer to a battle droid? He clearly has trouble understanding why Rylee is arrested but when contacted by Lawson conceals the attempted contact. Whatever he is going to do feels stretched out.
Maul really gets his butt handed to him in this episode. Both inquisitors team up to strike him and damage his robot legs. He is distinctly outclassed. It lacks the crazy energy of Menace though it attempts to mirror that scene.
There’s a question of how Lawson and pals will save Rylee. This is Star Wars so we know they will try and probably succeed. Daki and Lawson stand uncomfortably close to Police Headquarters while fretting over what to do though Daki sounds like he could care less.
Lawson’s pain and concern are well conveyed in the dialogue and animation. Being the emotional center of the story without making this moment effective, much of what happens here and I’m sure down the road would fall apart. Dad may put work first often, but he still loves his son.
Chapter 7: Call to Oblivion was exciting. The battles were cool and it felt like the show is heading to a conclusion over an obligatory season finale. I just wish these were single releases rather than paired.
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Chapter 8: The Creeping Fear
- Directed by Saul Ruiz
- Written by Jennifer Corbett
- April 27, 2026
Things start to come to a head as the Empire closes in.
Much of Chapter 8: The Creeping Fear is about the characters getting to *perceived* safety following events of Call to Oblivion. The plot seems to be pulling the individual groups together over creating fractures.
I was a little surprised by the moment of tenderness shown by Lady Kast. Previously one of the Dathomiri Nightbrothers died (no idea their name) and here she momentarily comforted the surviving one who is clearly mourning. Nice touch. It is one of those small moments that adds depth.
In an artistic twist, flashback scenes drive home Maul’s rage and anger. It covers stuff seen in Clone Wars along with perhaps stuff new to canon. My problem with the scene is that Maul gets sad. He is evil and anger personified. His hatred (and connection with the Force) was so strong it kept him alive when bisected and he gave himself spider legs. Now he gets bad feels over memories? Keep him mad but make it more so. Never humanize your villain too much if at all.
Lawson and his group are trying to get out of town/off planet though Lawson is more interested in getting Rylee out of custody. Given everything to this episode you expect a certain outcome to Lawson’s deal with Two-Boots. I think the droid’s confrontation of reality was too short or just not obvious enough. So many moments before he finally does the right thing were not driven home.
I am glad he decided to aid Lawson. Their interactions and by extension the droid grew on me. Too often deep friendships are not portrayed in modern media. Bonds that cannot quite be explained are almost never shown anymore.
While all that is going on, Devon is given the job of finding a ride. Sometimes it’s better to not show things and let the imagination of the viewer do the work. In this case, we see everything leading up to Devon stealing only to then cut to the aftermath of several unconscious aliens with her speeding away. Humorous and conveys her Jedi skill better than a fight scene.
This is a little more use of Jedi powers than simply swing a lightsaber or big jumps. For instance, in this episode Devon senses a trap and her master agrees. It is a brief moment that goes back to the original idea of a Force wielder being better over being a superhero.
Rheena Su makes a comeback in a much-appreciated scene. I wish Feloni and pals had taken some time to expand her relationship with Lawson to make what happens here tragic but generally more meaningful. By that I mean the way Lawson and Rheena are able to tell each other what’s happening without being obvious. We only got a very small taste of their dynamic. Use the time of a series for character development over showcasing the space opera visual.
Like every other episode before, just when it started to get a little good Fear cut to a cliffhanger. There’s a certain level of excitement here but not the level of excitement of two episodes before the finale. That is because the build was cut short to accommodate the arbitrary half hour run.
Looti Vario continues to provide cynical if not sarcastic dialogue. Their major contribution to this episode is a very specific name drop which ties into Solo: A Star Wars Story and Maul’s appearance there. Did we really need to make this a prequel series? Solo is probably best known for doing so poorly it killed the one-off Star Wars films for years.
Action scenes are excellent and have that distinct Star Wars flair. The lightsaber is often called one of the most powerful weapons in the Star Wars universe and we see exactly why it is that in a skilled Jedi hand. Or Sith trained hand in the case of Maul.
I was certainly left wanting more which is I guess the point but so quickly ending like it did Chapter 8: The Creeping Fear I felt like I was wanting more because I was cheated out of what I was promised.
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I really think they’re trying their best to stretch out a much shorter story into a series with Star Wars: Maul-Shadow Lord. I am enjoying myself but they are trying to squeeze too much from a much smaller idea. This would have worked better as a film or as a much shorter series.
I’m irritated that Chapter 8: The Creeping Fear took the action of turning this show into a prequel for Solo. We don’t need that. Star Wars is a very expensive galaxy, and we have only ever seen a very small portion of it. There are numerous worlds that have been mentioned and poorly explored if at all. Numerous species have lingered in the background without getting much depth.
I do like what we’re getting. It’s a little darker and a little grittier than many of the Star Wars animated offerings but not nearly as sophisticated or complex as the highpoint of Andor. I just wish it was not so chained to so much previous material.
So far Star Wars: Maul-Shadow Lord is good but it’s one of those things that could’ve been better.
Warren Watched A Movie 