I am finally getting around to catching up some things that I really should have been keeping up with all along. One of which is Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord on Disney+

Another animated Star Wars series created by Dave Filoni. 10 episodes that generally run in the 29 minute range. 

Mostly set on the Planet Janix, a mid Rim planet, set sometime after the events of the Clone Wars and before Rebels. I guess that would put it around the same times as The Bad Batch?

Maul, escapes all the events of the Clone Wars, Order 66 and everything with that, and is now strengthening up and rebuilding his empire, so to speak. Along the way he finds he is also in the market for an apprentice.

Let me say before I get started that I am only 6 episodes in, and will be writing this as I’m finishing the series so take that in if there is a major shift towards the end. 

This really is a quite complex story, or at least it felt that way to me. I had to on more than one occasion, go look up things just so things made some sense. Things feel very familiar most of the time, but how and where they connect gets strung out in a few places.

The pacing of the series does keep the shows pointing forward with foreshadow and action, but it still is mainly dialog driven drama. More along the lines of the best seasons of The Clone Wars. 

New characters and new darker locations really set the mood and tone. Right from the beginning things feel serious, and it rarely lets up 

As I said I am only 6 episodes in, but I have found that I have been missing these animated series more than the recent live actions. They seem to just present better stories in a more realistic manner without all the fluff.

I like the feel, the look, the background actions, the bigger picture, almost everything.. except for the actual Maul stuff. There. I said it. I just don’t like Maul. 

Well I did like Maul before, but it always feels like they are trying way too hard to force him back into the spotlight. They had their chance with him and missed it. Stop trying to make up for it

I’m all for these gap fillers, and generally do like Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord. Its one of those things where you are not sure if you are cheering for him or against him and that helps, I guess.