Happy May the Fourth, Star Wars fans. There is no better way to celebrate than with Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Chapters 9 and 10.
The final chapters arrive in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow LordChapters 9 and 10, as the characters face their most difficult obstacle yet.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers about the episode. Read at your own risk.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Chapters 9 and 10: “Strange Allies” and “The Dark Lord”
Our characters are still on the run from the Empire. As they are running out of options, a decision has to be made. Do they still go their separate ways, or must they form a temporary alliance?
Furthermore, an opportunity knocks on the door for Maul and his crew. This may be their chance at escaping the Empire for now.
Dryden Vos requests an audience
Vario informs Maul that things may look a bit brighter for them. He mentions that Dryden Vos of the Crimson Dawn wants to speak with Maul. Furthermore, he desires Maul to forge an alliance with him in order to permanently eliminate Crimson Dawn. With this, Dryden offers them a ship to get off Janix and out of the Empire’s sights.
“So much for stealth”
Maul takes the offer from Dryden Vos and prepares his crew to pack up. But Maul must do one more thing. Through the Force, Maul communicates to Devon. Additionally, he offers for her to meet up and escape. Master Daki, Lawson, and the others hesitatingly agree.
As they meet with Maul, he shows the location of the ship. But Lawson interrupts, saying that there is no way they can get there. Maul thinks that Lawson’s familiarity with the planet might help in getting there, to which Lawson agrees. They all form an alliance with the goal of getting off Janix, away from the Empire.
They are not getting away easily, though. Along the way, stormtroopers are patrolling the area, and our characters are once again in trouble. Seemingly, this is not an issue for Maul, though. As he just walks directly to the troopers and takes them all out, even the walker. Maul is just aura-farming and brutally slicing the walker in half with ease. This scene reminds us of the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed games, where we just hack and slash troopers and walkers with no sweat. Additionally, another callback to that game, Sam Witwer also voices the main character in those games.
Of course, the two Inquisitors catch up to them, and a lightsaber battle begins again. Can we just appreciate the animation in these sequences? This is the most fluid and beautiful set of lightsaber battles in Star Wars animation so far. More on that later.
The Dark Lord
After escaping the Inquisitors, our characters look to be safe, right? No. They could not be in more trouble than what is coming next. As Rook and another crew member scout the area, screams burst out. Moreover, Rook comes back terrified and warns the others. But she gets pulled back and gets taken out in the fog. A dark figure comes out, and it is Darth Vader.
Yes, the dark lord himself is taking this matter to himself now. Maul, Devon, and Daki ignite their lightsabers and engage Vader. You think that will overwhelm Vader? It is the other way around. We see Darth Vader in his early years here, and that means his strength is on another level here.
Remember we said that Maul is one of the best lightsaber duelists in the galaxy? Well, his skills are no match against Vader. He only wields his lightsaber with one hand against the three. Unbelievable! We are witnessing why Darth Vader is one of the most feared in the galaxy. He out-aura-farms Maul here. Additionally, his movements are like those of Ala Michael Myers from the Halloween franchise. You get intimidated just by his breathing alone.
A grim outcome
As the battle progresses, the situation for our characters appears dire. Vader just overpowers everyone here, and with the two inquisitors as his backup. An escape is unlikely to happen soon. Furthermore, Dryden Vos arrives and is looking for Maul. With one last ditch effort, Lawson makes the sacrifice and taunts the stormtroopers at him so that Rylee and Two-boots can escape.
Maul, still overpowered by Vader, steps back to regroup. He comes up with the idea of using Daki as bait for Vader. Unfortunately, it works as Vader stabs Daki and Devon witnesses the death of her master. This is a chance for Maul to sway Devon to use her anger and aggression, as she lets it out on the Eleventh Brother Inquisitor.
Vader, still in pursuit, duels Devon. Seemingly blinded by rage, she is not looking to back down to Vader. Maul stops her and uses the Force to drop some debris on Vader, creating a diversion to escape.
Inside Dryden Vos’ ship, they reassure each other to hold up their end of the bargain. Furthermore, Maul walks to a grieving Rylee and Devon. Still in rage for the death of her master, Devon agrees to be Maul’s apprentice.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Chapters 9 and 10 thoughts
This last batch of chapters is the best in the season! This is a great way to conclude the series. Seeing Darth Vader just overpower everyone might be the highlight of the finale. Additionally, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Chapters 9 and 10 could be one of the best episodes of Star Wars animation in general.
As for the whole season itself, it is up there as one of the best. Sam Witwer IS Maul; he understands and embodies the character so well. Additionally, Gideon Adlon as Devon Izara is low-key the MVP of the whole season. Her journey is a slow burn, but it pays off well. We cannot wait to see what is in store for her next season. Like we mentioned, the quality of the show is high. Moreover, the episodes are concise and devoid of any unnecessary content. It tackles mature themes. Also, the series could also be the most violent, fitting for a show that centers on Maul.
Overall, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is a very welcome addition to the Star Wars media collection. Hopefully, we will not have to wait that long for season 2.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Chapters 9 and 10, and the rest of the chapters are now available to stream on Disney+.
