Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Reveals The Former Sith's Tragic Past

Contains spoilers for "Stars Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord" Season 1, Episode 8 — "The Creeping Fear"

The Empire means business, sending the hard-hitting and menacing Inquisitors after Maul (Sam Witwer). While the former Sith survives the encounter by the skin of his teeth in "Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord" Season 1, Episode 8 — "The Creeping Fear" — the event shakes him to his core, leading him to grapple with the demons of his past in the aftermath.

Through visions and flashbacks, this episode reveals Maul's complicated backstory. One of the first memories that the Zabrak from Dathomir experiences is that of his brother Savage Opress trying to stop Sheev Palpatine from taking Maul as a young boy. Right after this, Maul recalls his intensive training with Palpatine. Yet this isn't simply a case of them fencing with lightsabers, as Palpatine tortures Maul by zapping him with Force lightning.

Maul's stroll down nightmare lane sees him face the traumatic recollection of when Obi-Wan Kenobi splits him in half in "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace." It gets darker from there, as Maul remembers his brief team-up with Opress before Palpatine slaughters his brother. The culmination of all these flashbacks results in Maul breaking down about everything he's experienced; however, the hate begins flowing in him again, as he gets back up and swears revenge.

Make no mistake about it, Maul isn't exactly an innocent bystander who was caught up in the battle between Jedi and Sith in the "Star Wars" Universe. He's also committed his fair share of atrocities, and he continues to do so as he rebuilds his criminal empire in "Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord."

What the animated series does, however, is showcase how Palpatine corrupts Maul at a young age, effectively turning him into a child soldier. By isolating him from his family and teaching him the ways of the dark side, Palpatine poisons his mind and makes him more malleable to his suggestions. Yet when Maul falls in battle to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Palpatine discards his former apprentice. When Palpatine meets him again, it's to slay his brother, destroying any remaining connection that Maul may have to his family.

While all of these events have been covered in previous series, piecing it all together and showcasing Maul's reaction adds another dimension to his character. He experiences tragedy from an early age, making that all he knows his entire life. Knowing what we do about Maul's final fate makes this even more tragic, since he's never afforded a chance at a normal life. He's doomed from the start. With such depth to the storytelling like this, no wonder "Star Wars" fans are raving about "Maul."