Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord brings another story of a galaxy far, far away, with a very familiar character in the middle of it. Maul, a menacing but beloved character from The Phantom Menace, who should have supposedly died after Obi-Wan Kenobi cuts him in half, is back with a burning desire for vengeance against all those who have crossed him. The new show takes place a year after the events of The Clone Wars. 

Of course, a lot of things happen during this period of time, which shape the story of Maul - Shadow Lord. Before delving into the first two episodes of the series, what transpired during this time should be recounted first. 

Fans familiar with established canon will undoubtedly recall how Maul was rendered in two halves after his duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Naboo, as seen in The Phantom Menace. But what happened after this was that he was saved by his brother, Savage Opress. By working with Death Watch, a rogue group of Mandalorians, and the galaxy's infamous criminal organizations, he eventually established the Shadow Collective, a criminal empire that ruled Mandalore for a brief period of time before Darth Sidious betrayed his former apprentice and murdered Savage Opress.  

During the Siege of Mandalore, Maul fought Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker's apprentice, after escaping from Sidius and Count Dooku's grasp with the aid of Death Watch. Even though Ahsoka fought Maul, he managed to avoid capture once more since Ahsoka was unprepared for the implementation of Order 66. 

From here, Maul’s crusade for vengeance starts, which will be properly fleshed out in the new animated series.

The first episode, titled The Dark Revenge, opens cold with a banger background score greeting the viewers as they feast their eyes on the first glimpse of the world of Maul - Shadow Lord. The saga begins with Maul and his accomplices, Rook Kast, Scorn, and a cunning spybot robbing fugitive Nico Deemis of his wealth from a bank vault on Janix, an outlying planet on the outskirts of the Empire's jurisdiction.

'Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord': Meet the Actors Behind the Characters of the Animated Series

The very first sequence of the episode gives a taste of Maul’s character and his mental state, which is consumed by rage, seeking retribution for what Darth Sidious and Obi-Wan Kenobi did to him. But first, he must start his grand scheme of revenge with some small fries without the risk of exposure. Since Deemis was once a member of the Shadow Collective who betrayed Maul, his number comes first.

Detective Brander Lawson, who is tasked with supervising the investigation, asks his assistant droid, Two-Boots, not to provide any information to the Empire just yet after learning the specifics of the robbery. Despite Lawson's pitiful ignorance of the current political situation involving Force users, Lawson repeatedly refers to lightsabers as "laser swords."

Looti Vario, a rival syndicate head and former Shadow Collective member, is immediately suspected of being involved in the kidnapping and robbery of Deemis' bank supervisor robot. In order to seize control of their syndicate, Maul is carefully planning a confrontation between the two leaders and getting them to kill each other. 

At the same time, Maul has another, more intimate goal in mind since he senses the presence of a strong Force user whom he wants to train as his next apprentice.

The scene shifts to Devon Izara, a Twi'lek Jedi Padawan, and her tutor, Jedi Master Eeko-Dio-Daki, who both escaped Order 66 and are currently in hiding. Devon observes the intense chase between Janix police and Maul's group, and her master prudently counsels her to remain out of the action so as not to attract undue attention. She does end up attracting attention when she tries to steal some fruit for her hungry master. Security droids arrest her, and she does not lift a finger as her master requests her to comply and not cause a scene.  

Devon is brought to Lawson, who does not want her in prison, but she, on the other hand, is not ready to reveal her identity to the authorities. Seeing no other way to get through to her, he sends her to prison. The story progresses and is in the second stage of his plan, where he frames Vario for killing the supervisor droid, which leads to a brawl later that evening at a meeting between Deemis and Vario's crew.

After killing Deemis, Vario is pursued by Maul's group, but Lawson is able to apprehend him. Vario is imprisoned and placed in the cell across from Devon's. When Maul comes for Vario, he detects Devon in the cell across from him, and he and his group kidnap her as well, along with Vario. More than Vario, Maul is now interested in shaping the young Force user into her apprentice.

But before turning her into his apprentice, Maul must bring her to the dark side - a task for the next episode.

The second episode, titled Sinister Schemes opens with Maul's group trying to bust Vario and Devon out of prison, and they succeed after some struggle with Lawson and co. However, the cops are still on their tail, and Maul and gang try their best to throw them off. Master Eeko detects Maul's presence when he comes in the way of the pursuit.

Maul is escaping with his hostages, and Lawson and his captor police are utterly unprepared to handle a threat of that magnitude. While attempting to save his Padawan, Master Eeko intercepts Maul's ship and engages in combat with the former Sith Lord. However, Maul is able to divert his attention by using the Force to collapse a bridge, which causes Eeko to save the civilians while giving him a chance to flee the scene. 

Lawson's actions and decision to keep the matter out of the Empire's eye get him into trouble with his superiors, who scold him for his stubborn refusal to allow the Empire to meddle. The next scene sees him in his home having a chat with his son, Rylee. The scene reveals that he is so preoccupied with his career that he barely has time for his family. This is further highlighted by a work call, which pulls him away from his conversation with his son.

After learning about the enigmatic Shadow Collective from Vario, Lawson goes to see Sul, one of his informants, to gather information about the organization. She warns Lawson about Maul and discloses that various factions, including the Pykes, Crimson Dawn, and Black Sun, were connected to the Shadow Collective.

Despite gathering all this intel on Maul, Lawson is far from the truth about his true motivations, especially regarding Devon.

 Elsewhere, Maul has brought both his captives, Vario and Devon, to his hideout. As cold and rough as he is with Vario, he appears to be gentler and warmer to Devon. But he has ulterior motives behind his behavior towards Devon, as it is all a ploy to manipulate her to the dark side. He plans to transform Devon into a weapon and use her against his adversaries, particularly Darth Sidius.

For the time being, Maul forces Vario to divulge information on the Pykes' spice cargo, which he intends to sabotage in order to attract the attention of their commander, Marg Krim, and murder him. In yet another violent, clinical exhibition of lightsaber action, the Shadow Lord eliminates every Pyke agent after Maul and his crew seize control of one of the Pyke trading ships.

After dealing with the Pukes, Maul continues his attempts to persuade Devon to trust him by arguing that it is futile to keep fighting for the Jedi cause and to adhere to a path of peace and justice when they are the ones being hunted throughout the galaxy. Devon, however, expresses her belief in the ideals that the Jedi uphold and is not easily persuaded.

Maul subsequently leaves Devon's cell unattended after asking her to leave if she feels like it as a gesture of trust. Devon tries to use the Force to open her cell's latches in the latter moments of the second episode, but she is unsuccessful. Eventually, she finds another way to break free from her cell. She uses a strong wave of Force that makes way for her in the back of the cell, successfully getting out of there.

The first two episodes of Maul - Shadow Lord establish a great deal of the story, introducing viewers to most of the main players in the storyline. Maul crossing paths with Devon was the key event and the beginning of something big, which will be revealed in the latter parts of the series, along with the rest of the lore surrounding Maul. For the time being, the show is enjoying a perfect debut score and love from the audience, perhaps even aiming for the same with future episodes.

'Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord': Cast, Plot, Release Date and Everything You Need to Know

Have you seen the first episodes of Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord? If yes, did you like the comeback of the former Sith Lord? Let us know in the comments.