Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord episodes 5-6
New episodes of Maul – Shadow Lord are now streaming on Disney+, with both episodes featuring an impressive collection of Easter eggs, Star Wars references, and cool connections.
In the new Maul – Shadow Lord episodes 5-6, the Galactic Empire has come to Janix thanks to Two-Boots’ ill-advised call for help. Likewise, an Imperial Inquisitor is leading the new Imperial presence, searching for Maul, while Imperial officers take over local law enforcement operations. While the stakes have very much been raised, the Empire’s presence does work to Maul’s advantage now that his common enemy with Devon Izara has arrived in full force, allowing him to present himself even further as an “ally” to the young Jedi survivor.
In both of these new episodes, there are some really cool ties and nods to enjoy. With that in mind, here are 15 of the biggest and best Easter eggs, Star Wars references, and major connections we found in Maul – Shadow Lord episodes 5-6.
“Inquisition”
Custom Image by Kevin Erdmann
The title for Maul – Shadow Lord episode 5 is incredibly fitting, seeing as how we now have an Imperial Inquisitor on Janix hunting both Maul and the Jedi in earnest.
The Empire Is Still Using Republic Gunships
As the Empire begins deploying its forces across the city, we see that the Imperial regime is still relying on military hardware from The Clone Wars, specifically Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry (LAAT/i) Gunships used by the Republic. After all, the Galactic Republic has only been the Galactic Empire for about a year at this point in the established Star Wars timeline.
Early TK Stormtrooper Armor
Additionally, Imperial stormtroopers are shown wearing earlier first-generation versions of the more classic TK stormtrooper armor seen in the original trilogy of Star Wars films. This proto-armor first appeared in The Bad Batch, which was similarlyset in the early days of the Empire.
“She’ll Make An Excellent Apprentice”
In Shadow Lord episode 5, Rook Kast can’t understand why Maul would still be interested in Devon after she tried to kill him. However, Maul was impressed by Devon’s efforts, commenting that her admirable attempt means she’ll make an excellent apprentice. This falls perfectly in line with the traditions of the Sith, as apprentices are expected to routinely try to kill and supplant their masters in the dark side of the Force.
Marrok Finally Speaks
While the First Brother aka Marrok first appeared in 2023’s Ahsoka during the New Republic Era, it was as a corpse reanimated by the magicks of Morgan Elsbeth. Likewise, he only ever said a single brief line in the live-action series to Shin Hati, responding to her orders with “as you wish.“
Now, Marrok has made his debut in Shadow Lord as a still-living Imperial Inquisitor, investigating Maul’s activities and dueling both the former Sith and the Jedi survivors. Additionally, we actually get to hear him speak more than one line in these new Star Wars episodes, presumably with more scenes to come in Shadow Lord’s remaining four episodes.
“You’ve Seen Our Identification”
Master Daki and Devon attempt to board a train using the same classic Jedi mind trick used by Obi-Wan in A New Hope. However, it seems the trick doesn’t work every time, as one of the patrolling stormtroopers catches on despite his fellow trooper being duped.
Maul Practicing His Lightsaber Forms (Juyo)
At the beginning of Shadow Lord episode 6, Maul is shown practicing various lightsaber stances and techniques with impressive fluidity. In the established canon, Maul’s primary lightsaber form is Juyo, also known as Form VII or the Ferocity Form, a style that would come to be restricted by the Jedi Order yet favored by many Sith due to its focus on harnessing one’s emotions to gain the upper hand in a duel.
In Legends, The Force Unleashed games’ Starkiller was also skilled in Form VII, the first Star Wars character voiced by Sam Witwer, who’s since become the voice of Maul.
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?
Botekin
Rylee Lawson confirms that the sport he plays is called “botekin”, finally giving us a name 27 years later to the game and stick first seen in The Phantom Menace in young Anakin Skywalker’s room when he was showing C-3PO to Padmé.
Early Generation AT-ST
Maul – Shadow Lord also gives us an exciting look at early models of the classic Imperial AT-ST. Naturally, the presence of these walkers serves as clear proof that the Empire is not messing around on Janix, having every intention of finding Maul.
Two-Boots’ Name Origin Revealed
Two-Boots is reprimanded by an Imperial officer for wearing non-regulation boots as a droid, confirming the reason for his nickname beyond his official designation: 2B0T.
