Darth Maul: Let’s Talk, A Bacta Tank Holocron

Solo: A Star Wars Story answers a lot of questions but opens brand new ones for all Star Wars faithful to ask. For this Bacta Tank Holocron, however, lets answer some questions about that surprise appearance. Yes, the last son of Dathomir is indeed back in the Star Wars cinematic universe and looks to play a major role in future Star Wars storytelling. This article is not a critique of the appearance but rather an explanation and speculation on what maybe in-store for our fan favorite Sith Lord. But first let’s talk about what people need to understand about this appearance of Darth Maul.

Firstly, it’s most likely only hardcore fans of Star Wars understand that, yes, Darth Maul is alive during this period within the Star Wars timeline. However, mass audiences may not understand how Darth Maul survived his encounter with Obi Wan Kenobi and Qui Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace. 

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Darth Maul did indeed survive his climactic fall into the abyss on Naboo. But first we have to look at the groundwork that the Lucasfilm Story Group, Disney and even Marvel have put forth in regards to this character. Darth Maul is more than just his appearance in Phantom Menace and he is a perfect example of how Lucasfilm and Disney are trying to create a cohesive unity in regards to mass marketing the Star Wars franchise. Darth Maul’s fate could have ended simply with that climactic duel on Naboo. However, given his popularity and story potential more was needed for the Son of Dathomir. Let’s first discuss the collaborative creation of Marvel Comics 5-issue prequel series, Darth Maul. 

The series written by Cullen Bunn and artist Luke Ross, dealt with the early life of Maul and was used to further establish the character of Darth Maul. In the series we get a sense of who Darth Maul is, his motivations and his characteristics. In the series we establish that Maul was chosen by his master Darth Sidious after Sidious takes Maul away from the Sisters of Dathomir to become his apprentice.  We also get a sense that Maul is rebellious towards his master and has a burning hatred for the Jedi Order. The series was set in the timeline before Phantom Menace showing us that Maul was hiding in the shadows plotting the revenge he and his master sought after in Phantom Menace. This was used to explain the early life of Darth Maul, a young Sith Apprentice learning the ways of the Sith while working towards becoming a full Sith Lord. At the end of Phantom Menace many might have thought that was the end of the waiting Sith Lord. However, this was only the first chapter to Darth Maul’s life, now we can discuss his “resurrection”.

Dave Filoni would bring back the character of Darth Maul in the fourth season of his critically acclaimed series Clone Wars. In the episode ‘Brothers’, Savage Opress is given the quest by the witches of Dathomir to find his lost brother Darth Maul. At the time this was seen as a major storyline because the implication was that Darth Maul had survived his duel on Naboo. Filoni would use this storyline in the next episodes of Clone Wars to setup the return of Darth Maul to the Star Wars universe. Savage Opress would in fact find his lost brother, broken but surviving on the power of his rage, hate, and will. Maul was twisted and broken but when he was brought back to Dathomir the witches would piece together Maul using dark force magic and Maul would reawaken angry and hungry for revenge. 

The episodes of Darth Maul’s return were so successful and well received that the episodes would be collected as a Clone Wars side movie, The Return of Darth Maul.  Filoni would go on and use Darth Maul as a recurring character in the Clone Wars series and he would help establish the rivalry of Darth Maul and Obi Wan Kenobi as well as delve into the relationship of the Sith as Darth Sidious had to contend with the return of his fallen apprentice. By the end of Clone Wars it was established that Darth Maul was alive even though he would later be caught and captured by his old master Darth Sidious.

With Clone Wars and Marvel Comics this was Darth Maul’s early adulthood. We then would see Maul much older and wiser in Star Wars Rebels, again crafted by Dave Filoni. By this time Maul is much older and it’s established he escaped from his former master and seeks revenge on the universe as a whole.  Maul by this time is wanting to assume the role as a Sith Master, enter Ezra Bridger. Maul saw Ezra as his potential student. However, when he sees through a vision with the holocron that his hated rival Obi Wan Kenobi is in fact alive, his thirst for revenge sends Maul on his final destiny. Finally, in the episode ‘Twin Suns’ Maul meets his end at the hands of Obi Wan. It was poetic and was controversial with Star Wars Fans everywhere.

So, by this time we have seen the early and late period of Darth Maul’s life, but what about the between? Enter Solo: A Star Wars Story.  With his surprise appearance in Solo, Darth Maul again returns to the fanbase, but what does this mean? Now, let’s get into speculation territory. It would be sad for this appearance to be a one off and we never get to see our favorite Sith Lord brandish his duel lightsabers and terrorize the galaxy once more. From watching Clone Wars,  Rebels and reading the comics series from Marvel, we can theorize that Maul is up to his old tricks of lurking behind the shadows waiting to strike and take his revenge on the universe. We know in Solo that Maul is the hidden leader of the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn and that he has set his base of operations back on the planet of Dathomir. Based on his conversation with Qi’ra we can surmise that Maul escaped to Dathomir from Darth Sidious. After all, the last planet Sidious would want to tangle with is Dathomir. From his early interactions with the witches in Clone Wars, Sidious saw them as a major rival to his plans of universal control. But this is where we are at currently, what does this mean for Star Wars? Only Kathleen Kennedy and her own group of rebels know. However, as a fan we should be excited and interested because the universe got a whole lot bigger and a little bit more darker and that’s a good thing…