Every time an episode of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord lands, Fantha Tracks will be giving their responses, and here are our initial gut feelings, deep dives and thoughts on episodes nine and ten of season one, ”Strange Allies’ & ‘The Dark Lord’. Beware of spoilerific elements in here.
Greg McLaughlin
And just like that, season one of Maul – Shadow Lord is in the books and what a great one it was. Overall, I would say that I loved it. It was consistently good, with a lot of story to tell and plenty left to make more. Hopefully, much more.
A lot will be said about the appearance of Darth Vader, and his lack of dialogue, but in the end I think it made him more menacing. You could feel his anger and frustration build as the battles with the Jedi continued. I loved the nod to Return of the Jedi at the end, where he was just hacking his lightsaber against Master Daki, who was doing all he could to buy the rest time.
There’s certainly a big difference between Devon seeking revenge against Vader for killing him, as opposed to it having been one of the Inquisitors. Good for Maul since that produced the maximum effect, but bad for Devon, since picking a fight with Vader is a tough hill to climb.
I also see a parallel between Devon and Rylee. With Brander killed, sacrificing himself, Rylee has lost a literal father figure and I don’t think Two Boots has got it in him to keep the teenager on the straight and narrow. I don’t think it was an accident that Rylee was shown with a blaster in these last two episodes. He’s got the underworld starter kit, and his journey will be watched by me with great interest.
Although disappointed is too strong a word, I get that Paul Bettany was likely not a real option to revise his vocal role as Dryden Voss. But I can’t say it wouldn’t have been just a little extra credit for this amazing show to hear that voice.
Alas we got some great Daki moments at the end, but boy howdy wouldn’t it have been great to see some continued moments and arguments between him and Devon. His desperate fight with Vader though will go down as a terrific light saber battle. One for the ages.
It’s a shame this series ended as quick as it came, but I am here for more Maul.
Paul Naylor
The final two episodes of Maul – Shadow Lord (Chapter 9: “Strange Allies” and Chapter 10: “The Dark Lord“) conclude the first season with high-stakes deaths and the first canonical confrontation between Maul and Darth Vader.
In Strange Allies Maul and his crew meet with Dryden Vos, a lieutenant in Crimson Dawn. Vos offers Maul an escape route in exchange for a future favor: helping him assassinate his boss so he can take control of the syndicate. Facing an Imperial blockade on Janix, Maul, his surviving crew, and the Jedi (Master Eeko-Dio Daki and Padawan Devon Izara) are forced to work together to reach Vos’s shuttle.
As they flee through the Janix jungle, many of Maul’s allies fall to the Inquisitors and Imperial forces, including the mercenary Rook Kast, the Nightbrother Icarus, and Spybot.
Vader’s Entrance: The episode ends with the terrifying arrival of Darth Vader, who has come to personally deal with the Jedi and the “Shadow Lord”.
In The Dark Lord Maul, Master Daki, and Devon face Vader in a brutal duel. Vader is depicted as a “force of nature,” easily outmatching his opponents through sheer strength and precision. In a final act of manipulation, Maul deliberately pushes Master Daki toward Vader using the Force to create a distraction for his own escape. Vader kills Daki while Devon watches in horror.
Consumed by rage after seeing her Master’s death, Devon manages to wound the Eleventh Brother but is eventually forced to flee with Maul. She agrees to become Maul’s apprentice, seeking the power to get vengeance on Vader.
Maul and Devon successfully escape Janix on Vos’s shuttle. The season ends with Maul looking at Devon as his new “weapon,” essentially repeating the cycle of manipulation he experienced under Darth Sidious.
Where this show was at it’s very best – Vader of course. Wielding his saber one-handed, the menacing breathing aparatus and not a word spoken.
Less is more. It is after all why Maul’s first appearance in 1999’s The Phantom Menace was so effective.
Eric Onkenhout
“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!” Except in this case, the shadow isn’t Lamont Cranston, it’s Maul, the Shadow Lord. And he is set out to avenge the evil that cursed his life. In the final two episodes of the first season, the former Sith will meet his replacement’s replacement in the showdown we’ve all dreamed about for the past quarter century.
First, in Strange Allies, Maul is very respectful towards Master Daki, which is nice, I guess, but how much of that is sincere? Another small detail I appreciated was how Marrok examined the stormtrooper, as if he were some strange curiosity. The lightsaber duels are so fast; the skill of the animators is incredible. The talent these people possess is mind-boggling. After their rematch with Marrok and Crow, Devon tries to show Maul compassion, but he barely acknowledges it. I half expected him to say, it was a necessary loss, to echo his former master. He has mirrored Sidious in so many other ways.
Then the moment came. The mechanical breathing. The way Vader enters through the mist, where all that’s visible is his iconic silhouette reminiscent of The Empire Strikes Back hardcover storybook (IYKYK). Then he ignites his red blade, showering himself in haunting red light, which gives off Rogue One corridor vibes. I loved the decision not to have Vader speak, even when he does get hit. There’s been some discussion recently that Vader speaks too much in the comics and in other areas, and I don’t necessarily agree, but his silence is so menacing. And I’m so happy that Vader maintained his hack-and-slash lightsaber technique. He’s just full-on power; no delicate nimbleness here. It’s like a mid-engine sports car racing an American muscle car. Two completely different styles. In the Son of Dathomir comics, Maul faced his successor, Count Dooku, in a brief duel in which Dooku used force lightning to subdue Maul. He’s now 0-3 against other Sith, including his beating against Sidious.
In the second episode, The Dark Lord, Vader, is arguably the most impressive he has looked in a lightsaber fight yet. Yes, he fought off Kanan and Ezra, but Kanan wasn’t at the top of his game, and Ezra was just learning. Vader toyed with Reva in Kenobi, slaughtered a bunch of hapless rebels, went toe-to-toe with Ahsoka, and defeated an older Ben Kenobi, but now he’s facing a Jedi Master, his padawan, and a former (still quite capable) Sith all at the same time with little trouble. The guy is basically untouchable. It’s interesting, however, that the Emperor dispatches one inquisitor, then two to eliminate Maul, and then goes straight to Vader instead of sending out the Grand Inquisitor. However, in Delilah S. Dawson’s Rise of the Red Blade (2023), it’s established that any indication of treachery is dealt with directly by Vader.
Vario’s role has solidified as comic relief to lighten the mood. Nothing wrong with that. It just makes for a more well-rounded team. In a quiet moment, Maul, Daki, and Devon discuss how best to deal with Vader. Darth (not Darth) Maul implores Devon to tap into her rage to counter Vader’s attack (that’s not Sith-like at all). Daki obviously disagrees, but it was nice seeing Maul allow Daki to help him walk. I always liked it when the good and bad guys team up to fight a common enemy.
Vader’s hand coming through the stone wall gave me a jump scare. I was afraid the fighting was over, but I’m glad I was wrong. I was reminded of Luke in Return of the Jedi hacking down on Vader, as Vader hacks down at Daki just before he killed him, with a little help from Maul, of course. And as planned, Devon sees her master cut down and fully gives into her rage. Maul smiles as he knows it’s just a matter of time. Maul then hands one of his red blades to Devon so she can symbolically join him against the inquisitors. As they escape, Devon verbally agrees to join Maul on his revenge tour. Two-boots, Rylee, and Vario are with them to see Dryden Vos. Lawson may or may not be dead. Unless there’s a body…
Anyway, this show was so good from the very beginning. It’s just as good as Andor as far as I’m concerned. Two different formats and stories, but each is top-notch quality in its own right. Looking ahead to season two, Maul will have his own apprentice to teach. Will he teach the Sith ways, or will it be an amalgam of light and dark? Maul is also building his criminal empire as well. He’s a busy man. The guys got goals, you can’t ever call him lazy.
Melissa T. Miller
I’m certainly glad that season two of Maul – Shadow Lord has already been greenlit because I’m already eager for more. Even though nearly everyone was killed off in these final two episodes of season one, the story of Devon’s training under Maul is worthy of a new arc. Will she find out that he abandoned her Master to die at the hands of Darth Vader? Nothing works better to bring out her rage than the death of her Master, right?
Burying the lead a bit there, Vader shows up! As I said last week, it would be cool if he did and it was indeed cool. I literally went “bum bum bum” when he showed up all dramatically through the fog at the end of episode 9. Though he remained mute, except for the tell-tale breathing, his presence got my heart racing. I do wonder why they’re not using the AI voice that James Earl Jones approved before he passed away. A few lines here and there would have made a real impact.
Even though we’re not often getting the live action actors as voice actors (alas, no Paul Bettany), they do somehow manage to make it seem like Hayden Christensen is inside that Darth Vader suit. Anakin Skywalker’s fighting style is a thrill to see, especially Vader one-handing his lightsaber while going up against three people. And while Maul has never heard of Darth Vader, he certainly knows Anakin Skywalker, right? I’d have loved a moment where we saw that recognition.
In general, the lightsaber battles in these final two episodes rank up there at the top for me. And I don’t think I’ve ever been one to rank lightsaber battles, so this really says something. That brief second where five Force-wielders cross blades all at once absolutely took my breath away. I rewound it, took a screenshot, called my husband in to see it, the works. Wow. Maybe it’s because it’s animated so the battle sequences can be faster paced, but I imagine that next time I watch the movies, they will feel slow in comparison.
A few random thoughts:
– With all the maiming we’ve seen in Star Wars, I’d prefer to not see a lightsaber used like a boomerang! Both Maul and the Inquisitor do it and I worry about limb and extremity safety.
– The toxic wasteland under the city is a very cool setting. People dissolving into the acid is quite bleak though.
– As usual in Star Wars, people fleeing never have as much hustle as I think they ought to. And like all good Star Wars ships, the Imperial shuttle must park very far away.
– The broken bridge to the landing zone reminded me of some advanced Super Mario course with missing bricks. I could hear the noise of repeatedly falling off the edge.
– Devon ending up with half of Maul’s saber is thematic and all that but I was hoping to see another lightsaber go red like in The Acolyte. Alas.
– RIP pretty much everyone. Loved Maul’s cackling droid. Always love characters voiced by Vanessa Marshall. And I figured both dads/Masters weren’t going to make it out alive, but both being killed is a bummer. Though I suppose there’s a chance Lawson is captured and imprisoned instead. We’ll find out in season two!
Sander de Lange looks at all the reveals and easter eggs in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord – The Guide: Chapter 9 ‘Strange Allies’
Sander de Lange looks at all the reveals and easter eggs in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord – The Guide: Chapter 10 ‘The Dark Lord’
Hear Mark Newbold and Mark Mulcaster discuss Chapters Nine and Ten of season one on Making Tracks Reaction Chat: Maul – Shadow Lord Episodes 9 & 10
Watch Brian Cameron and Paul Naylor discuss episodes 9 and 10 on Your Weekly Star Wars News Recap For 10th May 2026 | Good Morning Tatooine
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