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 one and two of season one, ‘The Dark Revenge’ & ‘Sinister Schemes’. Beware of spoilerific elements in here.
Dan Lo
I admit that my knowledge and recollection of animated Star Wars arcs is superficial at best, and watching the first two episodes of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord was slightly disorienting. By the end of the second installment, I still wasn’t quite clear on where we were on the timeline, and had to ask a more knowledgeable friend. I haven’t had the chance to rewatch, which means my impressions so far are based on an incomplete context.
With The Empire Strikes Back at the top of my “best Star Wars” list, it inevitably means that I like Star Wars on the dark and gritty side. The trailers already checked off these boxes, and I was pleased to see that the show lives up to it so far. It’s animated, but my brain wasn’t always thinking about it either. Nothing felt particularly dumbed down for kids.
I was initially concerned about the Mandalorians’ spybot, a little Embo-looking droid permanently fused to a flying saucer. Its ability to seemingly be anywhere at anytime could have been too convenient for moving the plot along when needed, but we’ve already seen its actions overruled. So far so good.
Actually, the timeline probably should have been obvious to me. Lawson seems like a standup guy and if he considered calling on the Empire for help, it couldn’t have been too long after Order 66. My Star Wars brain is rusty.
There is still plenty of room for this to change, but Maul feels like a side character on his own show. The main focus of intrigue is so far on Jedi Master Eeko-Dio Daki and his Padawan Devon Izara (Thanks, Wookieepedia). In particular, Devon: At the moment, I find it difficult to tell whether she will be turned by Maul, or successfully reunite with her master before that. Some of Maul’s interactions with her reminded me a little of Palpatine’s manipulation of Anakin. Will she get the chance to complete her Jedi training, or are we watching a Darth Talon origin story?
John Williams makes everything better. I hope it won’t be the last time we hear his score on the show.
Eric Onkenhout
The Lord of the Shadows is back! The much-anticipated Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord premiered this week with the first two episodes. Despite the upcoming The Mandalorian and Grogu movie, one could say that Maul – Shadow Lord is the most anticipated Star Wars event of 2026. The first episode, titled The Dark Revenge, takes place a year after Revenge of the Sith, which means it’s concurrent with the first season of The Bad Batch. Maul’s Shadow Collective as seen in The Clone Wars, has disbanded after Maul’s defeat at the hands of Darth Sidious. A great source for some backstory on how Maul got to where he is in Shadow Lord is the Son of Dathomir comic series from Dark Horse (2014). Of course, at this point, Order 66 has happened, so the Jedi are either dead or in hiding.
What struck me right away in Maul: Shadow Lord was the quality of the animation. Since this is basically another spin-off of The Clone Wars (comparing it to that), you can see how far the quality has come even since season 7 (2020). Specifically, the facial features of Captain Brender Lawson. Lawson is the lead detective on Janix investigating two of the crime syndicates. Rook Kast (voiced by Vanessa Marshall) also returns as Maul’s top lieutenant. Kast’s first appearance is in Son of Dathomir as well, so there’s more incentive to seek out that 4-issue series.
The relationship between Maul and Kast is really fascinating. Kast is not afraid of Maul, or it seems that way. She’s not afraid that he’ll snap her neck at any moment. Lucasfilm’s Athena Portilla compared Maul to Jason or Michael Myers for his unkillability, but he almost feels restrained to all except the ones who oppose him. Maul comes across a Jedi padawan, Devon Izara, who’s been incarcerated for thievery. Maul believes he will shape this girl into someone who can help him challenge Sidious. That seems like a pretty far stretch. Izara already feels like she has one foot out the door as far as being a Jedi. She’s done hiding and is sick of begging for food. But that’s high aspirations for a padawan he just met. Though, dare I say Maul feels likeable or at least relatable in this series. He’s been betrayed by everyone he knows. He wants revenge. Who wouldn’t? He’s a bit like Anakin in that he can’t let go of the past, and it ends up being his downfall in Rebels.
There was no let up in the second episode, Sinister Schemes. Both episodes felt fast-paced to me. Take that with a grain of salt. Maul – Shadow Lord felt very adult as well. It was very much in the vein of the darker The Clone Wars episodes, The Bad Batch and Andor. The local TDF Police Force felt reminiscent of the Pre-Mor Authority Security Force, which I’m sure isn’t a coincidence, each planet has their local authority, but The Empire is hovering over their shoulder waiting for an excuse to come in and never leave. Maul’s view of the Empire and the Sith is obviously not favorable. But where else in Star Wars do we see evil characters openly plot against other evil characters? Maul v Vader is something fans have been dreaming about since 1999. In season 2 of Rebels, Maul already knows Vader isn’t one to be trifled with.
Maul – Shadow Lord is really krifin good. There was no chance of it not blowing us away. Maul’s story has built a legacy over the years that places him among the most popular Star Wars characters. He’s a tragic character who, perhaps, given time and the right support, could have come out on the right side of life. Until then, we’ll watch him plot and deceive and build his criminal empire with all of the vengeance he can muster. One can never rest when there’s so much work to be done.
Paul Naylor
Before watching the first two episodes of Maul – Shadow Lord, I’d already been impressed by the direction and direction seen in the trailers and clips. I love the cinematic direction, making this feel more like live action than animation. I guess Mr Filoni is mashing his two sets of skills with joyful swagger.
And I love the direction the show is treading. Sure, it’s a bit of a slow burn, but that never harmed my enjoyment of Andor.
Sam Witwer is revelling in his starring role, and rightly so. This has been a long journey for Sam and his commitment to the saga is richly deserved in this release.
Whilst The Clone Wars, Rebels and The Bad Batch – among others – have been strong, this series marks a significant leap in quality for Lucasfilm Animation, and again I can’t help comparing its visual fidelity and gritty storytelling to Andor. The animation ifeels more “liquid” and “fluid,” with heavy use of cinematic lighting and shadows that enhance the dark-side aesthetic.
The episodes introduce a “police procedural” or film noir element through new character Captain Brander Lawson, making the series feel like a crime thriller set in space, while Witwer continues to be menacingly patient as Maul, portraying him as a calculating criminal mastermind rather than simply a blunt-force warrior.
I loved it.
Melissa T. Miller
I preface any review of Star Wars content with the disclaimer that I truly believe that all Star Wars is good Star Wars. Even if it’s not for me (or you), every show, book, or movie is someone’s favorite. And as a huge fan of the galaxy far, far away, it does not bother me that not all Star Wars is for me.
Maul – Shadow Lord may not be for me and that’s ok. I have not finished The Clone Wars and only found out that Darth Maul survived his Duel of the Fates in The Phantom Menace when I saw him and his robotic legs in Solo: A Star Wars Story. I did watch Rebels, so I know his ultimate fate, but a little more context for this series would have been appreciated.
This series is not the only one guilty of this, but how hard would it be to open with a planet name and a year? A quick mention of the Empire spreading is a good timing hint, but once I watched the first two episodes, I looked up articles that give some more background on the year and where this falls in the larger saga. This happens often with the Filoni-verse and it’s clearly their choice not to make things easier for people who haven’t watched (and retained) everything.
There is plenty to enjoy about the series. I always like the exploration of the larger galaxy, not just what’s happening on Tatooine and Coruscant, and around the edges of the movies. The animation is more than just beautiful, it’s art. The cityscapes look like matte paintings that feel perfectly Star Wars. The swirls of Maul’s two-bladed lightsaber are gorgeous in this medium, though I question his penchant for cutting people in half considering he knows first hand that doesn’t always mean death.
As for the other characters, it’s an intriguing mix. Most are new for this series, but Maul’s gang made appearances in The Clone Wars, according to some quick Wookieepedia searches. The bearded dragon Jedi Master is immediately intriguing and his apprentice appropriately moody. I love the evil little droid Spybot, who gets scritches from Maul like a Bond villain’s cat. The buddy cops Lawson and Two-Boots are a perfect trope, but with a Star Wars sheen. The droid taking a coffee break just for the bonding time made me laugh out loud and I loved that unexpected moment among all the revenge plots and scheming.
While I wish I’d gotten a little more exposition, I will keep watching.
Greg McLaughlin
The first thing I will say is, do yourself a favor and watch this on something other than your mobile phone. You could be forgiven for not noticing that The Clone Wars style art that has been used in many recent efforts has received a very nice upgrade. The backgrounds are fantastic and everything seems to have a look and feel that it was painted with brushstrokes, rather than filled in by a computer. I loved how the planet Janix looked and felt.
A standout character so for me is Brander Lawson, voiced my Wagner Moura. This isn’t your typical Corpo police stooge. He’s competent, complex and has some mystery that is making me want to see a lot more. His right-hand droid, Two-Boots, brilliantly voiced by Richard Ayoade, provides a perfect companion, and I am as concerned for their future as I am the two new Jedi, Devon, and Master Eeko-Dio.
Speaking of our two force users, it felt odd that our Jedi Master was teaching his padawan such a harsh lesson by turning her over to the cops for stealing food for him. As we saw with Maul, sensing that there was something else the Force was telling him was out there in the police headquarters, I wonder if Eeko-Dio wasn’t also trying to move pieces forward on the board to reveal a greater game afoot.
And Maul is the gift that keeps on giving for fans. Certainly, there will be few that will complain about his return, but since we know how his character arc eventually plays out, it will be interesting to see how Lucasfilm writes themselves out of a corner and maintains our interest and concern as this series continues.
I like what I see so far and I am excited to see this series plays out.
Sander de Lange looks at all the reveals and easter eggs in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord – The Guide: Chapter 1 ‘The Dark Revenge’
Sander de Lange looks at all the reveals and easter eggs in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord – The Guide: Chapter 2 ‘Sinister Schemes’
Hear Mark Newbold and Mark Mulcaster discuss Chapters One and Two of season one on Making Tracks Reaction Chat: Maul – Shadow Lord Episodes 1 & 2
Watch Brian Cameron and Paul Naylor discuss episodes 1 and 2 on Your Weekly Star Wars News Recap For 19th April 2026 | Good Morning Tatooine
