In a very interesting interview with Star Wars Insider, as highlighted by The Holofiles, Sam Witwer provided an unexpected look at the galaxy’s most unyielding survivor before the upcoming Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord series premieres on Disney+ this April 6. The series takes place during the dark “Dark Times” after Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In it, Darth Maul is in a rare state: self-reflection.
The “principles” paradox
According to Sam Witwer, Maul’s lifelong hatred of the Jedi has turned into something unexpected: respect. Maul was raised to destroy the Jedi Order with no questions asked. Yet now, after looking at the galaxy under Imperial rule, he thinks the unthinkable: at least the Jedi had principles. “He was trained to hate and destroy the Jedi without ever questioning it. Now he’s looking at the galaxy, going, ‘Boy, we could sure use a Jedi Knight or two.’ At least with the Jedi, you knew where they stood. There’s something to respect there.”
To Maul, the Empire isn’t the next step in the evolution of the Sith. It is merely a means to gain power and wealth. To someone indoctrinated with the ancient mysticism of the Sith and their warrior code, the Empire is a soulless institution. The irony is thick: the man raised on hatred now finds principles in those he used to hate. “This Empire, he sees no values there, just the naked grab for influence, power, and money. Principles are gone. And he looks at that with a certain level of distaste. He may not have agreed with the Jedi Knights, but at least they had principles. You knew who you were dealing with, and you could reason with that. There’s no reasoning with the Empire.”
Witwer is quick to dismiss the idea of redemption. Maul hasn’t turned good. He simply finds people he dislikes even more.
The show makes him a third-party predator in a galaxy divided between Light and Dark, rejected by both. “Bad guys vs. worse guys” is how Witwer describes it. Maul fought the Jedi, but at least he could understand them. But the Empire is something he sees as unreasoning and destructive in its nature. Maul is rebuilding influence in the crater city of Janix, which has managed to avoid Imperial attention so far. There, he meets Devon Izara, a surviving Padawan from Order 66, voiced by Gideon Adlon.
Instead of hunting her, Maul sees potential in her because she represents something he has come to see as a weaponizable asset: Jedi principles. To Maul, these could become a tool for revenge against the true source of all his pain: Palpatine himself.
Under the guidance of Dave Filoni, the series reportedly makes use of painterly “glass panel” backdrops reminiscent of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, with the savage kinetic energy of late-series Clone Wars animation. Witwer even does a live-action reference for the camera to capture the subtle play of emotions on Maul’s face as he realizes his master has finally won.
The 10-episode series will debut two episodes a week, finishing on May 4, or Star Wars Day, a fitting end for a character who refuses to die quietly, even in defeat.
