SPOILER ALERT: Warning, this article contains spoilers from Solo: A Star Wars Story. Proceed at your own risk.
If you don’t know the story of the Star Wars television shows, then there’s a cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story that will come as a pretty big surprise to long-time Star Wars fans: Darth Maul is alive! That’s right, in the film’s biggest twist, Qi’ra contacts the shadowy benefactor behind the now-dead crime lord Dryden Vos and his Crimson Dawn syndicate — and it’s none other than the one-time Sith Lord himself.
Fans will remember Darth Maul from Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, when he was revealed as the mysterious apprentice of Darth Sidious. Despite having only a handful of lines, his distinctively-satanic look and epic lightsaber skills quickly made him a fan favorite. He was sliced in half and seemingly killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the film’s climax, but all that changed when the TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars revealed he was alive.
But how is that possible?
Darth Maul’s Return
The preceding video is from Star Wars Explained.
Ray Park, who played Maul in The Phantom Menace, once again physically portrays the character. Sam Witwer, who took over voicing duties from Episode I actor Peter Serafinowicz beginning in The Clone Wars, also reprises his voice role for Solo.
It’s all thanks to the third season of The Clone Wars, which revealed that Maul survived The Phantom Menace and lived in exile in the Outer Rim. When he returned in season four, complete with brand new cybernetic legs, he went on a quest for revenge against Obi-Wan and against the Sith. Maul believed he was meant to be at Darth Sidious’ side during the Clone Wars as the Sith got the galaxy ready to become a Galactic Empire, but it was not to be and Maul sought to reclaim his power. He took control of a number of crime syndicates, including the Pyke Syndicate seen in Solo, and took over the planet Mandalore.
That’s where Maul’s story ended in The Clone Wars, as the show was cancelled before it was completed, but his story continued into Star Wars Rebels. We learned that he was overthrown as ruler of Mandalore by the Republic at the same time as the events of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. The next we saw him, he was stranded on the ancient Sith world of Malachor and began an effort to turn Ezra Bridger, the show’s primary protagonist, to the dark side. Along the way, he learned that his old enemy Obi-Wan Kenobi was still alive and sought him out in his exile on Tatooine. It was there that Obi-Wan struck him down for good, and Maul met his final end.
What His ‘Solo’ Cameo Means
On a broader story level, Maul’s involvement with the crime syndicates during the Empire’s reign makes a lot of sense. We didn’t know what he was up to between his overthrow on Mandalore and his appearance in Star Wars Rebels, but it makes sense that he still had all of those underworld connections. Naturally, a power-hungry person like Maul would continue his attempt to regain power and stature in the galaxy.
But does this work for general audiences, considering most fans aren’t aware of any of his story outside of The Phantom Menace?
Arguably, context wasn’t necessary for his appearance. Even if Maul had never appeared in the TV shows and this was his first post-Episode I appearance, the scene could’ve worked as-is and still been a huge reveal that Maul was alive after all. Not everything needs to be explained right away. There’s a lot of story potential for Maul now in the film universe, so this almost feels like Lucasfilm is offering up Maul as their version of Thanos, someone who might connect the events of several future films together.
What Could Maul’s Movie Future Be?
There are three major ways Maul could be utilized moving forward:
- Thematically, it would be appropriate for Maul to appear in the long-rumored Obi-Wan Kenobi movie in some way, if the events of that movie were to take Obi-Wan off of Tatooine.
- Maul could be utilized in future Solo sequels or spinoffs set in the criminal underworld, particularly now that he’s connected to Qi’ra and her story is far from complete.
- Lucasfilm could produce Maul: A Star Wars Story and have their very own Darth Maul movie. That could be compelling for a lot of fans, and could show his life during the time of the Empire and even flashbacks to his younger, pre-Episode I self.
Of course, any film-based future for Maul has to reckon with the fact that his ultimate end is in a TV show. There would have to be a satisfying film ending for Maul to give general audiences some sense of closure for the character, without killing him off. One possibility could be to strand him on Malachor, to live out his days with the memory of the power once had and the knowledge he will never get off that planet. His story would continue in the show, but it would feel like an ending for the average movie-goer.
What do you think of Maul’s return to the films? Join the conversation on Wookieepedia!
