Animation Review: Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord

Very Average Joe
5 days ago
3 min read

Title: Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord

Director(s): Saul Ruiz, Steward Lee, Nathaniel Villanueva and others

Screenwriter(s): Matt Michnovetz, Julia Cooperman and others

Studio: Lucasfilm

Released: 2026

Runtime: 10 episodes, ~24m each.

Maul is a cool character so it’s not surprising there is finally a series focusing on him—that is, if one can accept him still being alive after being cut in half.

I am of the opinion that he should be dead at the end of Episode I and continue to stay dead, but Maul – Shadow Lord is, perhaps surprisingly, not bad if one accepts the premise.

The series starts with a wide establishing shot of a nighttime cityscape, a common rip-off of the classic Blade Runner (1982). It is set on the planet Janix soon after the end of the Clone Wars, not that the audience is immediately told that. But still, it is nice to have Star Wars set in a city with a cyberpunk-ish take.

The plot follows three parties, later four: Maul and his team of Dathomirians and Mandalorians exacting revenge on Maul’s previous crime syndicate partners who betrayed him; Detective Lawson investigating criminal activities tied to Maul; and Jedi Master Daki and his Twi’lek padawan Devon trying to hide from the Empire after Order 66.

Given there are four parties with their respective problems and perspectives, it does nicely break up the narrative, keeping it fresh.

Maul’s interest in Devon as a potential apprentice is a little convenient but the presence of the Jedi Daki and Devon does add conflict and tension. Nobody wants the attention of the Empire but protocol demands Lawson inform the Empire if Maul is detected.

Although understandable given the circumstances, Devon unfortunately just has a permanent frown for the first few episodes. Thankfully, she’s not as angry as she looks; she is well-trained and quite stable. She wants to not care about what is right, but she knows better and doesn’t quite bring herself to not care.

The fourth party, the Empire, eventually arrives and everyone is forced to make a stand; the series is basically about these three parties dealing with the Empire. There is a decent amount of action without being gratuitous. The motion is similar to The Clone Wars, which is awkward but that is the style.

The rendering is consistent to recent animated productions such as Tales of the Empire. The environment and background are beautifully done, at least if one likes matte paintings. There are instances when the rough fresco-like texture is excessive but it generally looks good. Maul’s lightsaber, however, is too jagged when in motion even though it is not meant to be like Kylo’s.

On balance, it is a decent series. In terms of storytelling, it does at some moments portray Maul as a morally grey character but unfortunately does not take it any further. Without spoiling, he is still ultimately a villain. Other characters follow franchise templates; for example, Master Daki is in a way a Yoda clone, old and green, and two droids feature prominently, one annoying goodie-goodie and the other cheeky (although the two are not together).

The plot progression is measured; although there is effective conflict and tension between the various characters throughout, one already knows which characters will probably meet their demise at the end. Despite its predictability, the action sequences in the final act of the series are solidly executed and enjoyable; there are definitely a few cool moves in there.