- Created by Dave Filoni
- Developed by Dave Filoni and Matt Michnovetz
- Based on Star Wars by George Lucas
- May 4, 2026
- Disney+
Voice Cast
- Maul, Darth Sidious-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
- Reb-Sam Corlett
- Icarus-Steve Blum
- Marrok-A. J. LoCascio
- Scorn-Dave Fennoy
- Dryden Vos-Scott Whyte
We are at the final two episodes of the first season of Star Wars: Maul-Shadow Lord. Can they wrap up the season nicely or will this be fumble.
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With the arrival of a dangerous new adversary, Maul and Lawson’s efforts to escape the planet grow increasingly more difficult.
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Chapter 9: Strange Allies
- Directed by Steward Lee
- Written by Christopher Yost
- May 4, 2026
Maul makes a deal to get off the planet.
The next to last episode Chapter 9: Strange Allies finds Lawson and Maul on the same side and we learn that Devon has a connection to our Shadow Lord. Allies is heavy on the action as the natural enemies must work together for mutual survival. I am a bit of a sucker for stories where opposing forces are necessitated by events to work together. Generally makes for an interesting episode(s) of any series. Here it serves to highlight the similarities of the factions while mildly hinting at their differences
It is one action piece after another that also advances the story. The battle beneath Janix is an absolute bloodbath for the important characters. Maul’s forces get picked off or sacrifice themselves in loyalty to their master.
The conflicts are a complete frenzy with the footage cutting between blaster fire and lightsaber battles. The ebb and flow of them are well communicated. You understand who’s winning or losing or what exactly is going on at the moment. Kudos to the director for doing something the viewer could follow rather than cool visuals overwhelming the senses.
Some of what happens occurs underneath the city in a toxic cesspool of illegal dumping. The skiffs and fighting are a callback to Revenge of the Sith and the battle on the on Mustafar. In a bit of character-derived humor Two-Boots is ready to report the crime before realizing he kinda can’t anymore.
Dryden Vos moves from a name drop to a presence with his help becoming important to the characters. This is no act of kindness but a deal to establish a plot element for Season Two. I mean for Maul to later kill the head of Crimson Dawn so Vos can assume control of the organization.
Solo was underwhelming. Vos the same. Jar Jar was rehabbed by excellent writing over the course of Clone Wars. Improving two characters twice might be a bit much to hope for. There was no hint of something special before and I do not see that now. It also makes me question the presence of Looti Vario whose skills and resources should allow him to secure an escape for the characters with him instead making space phone calls like some secretary.
Perhaps a little bit of nitpicking but I was surprised Vario didn’t know Lawson had a son. I didn’t expect him to have met Rylee but given that Lawson is a perpetual thorn in his side just because of his (former) law-enforcement work, I would think that Vario would be aware of some details of the man’s life. Even anecdotes that might reach him from the now (presumably) deceased Rheena Sul should have given him something.
All the battles are exciting with the whole episode feeling very tense. The situation is dire and the Empire is in hot pursuit. This is a serious story for the characters and not a casual fun adventure. Never though does it lose the traditional Star Wars feel. This also feels like a complete story that is part of a larger one. The other eight were only half stories.
I honestly didn’t think we would get Darth Vader in Star Wars: Maul-Shadow Lord. An A-List character as the star is one thing but a second as a guest felt like too much to hope for. He enters perfectly. First alluded then shown just before credits with menace over fanfare.
Chapter 9: Strange Allies is a highlight of the series. Action packed and feeling like the episode before the final episode instead of half of an episode.
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Chapter 10: The Dark Lord
- Directed Nathaniel Villanueva
- Written by Matt Michnovetz and Brad Rau
- May 4, 2026
Vader arrives to kill Palpatine’s former apprentice.
Final episode of the season. I think Chapter 10: The Dark Lord gets more right than wrong in a climax that pulls together and completes many of the plots of the season while extending a few/adding a few into a hoped for Season Two.
I was taken aback by the visual appearance of Darth Vader. In a stylized series he looked almost photo realistic. The appearance of the other Man in Black was for me a stylistic departure. Not complaining because it added to his sense of danger.
This is the most threatening Vader has been in a while. Why? Because he doesn’t speak. It’s all heavy breathing and lightsaber battles. He has that slow yet inevitable Jason Vorhees approach of coming no matter what. It is not that somersaulting acrobatic sorcerer stuff that is generally displayed like with the Inquisitors in this series.
The effort to get to Dryden Vos’s ship spirals into a serious battle that is cool to watch but given the gunfire you need to ask: who are the Imperials all shooting at? I know excessive force is their go-to but in hindsight is a bit goofy.
Lawson engages in a bit of self-sacrifice so that Rylee with the aid of Two-Boots can get to the ship. From a creative standpoint Rylee just lost the only thing that made him an interesting character. The father/son dynamic made him more than a generic kid while the show lost a character that was developing into something more complex.
But Lawson isn’t the only main character to buy the farm. Master Daki is also taken out. Despite moments where he winced in pain (not seen for several episodes by this point), it is not a moment of physical weakness that ends him. Rather a bit of treachery at the hands of Maul dooms him. Why even give him TV sickness/weakness if it does not play into anything?
I really wanted a one on one between Maul and Vader. What we get is a three on one with Daki, Devon, and Maul. Still good to watch but given that only one is in the title the dynamic should have been different. Narratively there was a character with a lightsaber for each.
I understand the desire to interconnect everything in a fictional world. It forces viewers to view more projects but sometimes it can be unnecessary or hurtful to something. Looti Vario is a crime lord of Janix. You would think this is enough to use him for an otherwise illicit escape route. Yet he must call for help just to include another character.
The ending is less of a cliffhanger with fewer dangling threads than some other shows recently. If for some reason we never get another season I think enough is answered in this episode or wrapped up that you’re not left with numerous questions. You are left with possible directions for their futures to go.
Chapter 10: The Dark Lord is a nice conclusion to Season One. It wrapped up enough storylines that if for some reason they don’t proceed with Season Two ( which is reportedly in development) there’s going to be no irritation. Exciting, chaotic, and it mattered to the characters.
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Not a bad season. I think Star Wars: Maul-Shadow Lord is incorrectly named. The story was split between Lawson and Maul with a growing focus on Devon. It took its time to get going and packed more and more into the ending episodes.
I am convinced that Season One should have been a movie over a series. Or at the minimum fewer episodes. It took too long to get going. I had a sense of padding or an emptiness to the episodes. I wanted to see the next episode but was not jazzed. Despite a staggered release it lent itself to binging as a single presentation.
A good show that was stretched out into almost more than it could support. But still good.
Warren Watched A Movie 