Summary
Some of the standout episodes fromStar Wars' many TV shows contain one franchise villain, and it is not Darth Vader. WhileStar Warshas always dabbled in TV thanks to theEwokanimated series, the expandedtimeline ofStar Wars: The Clone Warswas the franchise’s first true step into serialized stories. After Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the output of TV shows only increased thanks to the various installments inStar Wars’New Republic era, fromThe MandalorianandThe Book of Boba FetttoAhsokaandSkeleton Crew.
The exploration of the New Republic in live-action is only expected to continue withupcomingStar WarsTV shows, while the animated side of the small screen remains as strong as ever.The Clone Warsseason 7,Star Wars Rebels, andStar Wars: The Bad Batchhave all been incredible animated success stories for Lucasfilm in recent years. Thanks to the many shows produced in a galaxy far, far away, a handful of individual episodes stand out asStar Wars' best. Interestingly,one villain has proven to be the key ingredient to making a fantastic episode ofStar WarsTV.
The 10 Best Star Wars TV Episodes Of All Time
Disney has helped Star Wars become more popular than ever on TV, leading to a handful of fantastic individual episodes that rank among the very best.
Darth Maul Is Part Of Star Wars' Best TV Episodes
The Iconic Phantom Menace Villain Elevates Star Wars TV
TheStar Warsvillain in question is none other than Darth Maul, the Sith apprentice introduced inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Maul was killed in his firstchronologicalStar Warsmovie, meaning many who are not familiar with the franchise’s TV efforts will think he remained dead. As confirmed inStar Wars: The Clone Wars, this was not the case. Since then, Maul has appeared inThe Clone WarsandRebels, marking a very compelling through line that saw the character appear in many episodes that are ranked among the best inStar WarsTV.
The four-part Siege of Mandalore arc fromThe Clone Warsseason 7 all rank as the best episodes of the show, thanks largely in part to Maul’s role in each one.
Out of the 10 highest-rated episodes ofStar Wars: The Clone WarsonIMDb, Maul appears in six of them. The four-part Siege of Mandalore arc fromThe Clone Warsseason 7 all rank as the best episodes of the show, thanks largely in part to Maul’s role in each one. The two otherClone Warsepisodes are from season 5, in which Maul conspired to conquer Mandalore for the first time. “The Lawless” and “Shades of Reason” are fantastic episodes, both featuring standout appearances from the Sith-turned-crime-lord.
ConcerningStar Wars Rebels, Maul appeared in the highest-rated episodes of this show too. The sixbestStar Wars Rebelsepisodes(again viaIMDb) contain three that include Maul as a main character. These include both parts of theRebelsseason 2 finale “Twilight of the Apprentice,” and “Twin Suns.” The latter is an episode fromStar Wars Rebelsseason 3 in which Maul and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s decades-long feud comes to a head. All of these episodes are considered among the elite ofStar WarsTV, proving Maul to be a key ingredient in this.
Lucas Resurrecting Maul Was The Best Thing To Happen For Star Wars TV
Maul’s Surprise Return In The Clone Wars Positively Impacted Star Wars TV
The fact that Maul plays such an integral part in the bestStar WarsTV episodes is made even better by the fact he originally would not have been. AfterThe Phantom Menace,Lucas had no intention to bring Darth Maul back from the dead. That was untilStar Wars: The Clone Warsseason 3, which teased Maul’s return due to his hatred and a healthy dose of Nightsister magick. This saw Maul become a central figure ofStar WarsTV from this point on, something that drastically increased each show’s quality.
In another life, Maul would have played a bigger role in Star Wars movies, too, as he was teased to be included in the now-unlikelysequel to Solo: A Star Wars Story.
For one, Maul’s appearance inThe Clone Warswas a major part of the latter four seasons. His rise back to prominence after his resurrection and subsequent attempts to rule Mandalore were integral toThe Clone Warsseasons 3 and 5. InThe Clone Warsseason 7, Maul’s rule of Mandalore played a part in the show’s finale while setting up his positive impact inStar Wars Rebels. Even live-action projects likeThe Mandalorianhave benefited thanks to Maul’s revival due to the inclusion of the Darksaber, only supporting how good a decision it was by Lucas to resurrect the character.
Every Star Wars Character That Has Wielded The Darksaber
The Darksaber is a fabled Mandalorian weapon in Star Wars mythology, but the blade has been wielded by a wide variety of different characters.
What Makes Darth Maul Such A Compelling Character?
Maul’s Character Arc Is One Of The Best In Star Wars
The fact that Maul has this unlikelyStar WarsTV record begs the question of what makes him compelling. As evident by his many appearances in the franchise, Maul has the perfect blend of a great character arc and simply looks fantastic. Despite his role inThe Phantom Menacebeing incredibly short and arguably wasted, many held a soft spot for Maul primarily due to how badass he looked. His brilliant design saw him ranked amongStar Wars’best villains despite having an underbaked story, bolstered by Ray Park’s epic lightsaber choreography for the character.
Maul was the one in the middle, cast out by the Sith and hated by the Jedi…
When Maul resurfaced on TV, though,his character went from being cool albeit underwritten, to receiving a brilliant character arc. His rage, anger, and fury against Obi-Wan keeping him alive was a compelling arc throughout much ofThe Clone Wars, with their feud coming to a head in the aforementioned “The Lawless” in tragic ways. His crime lord ambitions were also interesting, but perhaps Maul’s best show of character came inThe Clone Warsseason 7’s Siege of Mandalore arc.
Maul was depicted as somewhat fractured in this arc, knowing what Sidious has planned for the future. This created a fantastic sense of foreboding and allowed Maul to be an antihero of sorts. Maul was the one in the middle, cast out by the Sith and hated by the Jedi, yet tried to pull Ahsoka Tano to his side to stop Sidious' plans out of pure revenge. This, and his continued hatred of Kenobi throughoutRebels, allowed Maul to be one ofStar Wars' most compelling characters long after his debut.
Darth Maul
Palpatine’s apprentice, Darth Maul was nothing more than a tool to winnow down the ranks of the Jedi ahead of Darth Sidious' true plans. Discarded after he was defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi on Naboo, Darth Maul swore revenge against all those he blamed for his past struggles - Jedi and Sith alike. Maul tended to operate within the shadows, running various syndicates, and even established himself as a true rival for Palpatine on at least one occasion. He was eventually killed by Obi-Wan in a duel on Tatooine.
