Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord episodes 3-4
Anakin Skywalker’s corruption to the dark side in Revenge of the Sith was the culmination of years of Star Wars storytelling, a tragic fall resulting in his dark rise as Darth Vader. While Anakin’s turn is still the gold standard when it comes to the temptations of the dark side, Maul – Shadow Lord is currently giving us a brand-new dark side corruption (with truly impressive beginnings).
Thanks to Darth Sidious aka Palpatine, Anakin Skywalker’s seduction to the dark side didn’t happen overnight. Sinister seeds were planted over the course of years, culminating in Revenge of the Sith with a final master stroke. Conversely, we’re now seeing Maul attempting to corrupt a new apprentice of his own, albeit in very different circumstances during the Age of the Empire.
While there’s still plenty more story to go, it can be argued that Maul – Shadow Lord has already surpassed one of Revenge of the Sith’s best moments when it comes to how Palpatine turned Anakin Skywalker to the dark side.
21 Years Ago, Revenge of the Sith Gave Us The Ultimate Dark Side Corruption With Anakin’s Fall
Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker sitting together, talking.
As previously mentioned, Palpatine spent years cultivating a bond with Anakin, positioning himself as a trusted mentor while quietly undermining the Jedi Order as a whole (and Anakin’s view of it). By the events of Revenge of the Sith, the groundwork had already been laid.
Following Anakin’s murder of Count Dooku, Palpatine begins his dark side corruption of Skywalker in earnest, largely abandoning all pretexts going forward as he starts directly offering Anakin the power of the dark side. This starts in the iconic Mon Calamari opera scene, where Palpatine shares the infamous Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, teasing Anakin with the power to prevent the ones he loves from dying. He frames the dark side as the singular path to saving Padmé, while simultaneously convincing him that the Jedi were holding him back.
Anakin’s seduction to the dark side only ramps up from that point on, culminating in his murder of Mace Windu before pledging himself fully to Palpatine as the newly christened Darth Vader.
Now, Shadow Lord Is Following Suit With Next-Level Manipulations From Maul
In Shadow Lord, we see Maul having to approach his own corruption of a young Jedi from a completely different angle (which is exactly what makes it so compelling). Unlike Palpatine, Maul didn’t have years to build trust with Devon Izara. He’s also working against the fact that Devon already knows his dark reputation and how dangerous he is.
Rather than trying to fully hide his true nature, Maul leans into a more nuanced approach, presenting himself as an ally in a galaxy where the Jedi Order no longer exists. After all, the Empire is hunting him just as much as Devon and her current Jedi master.
In the Age of the Empire, Maul is fully playing on Devon’s desperation and struggle to survive. As such, Maul begins by subverting Devon’s expectations with his cassius tea ceremony in Shadow Lord episode 3, showing care for her recent injuries in an effort to show that he’s not the villain she believes him to be. It’s incredibly disarming, though Maul quickly escalates with his offer to show Devon a new pathway via the dark side.
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?
Likewise, Maul even welcomes Devon’s attempts to defend herself, encouraging her to give into her rage and tap into the power she’s long denied by keeping to the Jedi Code. Eventually revealing he’s learned her name through the dark side, Maul lets Devon go, knowing full well that their paths will cross again, especially after Devon briefly gives in to her anger during their lightsaber duel, confirming that Maul’s words and promises of power have already begun to sink in.
Of course, it’s not yet a complete corruption by any means, though it is a truly impressive start. In just a single episode, Shadow Lord achieves what took Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith much longer to build. While it doesn’t diminish Anakin’s fall in the slightest, it does highlight how effective Maul is under these more drastic (and arguably more challenging) circumstances.
Sure enough, we’re already seeing Devon continuing to consider more of Maul’s words and influence, like in Shadow Lord episode 4 when she and her master dueled the former Sith Lord together. As such, it truly does feel like it’s only a matter of time before Maul’s manipulations pay off and Devon agrees to become his new apprentice.
New episodes of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord release Mondays on Disney+ from Lucasfilm Animation.
