Maul: Shadow Lord Timeline Explained – Essential Viewing Before the New Star Wars Show

A new “Star Wars” series is headed for Disney+, and it’s shaking things up a bit compared to previous offerings. The latest show from Lucasfilm Animation, “Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord,” kicks off with a two-episode premiere on April 6th, followed by two more episodes dropping each week until May the 4th, which is Star Wars Day.

This 10-episode season is shorter than some past animated series but longer than the anthologized “Tales” miniseries. Fans can expect a slightly more mature tone in “Shadow Lord,” with a focus on Maul and the galactic underworld. According to executive producer Athena Portillo, the animation style in this series has been described as “going back to the practical ways of capturing brush strokes,” making it visually appealing.

For those who follow the “Star Wars” timeline closely, the new show takes place a few years after Order 66. This timeframe positions it after “The Bad Batch,” which starts right as Order 66 is executed and only lasts a couple of years. The narrative of “Shadow Lord” shifts the focus to different corners of the “Star Wars” universe, with similarities to “The Bad Batch” in terms of the galactic underworld setting and characters trying to navigate Imperial rule.

Fans of the show can expect to see familiar faces in “Maul – Shadow Lord,” including Maul himself and members of the Inquisitorius, the group of Force-sensitive hunters trained by Darth Vader. The new series moves the action to the urban planet of Janix, offering a fresh perspective within the universe.

To prepare for the premiere of “Maul – Shadow Lord,” viewers may want to revisit Maul’s arc in “The Clone Wars” and his appearance in “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” where he leads the Crimson Dawn syndicate. Watching “The Bad Batch” could also provide helpful context for the Imperial era worldbuilding. For a deeper dive, consider watching “Tales of the Jedi,” “Tales of the Empire,” and the “Siege of Mandalore” arc from “The Clone Wars” to get a full grasp of the backstory before diving into “Shadow Lord.”