Aside from it’s gorgeous action, the most fascinating aspect of Maul: Shadow Lord is how it puts the spotlight on the Dark Side while staying true to Star Wars‘ biggest themes. Here, I break down how the series offers multiple perspectives on the darkness.
The first season of Maul: Shadow Lord may be over, but the short season is still very much on my mind—something I’m sure no one is surprised about. With the final episodes out in the wild and Devon’s decision made clear, it’s the perfect time to dive into one of the things I enjoyed most about the season: how it presents the Dark Side of the Force. Not only does it showcase the various ways it can seduce people, the show highlights exactly why it’s influence is all consuming.
Much of Star Wars—specifically when it comes to the Force—present things as good and evil. The Sith are, obviously, the evil villains here. None exemplify that ideal more than Palpatine/Sidious himself who seems to enjoy being evil just for evil’s sake. But the truth is, the Dark Side goes beyond this aspect. It’s not always about people wanting to revel in cruelty and give in to their baser, selfish instincts.
There are many paths leading down that dark road, some even coming from more altruistic intentions. Therein lies the insidious nature of the Dark Side. By eschewing the more narrow Jedi vs. Sith viewpoint, Maul: Shadow Lord puts a spotlight on the various ways it seduces, and traps, people. Moreso, it hits on the idea that regardless which path one takes, it leads to the same end. As Yoda warned Anakin, “suffering,” is all that awaits its practitioners.
The Many Shadows of the Dark Side
Shadow Lord gives us a glimpse of the Dark Side at work through numerous points. There’s Maul himself, the Inquisitors, Devon, Vader, and even the underworld (non-Force using) characters we see. Each of these highlights a different facet of how the darkness influences people, or serve as prime examples of the warnings we’ve heard over the years from other characters.
As we see with the former members of Maul’s Shadow Collective, even close association with the Dark Side can be detrimental. It’s an ever-consuming cycle of betrayal and seeking leverage over one another. Even when Maul was supposedly “out of the picture” we saw Vario and Deemis were scheming; looking for an excuse to take each other out.
Beyond the criminal element, even those closest to Maul ultimately find themselves suffering much the same fate. The selfishness of Kebris and the Super Commandos who try to abandon Maul results in their meeting a quick end. The ever-loyal Rook Kast fares no better and dies at the hands of the terrifying Darth Vader. Their proximity to the Dark Side, regardless of their loyalty—even honor—ultimately brings them to violent ends.
The Inquisitors in Shadow Lord are little more than rabid hunters. They’re honed tools and deadly adversaries. What’s interesting is we know the members of the Inquisitorius are comprised of former Jedi—mostly padawans. Yet, despite so many of them not even being Knights, they manage to be these fearsome foes able to track down and take on/kill full Masters.
When Luke asks Yoda during his training in Empire Strikes Back if the Dark Side is stronger, he replies simply, “No, no, no. Quicker, easier, more seductive.” In this way, they Inquisitors serve as the embodiment of this lesson. It’s not necessarily that they are “stronger” but have taken shortcuts to power. While the raw strength allows them an initial upper hand (especially against survivors still reeling), their lack of genuine skill becomes apparent over time.
Though his time in the season is short, Vader is a stark reminder of all the Dark Side’s promises. Yes, he has fearsome power, but he’s trapped by the same fury that feeds him. He hates what he’s become, the terrible deeds he’s committed, yet is so consumed by the darkness he’s unable to see any other way through but by plowing forward. The twisted hope the next enemy, the next kill, the next atrocity will bring him closer to the power he needs to escape. Thus, his fear and anger have forced him into a perpetual cycle.
Shadow Lord showcases this aspect of Vader by making him the ultimate monster. His voiceless, almost calm, destruction gives proof to this. He’s unable to see past the enemies he’s tasked with striking down. Moreso, given that Maul was once Palpatine’s apprentice as well, Vader likely sees Maul as a necessary proving ground on his path to more power.
Maul’s Sisyphean Endeavor
Then there’s the titular man himself, Maul. He’s grown far beyond the weapon Sidious forged him to be, though he remains firmly committed to the Dark Side. He’s still ruthless when needed and is retains a “ends justify the means” mindset, but he no longer (at least at this point) takes joy in the pain and dark acts committed. His destroying the bridge filled with pedestrians in the early episodes shows this. It’s obviously a pretty terrible thing to do, and lots of innocent people were at risk. In his mind, it’s necessary to him getting away and securing Devon, rather than wanton destruction.
Shadow Lord goes to great lengths to show that Maul is fiercely loyal—protective even—of those he cares about. The fact he cares for others beyond his own safety, is a drastic departure from his Sith training. He leads from the front, telling others (especially Rook) to get to safety before himself, and even feels anger/sorrow over his droid being destroyed. I’d also go so far to argue that his “betrayal” of Daki in the final battle with Vader wasn’t so much an act of cowardice as it was Maul fearing for Devon and choosing to help her instead.
And yet, his adherence to the Dark Side, this unwavering belief it is the only way to achieve his goals, will never get him where he wants. His inability to rise above the anger and fear that drive his every action prevents him from ever breaking free of the path Palpatine set him down. Which is all the more tragic considering his motivations in and of themselves aren’t necessarily bad.
The Sith are a blight on the universe, along with the Empire, and need to be dealt with. That’s undeniable. He wants to change how things are done, breaking the cycle of abuse from the Sith in order to make sure no one else suffers as he did. The problem, however, is the all consuming influence of the Dark Side. Regardless of Maul’s reasoning for embracing it, nothing good can ever truly come from it. It’s the very nature of the Dark Side itself. Even with the best of intentions, it’s a path that ultimately leads to the same place.
Let’s take it back to Maul’s decision to abandon Daki to Vader and help Devon. Arguably, it’s a well-intentioned thought, but the reality of the situation puts a spotlight on how misleading the darkness can be. The truth is, Daki and Maul were doing fairly well in their team-up against Vader; giving proof to Daki’s earlier comment that as long as they “defended each other” they could win.
Devon meanwhile, does a solid job of holding her own against the Crow. It’s not until she witnesses Daki’s death and gives into anger that she really begins to struggle. By taking Maul’s approach and straying from her Jedi training/techniques brings her closer to death—losing her Lightsaber as well—than ever before. While she ultimately was able to score a decent strike against the Crow after grabbing Maul’s saber, it mostly comes thanks to Maul finally stepping in and aiding.
What could have been if Maul had remained with Daki? If he’d opened himself up to the balance they’d achieved while fighting Vader, rather than letting rage and fear continue to guide his strategy?
In this, we see how the Dark Side is an ever-downward spiral. It offers users short term gains at the cost of the bigger picture. The result all around is more suffering. This is especially true of Maul since we already know where his journey of revenge ends. No matter how loyal he is to the darkness, it will never—can’t—reward him.
Devon’s Winding Path
The lure of the Dark Side ultimately boils down to one thing: power. There are many roads/justifications leading there, but power is the destination all the same. For Palpatine, it’s about complete control. For Anakin, the power to save those he loves. Maul’s focus has almost always been about harnessing the power necessary to exact revenge (on the Jedi, Kenobi, Sidious, back to Kenobi). That his lust for power comes from a twisted sense of justice/balancing the scales doesn’t change things.
Then there’s Devon. Shadow Lord‘s portrayal of her “fall” is probably the most interesting dynamic in the show, in terms of how the Dark Side is presented. The truth is, we saw her desire for power even before Maul came into the picture. Perhaps that’s the reason why he was getting visions about her. From the first scene, it’s clear to see how much she chafes under their new circumstances.
Devon wants to help people, despite knowing the dangers in revealing herself as a Jedi. She knows she has the ability, the power, to help and fulfill the Jedi mission of protecting others…but is forced to hold back. It’s definitely not in line with the Jedi ideals to use her talents to steal food, yet her desire to aid her Master drives her to do it.
With the full season now out, there’s an earlier line of dialog I find myself coming back to. When Devon and Daki reunite and she laments their inability to do anything against the Empire, he pointedly says, “It’s your voice, but Maul’s words I hear.”
In many ways, he’s completely correct. Maul believes the things he tells Devon (much like he did with Ahsoka), but is using these rationalizations to influence her to his side. Most certainly a form of manipulation. From a certain point of view, however, Maul is simply giving voice to the thoughts Devon has already considered. Going back and enjoying the episodes again, her reactions during their conversations feel more telling.
It seemed more that Devon was surprised to find Maul saying things she already agreed with rather than being influenced by new ideas. Much of her holding back against Maul had much to do with her preconceived notions of his villainous past. In this way, what Maul has to offer her isn’t a “new perspective,” but a sort of freedom. The liberation to act as she feels necessary.
An Unconventional Fall
A great, telling scene later on is when Devon goes to steal a speeder. At the beginning of the show, we saw how she hesitated to steal food, but that’s no longer the case. Even with this, however, it’s obvious how Devon still wants to be the hero. She chooses a speeder to take from some unscrupulous people (I mean, they didn’t have any issue with threatening a teenage girl!) and leaves them a few lumps to remember her by. She’s not necessarily reveling in the cruelty or indulging her darker impulses, but we see her breaking from the Jedi inhibitions.
This is what makes Devon’s “fall” so fascinating to me. She’s still very committed to living in a more honorable way; to being the “protector” she’s always wanted to be. Through Maul’s path, she sees that chance. Honestly, I’d argue that even if Daki hadn’t been killed she would have chosen to go with Maul eventually.
Just look at her reaction to Maul taking down the Imperials and the AT-ST when they’re all trying to escape the city. She watches in awe as he wipes the floor with all of them in grand style, despite previous injuries. It’s here that she realizes Maul is the path to the power she seeks to help rid the galaxy of the Empire. To give the Jedi Order “justice.”
Sure, Daki’s death gives rise to her anger and seeking revenge, but her fall had already begun. Her desire to right the wrongs and embody the ideal of being a protector is noble in its own way…yet is still a quest for power.
Obviously we have no idea where Devon’s story will go just yet, but her journey towards the Dark Side so far has been an engaging one. Between all of the “dark” characters featured in Shadow Lord, fans have been given a robust, all around look at the various ways it seduces people.
More importantly, even as it highlights these different perspectives and justifications, the show hammers home the fact it’s a corrupting influence that only ever leads to heartache and suffering. In this, the show is perfectly aligned with the greater themes of Star Wars while still deepening our outlook on the Dark Side in general.
