Before there was hate for and criticism of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, there was intense backlash to the prequels. From the dialogue about Anakin Skywalker hating sand to the introduction of Jar Jar Binks, George Lucas faced his fair share of negative reception (even if he’s revered in retrospect from fans who feel Disney has ‘ruined’ the franchise). In truth, the prequels received quite a bit more hate than they deserved, especially when it came to attacks on the cast. However, it’s true that the prequel trilogy wasn’t perfect.
There were some strange choices made in those movies, including killing Padmé off by having her lose the will to live (only slightly better than dying of a broken heart) and having Darth Vader utter a rather silly “no” in what should have been one of the most emotionally heavy moments of the trilogy. Yet, one major mistake in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was so great that Star Wars has spent 14 years fixing it, and now, the franchise’s brand-new show, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, is making this correction better than ever.
George Lucas Never Should Have Killed Darth Maul
Image courtesy of Lucasfilm
The Phantom Menace was thrilling for myriad reasons. For one, Star Wars hadn’t released anything new on the big screen for over a decade, and audiences were more than ready to see a new phase of the franchise. In addition to just being a new Star Wars movie, though, The Phantom Menace introduced numerous new characters and concepts, many of which have come to define the franchise ever since. Young Anakin Skywalker was introduced, audiences finally got to see the Jedi Order in its glory, and the first new Sith on the big screen, Darth Maul, had his debut.
However, by the end of the movie, this skilled, powerful, and absolutely terrifying Sith was already dead. It’s true that his death occurred in what remains one of the best lightsaber duels in Star Wars, the Duel of the Fates, which softened the blow somewhat. But in the long run, it was actually a real shame that this fascinating dark sider had died in his very first appearance. Thankfully, Star Wars’ first major canon TV show, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, retconned Maul’s death and brought the character back arguably better than ever.
Star Wars Has Been Fixing This Mistake Since The Clone Wars
Season 4, episode 22 of The Clone Wars, “Revenge,” shocked audiences by bringing Darth Maul back to life. Although there was the tricky business of explaining how Maul survived being chopped in half in The Clone Wars, some animated TV magic gave Maul spider legs, and audiences were generally willing to suspend their disbelief to have this fan-favorite villain back (and, ultimately, the Nightsisters of Dathomir used actual magic to restore his own legs).
This return didn’t just mean more screen time for Maul, though. His character also became so much more fleshed out, with emotional depth and a complex arc that went far beyond his mostly silent intimidating presence in The Phantom Menace. Notably, this also revealed that George Lucas himself had recognized that killing Maul was a misstep, as he was behind The Clone Wars, alongside Dave Filoni.
Disney Star Wars has now taken that so much further. Following The Clone Wars, Maul returned in Star Wars Rebels, in which he was on a quest for the Sith holocron and attempted to sway Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger to the dark side and take him on as an apprentice. He even got another face-off against Obi-Wan Kenobi in Rebels, in one of Star Wars’ best animated episodes, and he had a brief cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story as well. Yet, nothing has been as good as Star Wars’ newest Maul show.
Maul – Shadow Lord Is The Best Maul Story Since The Phantom Menace
Disney’s brand-new streaming Star Wars show, Maul – Shadow Lord, is truly Maul at his best. Although only the first two episodes have been released on Disney+ so far, both episodes have given audiences thrilling lightsaber fights, Force feats, and more of Maul’s dry, menacing demeanor. The show also seems primed to explore Maul’s timeline so much more deeply, not only because the narrative centers on his interactions with the crime syndicates but also because it already has a second season confirmed.
Clearly—and thankfully—both George Lucas and Disney Star Wars have realized that it was a mistake to kill Maul in The Phantom Menace and that, as a character, he needs and deserves so much more screen time. It also seems as though audiences won’t be lacking new Maul content any time soon, as season 1 of Maul – Shadow Lord runs until May 4th/Star Wars day, with weekly releases each Monday, and at least one more season is still to come (with rumors that there are plans to go even further than season 2).
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