What Questions Does 'Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord' Season 1 Prepare For Season 2?
Image Source: StarWars.com
With Maul – Shadow Lord now at an end, thoughts by fans have begun to turn to what we might see in Season 2 of the show. Season 1 was an incredible ride, with wonderful visuals, amazing action, but also a gripping plot with many new characters joined by familiar faces into an excellent tapestry of narrative potential.
We know the fates of some of these characters, but understanding how they get to their end-points, to say nothing of what fates might await the universe’s new characters, shows that a thrilling journey is ahead. We at CultureSlate thought it would be a good idea to run over seven of the most notable questions Season 1 generated, and what kinds of answers we might see as the series progresses.
WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Maul – Shadow Lord Season 1.
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7. Will There Be A Timejump?
Image Source: StarWars.com
After the tight pacing of Season 1 (with Sam Witwer suggesting that the season takes place over just a week), a big question going into Season 2 is how much time will pass, if any at all. Presumably, there would be some kind of jump, but how large that jump will be is a matter of interest. Will we pick up mere hours after the end of Season 2, to follow a second week of hell for Maul and the band of survivors from Janix? Or will we pick up weeks if not months later, showing Maul in charge of Crimson Dawn?
The reason we suspect a smaller jump is that, having name-dropped the Dawn’s current leadership, it would make for a great Season 2 opener to watch Maul take out the mysterious Rintero to help affirm his goals as the series pushes forward. Having survived Janix, Maul’s goal now is to thrive. Of course, a larger time jump might avoid this event altogether, allowing for Devon and Maul to form a closer bond, but we’ll ask a key question about what when we come to it.
6. Will We Go Back to Janix?
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The worldbuilding associated with Janix for the show has been superb, yet it stands to reason that Season 2 will open the galaxy up to our protagonists as Maul enters the protection of Crimson Dawn, and Rylee likely makes his way to his mother on Coruscant. But how much will the series open up, and will our main characters return to Janix? Given the events of this series, it's likely the Empire will come down on Janix quite hard, and what does that mean for people Rylee might have left behind, or Vario?
Another character who might compel a return to Janix is Rheena Sul, last seen ducking and rolling away from a ship explosion she caused herself. She claims she never made a deal with Maul, but could the situation on Janix compel her to seek one out, or does she bring some information or request to Rylee asking him for help? We don’t know, but we certainly hope we haven’t seen the last of this fascinating planet.
5. Who Will The Next Villain Be?
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We went from two Inquisitors, to Vader, and there’s only really one rung left on that ladder. But would Sidious actually appear in an active role fighting Maul? Perhaps the villains of the next season could be park-Empire in the form of a new or existing Inquisitor (Seventh Sister is a perfect option as she remains a rarely-seen figure after Rebels, despite being one of the first Inquisitors introduced), and part-criminal as Maul will likely have two of five major syndicates under his thumb as events in Season 2 get into motion.
Currently, against Maul is likely Black Sun, the Hutt Clans, and the Crymorah Syndicate, the remaining segments of the Five Syndicates likely considered major powers at this time, who would want to avoid Maul’s domination. Of course, while the Hutts are near-permanent members, we’ve seen the composition of the Five shift over time, so the show may also introduce new criminals as major powers at this moment in the galaxy. We aren’t sure, and it may also be that the greatest villain in Season 2 is Maul himself.
4. Is Brander Lawson Alive?
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No body, no death. This is a commonly repeated phrase by Star Wars fans that could be very applicable here for one key narrative reason: Lawson saw Maul betray Eeko-Dio Daki. It’s a small moment, but one the show chose to linger on, with Brender peering down, and seeing Maul retreat while Daki is pushed forward into facing Vader alone. Currently, only he, Maul, and Vader know what happened, and Lawson didn’t get a chance to impart that knowledge to Devon before Episode 10 ended.
Why show him watching and seeing the truth if the show didn’t plan to build on it? It doesn’t appear to play into the remainder of Episode 10 at all, so we can only conclude it will likely play a role in Season 2. Plus, you likely shouldn’t kill off a character voiced by an actor who currently has a lot of critical praise and attention on them if you want your show to keep attracting viewers.
3. What Does Drea Lawson Do?
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Drea Lawson is a ghost of a character in Season 1, seen in pictures, spoken about in passing, and contacted in one brief holocall. However, we don’t know what her job with the Empire is. Beyond that, she took a job that moved her to Coruscant, and she appears to be very loyal to the new regime. But will that loyalty extend to turning her son and Two-Boots over to the Imperial authorities when they turn up on Coruscant per Brander’s last request to his long-time police partner?
Another question is: does her job perhaps grant her the clout or weight to protect her son and Two-Boots from Imperial authorities, on certain conditions they may have to follow? With no clues as to what her work is, and boundless speculation, we’ll have to wait for more information, and see how it will impact Rylee, but also Brander’s futures.
2. Who Built the Temple Complex?
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The centerpiece for the action and drama of Episode 10 of Maul – Shadow Lord, the ruined temple complex prompts no end of questions and thoughts about Janix’s past. According to fairly informative behind-the-scenes information, the ruin belonged to a now-gone civilization that once lived on Janix, which was not Jedi or Sith in origin. Its designation as a temple, covered in screaming faces, further adds a layer of mystery, suggesting a site of worship to something unconventional.
But none of our Force-sensitive characters suggest the site to have an obvious affiliation with the light or dark, though that may simply be as a result of the much more pressing, immediate concerns bearing down on them. It is possible the temple’s faith had nothing to do with the Force, but it is sufficient to say that there are a lot of questions about this structure. Will Season 2 explore any of them? Possibly, especially if we do return to Janix, as Rebels was a show that deepened our understanding of the ancient ruins and structures on Lothal across the show’s four seasons.
1. Will Devon Stay At Maul’s Side?
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Probably the biggest question produced by the finale is the question of how long Devon will train under Maul. If the show is only two seasons, then the answer is likely not long at all; that as much as we’ve seen a slow pull of Devon into the dark, we’ll see her slowly begin to pull away from Maul as she becomes more aware of the sacrifices and evils he would demand from someone like her. But if the show is three seasons, Season 2 might instead see Devon trapped in those depths, if not sink lower, before a theoretical Season 3 might see her pulled out into the light.
Of course, she may stay in the darkness, and that is what gets her killed, either in some scheme or effort against Maul, or in standing at his side and being sacrificed against a foe Maul cannot beat. She certainly isn’t at Maul’s side by the time of Rebels, and Qi’ra made no mention of such a figure at Maul’s side in her comic book appearances (though this could easily be explained away). Ultimately, there are many paths for Devon’s future to take, and we’ll be waiting with dread to see just how her story continues, or ends.
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Source(s): Maul – Shadow Lord, StarWars.com
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