By George & Josh Bate
Another Inquisitor arrives, Two-Boots undergoes an Andor-esque character arc, and a character from Solo: A Star Wars Story is on the verge of returning in the latest episodes of Maul – Shadow Lord.
Check out Every Easter Egg, Hidden Detail, and Reference we noticed in Chapters 7-8 of Maul – Shadow Lord below….
Chapter 7: Call to the Oblivion
The episode is written by Julia Cooperman, who produced and wrote two episodes of the Disney+ series Willow.
The Empire establishes an overnight curfew on Janix. They later do the same on Lothal in Star Wars Rebels.
Maul notes that, while Palpatine’s betrayal was “devastating,” it “was not the deepest wound” his former master inflicted upon him. We suspect Maul is referring to Palpatine murdering Maul’s brother Savage Opress as the deepest wound.
The Emperor’s Theme, first introduced in Return of the Jedi, can be heard as Maul responds, “Unfortunately” to Devon’s question about whether his master is still alive.
Maul alludes to a grand plan he has to take down the Empire, although the details of this are unclear. Previously, Maul wanted to assemble all the crime syndicates to create an organization that could rival the power of the Empire. Is this what he still has planned? Or has Maul made changes to his plan to destroy the Empire?
To assist Marrok in his hunt for Maul and the Jedi, the Eleventh Brother arrives. This is the Inquisitor who was voiced by Clancy Brown and first appeared in Tales of the Jedi, before making a brief cameo in Tales of the Empire. In promotional material for Maul – Shadow Lord, the Eleventh Brother is referred to as The Crow.
Lawsen says, “It never added up to me what they said about the Jedi being traitors.” This refers to Palpatine’s spread of misinformation that the Jedi tried to kill him and betrayed the Galactic Republic.
Rylee reveals Two-Boots’ official designation as 2B0T.
Two-Boots questions how Rylee can recognize him without his boots. This is similar to a joke made in The Force Awakens in which C-3PO wonders how Han Solo recognizes him with his red arm.
Rook Kast shows unflinching loyalty to Maul. As someone who follows Mandalorian rules to a tee, it will be interesting to see if this character is eventually revealed to be The Armorer from The Mandalorian.
Rook Kast says, “Kebris, you slime!” This is a homage to Ernest Borgnine’s work in Escape from New York (1981) and The Black Hole (1979).
The lightsabers of Maul, The Crow, and Marrok fizzle upon going through water in a way that resembles how lightsabers interact with water in Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars series.
Marrok says he will not accept Maul’s surrender as the Emperor wants him dead. It’ll be fascinating to see if Maul and Palpatine eventually clash in the series. They’re due for a rematch.
Icarus’ launcher makes the same sound as the shotgun from the original Star Wars: Battlefront II.
In addition to voicing Maul, Sam Witwer is credited as a “Gunship Pilot” in the episode.
Chapter 8: The Creeping Fear
The title of this episode, “The Creeping Fear,” is the same as the rumored working title for Revenge of the Sith.
The episode is written by Jennifer Corbett, who was one of the head writers and an executive producer of The Bad Batch.
Maul sees his childhood self in a reflection. As a child, Maul did not have the extent of the tattoos he eventually does, which is interesting as Mother Talzin and the Dathomirians were reportedly the ones to brand him with the tattoos. Perhaps they were applied to Maul later on or perhaps Palpatine was the one who added additional markings, which would be consistent with Legends.
As the title card is revealed, Palpatine’s unmistakable laugh can be heard.
Two-Boots turns against the Empire upon discovering their corruption and hypocrisy, much like how Kino Loy turns against the Empire in Andor.
Maul talks to himself in a frenzied manner similar to how he does when he was introduced in The Clone Wars, years after miraculously surviving the events of The Phantom Menace.
Maul’s brother Savage urges Maul not to leave with Palpatine. This provides visuals, for the first time, to Palpatine recruiting Maul as his apprentice and training him.
Clancy Brown reprises his role as Savage Opress for the episode.
The sound of the laser gates from the Duel of the Fates, followed by Obi-Wan howling in response to Qui-Gon’s death, in The Phantom Menace can be heard as Maul reckons with the trauma of his past. A silhouette of Obi-Wan attacking Maul while wielding Qui-Gon’s lightsaber is also shown.
Maul then experiences a flashback to his time on a junk world planet before Savage rescued him. We see Maul’s makeshift spider-like legs and get a glimpse into his fractured mind at this difficult time of his life.
The visions of Maul’s past were created by projecting new and existing sequences onto a smoke machine, a blend of animated and practical effects that gives the scene a dreamlike quality.
Maul has a vision of Palpatine murdering his brother Savage Opress, a key event in Maul’s life that was portrayed in The Clone Wars episode “The Lawless.”
Palpatine is voiced by Sam Witwer in the episode.
Later in the episode, Maul – Shadow Lord delivers in adding emotional complexity to its titular character. Bookending the sentiment of hate directed toward his child self, Maul once again looks at a reflection of him as a child and promises, “I won’t let him do this to anyone else.” This is a poignant line that adds nuance to Maul’s pursuit of Palpatine. Maul is not just trying to kill the man who did him wrong – he is also trying to stop this man from doing to others what was done to him. We don’t expect (nor believe) Maul should undergo a redemption arc in this series, but him targeting Palpatine for a reason bigger than himself feels like a deserved evolution for his character.
The three aliens hassling Devon Izara as she tries to secure a hot rod speeder are inspired by the Pharoh Gang from George Lucas’ American Graffiti. The aliens are all voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
Vario tells Maul that Crimson Dawn’s Dryden Vos is requesting a meeting. Dryden Vos was the character played by Paul Bettany in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Vos reappeared briefly during the Siege of Mandalore arc in The Clone Wars and is probably yet another member of the criminal underworld who abandoned Maul at his time of need. We know that Maul eventually takes over Crimson Dawn by the time of Solo, something that Maul – Shadow Lord is bound to depict at some point.
The two-part season finale of Maul – Shadow Lord premieres May 4 on Disney+
