Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord episodes 3-4
Brand-new episodes of Maul – Shadow Lord are now streaming on Disney+, featuring an impressive collection of Easter eggs and deep-cut references to the greater Star Warsgalaxy.
As seen in the newly released Maul – Shadow Lord episodes 3-4, the titular former Sith lord is seeking to make Jedi survivor Devon Izara into his new apprentice, hoping to show her a new path to power beyond the teachings of the Jedi. At the same time, Maul’s revenge plans continue with a major attack on the Pyke Syndicate. We also see a major stand-off between Maul’s agents and Janix police, resulting in major consequences for the entire planet.
Throughout these new episodes, we get some truly great nods and references, as well as some deep-cut references longtime Star Wars fans will no doubt enjoy. With that in mind, here are 13 of the biggest and best Easter eggs, Star Wars references, and major connections we found in Maul – Shadow Lord episodes 3-4.
Maul’s Tea Ceremony With Cassius Tea
At the beginning of Maul – Shadow Lord episode 3, Maul invites Devon to join him in what essentially looks to be a Star Wars version of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.
Likewise, Maul confirms that the tea itself is cassius tea, the same tea he was served by Pre Vizsla during The Clone Wars, marking the beginning of their alliance against Obi-Wan Kenobi (though Maul ultimately killed Vizsla, claimed the legendary Darksaber, and took command of his Mandalorian Death Watch).
Attempting to open her mind to the possibility of growing beyond the Jedi Code and to see him as an ally against the Empire, what better way to subvert Devon’s expectations than a tea ceremony, which often represents balance, tranquility, and overall respect between host and guest? (at least in real-life Japanese culture).
Maul’s Fallen Brother & Mother
During his attempts to sway Devon to join him, he mentions that his brother and mother were killed by Darth Sidious. Both of these murders happened during The Clone Wars.
Maul’s brother Savage Oppress was killed by Sidious on Mandalore in The Clone Wars season 5, when Palpatine personally came to the planet to deal with his old apprentice, murdering Savage and taking Maul as his prisoner.
Mother Talzin was killed in the canonical Son of Dathomir comic series set between the fifth and seventh seasons of The Clone Wars. After Maul escaped his imprisonment, the former Sith clashed once more with Sidious, General Grievous, and Count Dooku. However, Maul and his forces were eventually overpowered, resulting in Mother Talzin sacrificing herself to save her son. Talzin was killed by General Grievous on Darth Sidious’ orders.
Rylee’s Sport – A Deep-Cut Phantom Menace Reference
Brander Lawson’s son Rylee looks to play a sport that very much looks like a galactic version of lacrosse, complete with long sticks that can cradle a ball that’s passed back and forth. Remarkably, the head of the sticks was first seen in the Star Wars timeline 27 years ago in The Phantom Menace, featured when young Anakin Skywalker was showing Padmé his room and the work-in-progress that was C-3PO.
Jedi Hunters
Custom Image by Kevin Erdmann
Maul questions Devon’s current ability to take on the Empire’s “Jedi hunters” without using the dark side. Signature villains of the Dark Times, Maul is referring to the Imperial Inquisitorius, a group of Force-sensitive dark side wielders trained by Darth Vader to hunt down any survivors of Order 66.
Based on trailers for Maul – Shadow Lord, we know that the Eleventh Brother and First Brother aka Marrok will both be making an appearance in the new Star Wars series, though both were eventually killed by Ahsoka Tano. However, Marrok was slain by Ahsoka after he’d been reanimated by Morgan Elsbeth during the New Republic Era. Perhaps it was Maul who killed the First Brother the first time?
Iconic Sith Shadows
When Devon makes it to the top, her way out is blocked by Maul, his signature shadow casting Devon in darkness. It absolutely brings to mind Darth Vader’s debut in Rogue One during his meeting with Director Krennic on Mustafar, who was similarly “overshadowed” by the Dark Lord of the Sith’s equally iconic and sinister silhouette.
Dark Side Whispers – From Maul’s Lightsaber??
The moment when Devon gives into her anger and Force pushes Maul back, the former Sith smiles. Additionally, we hear the dark side Sith whispers we’ve heard during Maul scenes ever since 1999’s The Phantom Menace which sounds like “Korah Rahtahmah“. The words can be heard in the middle of “Qui-Gon’s Noble End” from composer John Williams (around the 1:50 mark):
While it’s widely been assumed that these words are part of the language of the Sith, the subtitles for this new episode seem to confirm for the first time that the language was coming from Maul’s lightsaber, a fascinating revelation likely connected to the living bond kyber shares with its wielder (even the corrupted and bled kyber of the Sith). Furthermore, it’s likely no coincidence that after we hear these Sith whispers…Maul now knows Devon’s name.
A Long Time Ago · In a Galaxy Far, Far Away The Sith Trivia Challenge
⚔Dark LordsUnlimited power
⚡PowerForce lightning
📘LoreHolocrons
🗡BetrayalAlways two
🌈LegacyThe dark side
01
The Sith operate under a strict doctrine that limits their number to prevent infighting and self-destruction. This ancient code dictates that there can only be a master and an apprentice — no more, no less. What is this fundamental Sith principle called?
✓ Correct! The Rule of Two states “Always two there are — no more, no less. A master and an apprentice.” As Yoda himself observed, this principle ensured the Sith could operate in secret for a millennium while plotting the downfall of the Jedi Order.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is the Rule of Two. While the Sith Code exists separately as their philosophical creed, the Rule of Two is the specific doctrine limiting Sith to a master-apprentice pair. It allowed them to hide in the shadows for a thousand years.
02
The most powerful Sith Lord in the saga hid in plain sight as a seemingly benevolent politician, secretly manipulating the Clone Wars from both sides. He orchestrated the fall of the Republic and the destruction of the Jedi Order. Who is this ultimate Sith Master?
✓ Correct! Darth Sidious, publicly known as Senator and later Emperor Palpatine, is the mastermind behind everything. He engineered the Clone Wars, executed Order 66, turned Anakin Skywalker to the dark side, and ruled the galaxy as Emperor for over two decades. Ian McDiarmid’s portrayal is iconic.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Darth Sidious, also known as Emperor Palpatine. Darth Vader was his apprentice, Darth Tyranus (Count Dooku) was a pawn, and Darth Plagueis was his former master. Sidious was the puppet master who destroyed the Republic from within.
03
Once the most promising Jedi Knight in the Order, this Chosen One was seduced to the dark side by Palpatine’s promise of saving his wife from death. After his devastating duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, he was rebuilt in a black life-support suit. Which Sith Lord is this?
✓ Correct! Darth Vader, born Anakin Skywalker, is the tragic heart of the Star Wars saga. His fall from heroic Jedi to Sith enforcer — and his ultimate redemption when he saves his son Luke by destroying the Emperor — is one of cinema’s greatest character arcs.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Darth Vader. Darth Maul was Sidious’s first apprentice, Darth Revan is from the Old Republic era, and Darth Bane created the Rule of Two. Only Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader after his fall on Mustafar.
04
This fearsome, red-and-black-tattooed Zabrak wielded a double-bladed lightsaber and killed Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace. Though cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi, he survived through sheer hatred and returned with mechanical legs. Who is this relentless Sith assassin?
✓ Correct! Darth Maul was Palpatine’s first known apprentice, a weapon of pure rage trained from childhood. His survival after being bisected — fueled entirely by hatred for Obi-Wan — led to his expanded story in The Clone Wars and Rebels, where he became one of Star Wars’ most compelling villains.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Darth Maul. Savage Opress was Maul’s brother, Asajj Ventress was Dooku’s dark side assassin, and the Grand Inquisitor served the Empire. Only Maul wielded the iconic double-bladed saber and killed Qui-Gon Jinn in that legendary duel.
05
This elegant former Jedi Master left the Order and became Sidious’s second apprentice, taking the Sith name Darth Tyranus. A master of Form II lightsaber combat with a curved-hilt saber, he led the Separatist movement. Played by Christopher Lee, who is this aristocratic Sith Lord?
✓ Correct! Count Dooku, Darth Tyranus, was the political face of the Separatist movement and a pawn in Sidious’s grand plan. A former student of Yoda himself, Dooku’s elegant fencing style and aristocratic demeanor made him unique among the Sith. Palpatine ordered Anakin to execute him in Revenge of the Sith.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Count Dooku, also known as Darth Tyranus. Mace Windu was a Jedi Master, Qui-Gon was Obi-Wan’s master killed by Maul, and General Grievous was a cyborg commander but not Force-sensitive. Dooku was the fallen Jedi who became Sidious’s Sith apprentice.
06
Approximately a thousand years before the events of the saga, one ancient Sith Lord recognized that the Sith kept destroying themselves through infighting. He wiped out the existing Sith Order and established the Rule of Two, ensuring the dark side would be passed from master to apprentice in secret. Who created this doctrine?
✓ Correct! Darth Bane, who appeared as a Force ghost in The Clone Wars, was the visionary who realized the Sith’s numbers were their weakness. By limiting them to two, he ensured each generation would be stronger than the last — a chain that ultimately led to Palpatine’s galaxy-conquering scheme a millennium later.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Darth Bane. Darth Revan was a legendary Sith from the Old Republic, Darth Nihilus consumed entire planets through the Force, and Darth Malgus led the Sith Empire. But it was Bane who created the Rule of Two that shaped all Sith to follow.
07
In the sequel trilogy, the grandson of Darth Vader was seduced to the dark side by Supreme Leader Snoke. He wielded an unstable, crossguard lightsaber with a cracked kyber crystal and killed his own father, Han Solo, in The Force Awakens. Who is this conflicted dark side warrior?
✓ Correct! Kylo Ren, born Ben Solo to Han Solo and Leia Organa, was torn between the light and dark throughout the sequel trilogy. His worship of his grandfather Vader’s legacy and his crackling crossguard saber made him visually iconic. Like Vader before him, he ultimately found redemption, sacrificing himself to save Rey.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Kylo Ren, born Ben Solo. Snoke was his dark side mentor (later revealed as a Palpatine puppet), General Hux was a First Order officer, and Darth Revan existed thousands of years earlier. Kylo Ren carried the Skywalker bloodline’s burden into the sequel era.
08
In one of the saga’s most chilling scenes, Palpatine tells Anakin the “Tragedy” of a Sith Lord so powerful he could use the Force to influence midi-chlorians to create life and prevent death. His apprentice killed him in his sleep. Who is this legendary Sith whose tale tempted Anakin to the dark side?
✓ Correct! “Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?” is one of the most meme-worthy and narratively crucial lines in Star Wars. Plagueis was Palpatine’s own master, and the irony is thick — Palpatine tells Anakin the story as bait, having murdered Plagueis himself. It’s not a story the Jedi would tell you.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Darth Plagueis the Wise. Darth Bane created the Rule of Two centuries earlier, Darth Vitiate ruled the Old Republic Sith Empire, and Darth Sion was sustained by pain. Plagueis could cheat death itself — ironic, since he couldn’t save himself from his own apprentice, Palpatine.
Trial Complete Your Dark Side Record
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Are you a Sith Lord — or just another youngling?
“Feed You To My Nexu Horde”
The Pykes’ leader Marg Krim threatens to feed Vario to his horde of nexu. Nexu are vicious cat-like and multi-eyed creatures native to the planet Cholganna, first debuting in Attack of the Clones when Padmé Amidala was forced to fight one in the Geonosian arena.
“After The Tragic Events on Mandalore”
Captain Rex speaks to Ahsoka in the live-action Siege of Mandalore in Ahsoka
Maul refers to The Clone Wars’ Siege of Mandalore, where his plans were foiled by Ahsoka Tano and the 332nd Company just before and during the events of Revenge of the Sith.
Additionally, Maul reveals he went to the Pykes after escaping Republic custody during the chaos of Order 66, only for his former allies to try and kill him. Now, Maul has received his revenge and is in control of the Pykes once more in the wake of Krim’s death.
Clouded Judgment
Reuniting with Master Daki, Devon is determined to bring Maul to justice. However, her master is more hesitant, warning Devon “to not let her judgment be clouded by her desire for vengeance.” The danger of emotions and darker impulses clouding one’s judgment is a common warning we’ve heard many times in the Star Wars timeline given by masters to their apprentices.
Maul vs A Master & Apprentice
Maul – Shadow Lord episode 4 sees Maul once again facing a Jedi master and apprentice simultaneously. As such, the parallel to the past with The Phantom Menace’s Duel of the Fates is not hard to identify.
