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Warning:\u00a0This article contains minor spoilers up to episode 3, “Whispers in the Unknown,” of “Star Wars:\u00a0Maul \u2014 Shadow Lord.”<\/p>\n
“Star Wars” is officially back in all its animated goodness, and it feels so bad (complimentary). The premiere of “Maul \u2014 Shadow Lord” not only brings back one of the best expansions to the canon in Sam Witwer’s seemingly un-killable Maul, but it’s also a welcome reminder that the franchise reached some of its greatest heights in another medium altogether. It’s probably too early to say whether this latest series rivals either “The Clone Wars” or “Rebels,” but it’s certainly not out of the question. That speaks to creator and newly-crowned Lucasfilm President\/Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni’s<\/a> incredible success in building out this corner of the “Star Wars” universe … but it raises some serious questions about his most disappointing live-action work, too.<\/p>\n Because the more I watch “Maul” and revel in its incredible sense of style, eye-popping colors, and imaginative action, the more I wonder why the same simply can’t be said for Filoni’s “Ahsoka.” I’ve previously written at length about my gripes with turning the fan-favorite animated Ahsoka Tano into a live-action shell of herself<\/a>, so I won’t rehash those arguments all over again. In fact, I don’t even need to: “Shadow Lord” makes all those points for me, conveniently enough.<\/p>\n Through three episodes, “Maul” already feels like the worthiest “Star Wars” addition since “Andor,” and that’s precisely because it isn’t self-conscious about embracing its strengths. Despite originating in George Lucas’ 1999 blockbuster “The Phantom Menace,” isn’t a character like Maul arguably more at home in animation anyway? Given all the creative freedom this allows, we wouldn’t have it any other way. And, yes, “Ahsoka” could’ve learned a thing or two from this show.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Maul – Shadow Lord proves that, when it comes to animation, this is the way<\/p>\n
Lucasfilm<\/p>\n If anyone doubts that animation was the ideal approach to “Maul \u2014 Shadow Lord,” look no further than\u00a0Maul’s post-“Phantom Menace” arc up to this point. After “The Clone Wars” did the impossible and turned the admittedly one-dimensional cutout into an actual character, “Rebels” famously took it even further and gave him an emotional gut-punch of an ending. But\u00a0when Darth\u00a0Maul\u00a0actor Ray Park\u00a0came out of nowhere for that cameo in “Solo: A Star Wars Story,”<\/a>\u00a0the response from casual audiences was one of mass confusion … and who could blame them? For those excited about\u00a0“Solo,” it shouldn’t have been a requirement\u00a0to do their homework and follow Maul’s continuing journey unfolding across two different animated shows. Now, imagine how that would’ve been compounded if its creative team had randomly decided to turn “Maul \u2014 Shadow Lord” into a live-action series instead.<\/p>\n See where I’m going with this? As much as diehard fans couldn’t wait to see a popular fan-cast like Rosario Dawson officially bring Ahsoka Tano to life, the choice to produce a live-action sequel series to the events of “Rebels” never made much creative sense. The best part of animated “Star Wars” shows like “Rebels” and “The Clone Wars” (and “The Bad Batch,” for that matter) came from their ability to do what the live-action “Star Wars” movies never could: showcase the sheer imagination and epic scope\/scale of a galactic space opera\u00a0without breaking the bank. And, as far as its kid-friendly demographic was concerned, the added bonus of populating these stories with sillier, more expressive, and downright alien faces helped redefine what “Star Wars” could truly look like.<\/p>\n Unlike “Maul,” though, “Ahsoka” neglected to play to its strengths.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Ahsoka is the rare Star Wars show to miss what makes its characters so special<\/p>\n
Lucasfilm<\/p>\n
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\n ![\"Sam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/maul-shadow-lord-proves-that-when-it-comes-to-animation-this-is-the-way-1776089380.jpg\")
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\n ![\"Natasha](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ahsoka-is-the-rare-star-wars-show-to-miss-what-makes-its-characters-so-special-1776089381.jpg\")
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