New ‘Star Wars’ series makes Darth Maul’s story accessible for longtime fans and newcomers

LOS ANGELES — For “Star Wars” fans, Darth Maul has long been an iconic Sith with a story worth exploring.

An upcoming series, however, is designed so anyone can jump in—even if you don’t know anything about the character.

“Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord” is a new 10-episode animated series centered on exploring new layers of the character.

Sam Witwer brings the character to life and explains where we meet him at this point in his journey.

“This character is going through a time of reassessment and self-discovery and kind of, for the first time, reaching out to other people, trying to have relationships,” he said.

“But how do you do that when the person that taught you everything you know is the Emperor, who is the most evil character in all of ‘Star Wars’ history.”

Set during the Imperial Era, a few short years after Order 66, Maul tries to rebuild his criminal empire.

The show’s producer, Athena Yvette Portillo, offered a comparison to help describe the tone.

In an interview with On The Red Carpet’s George Pennacchio, she asked, “Have you seen ‘The Godfather?’ It’s kind of the same thing where it’s, like, it’s a crime family but you’re kind of, like, understanding a little bit about what the Corleones, like, Michael Corleone’s doing and find a little bit of empathy.”

“This is one of the best shows I’ve ever worked on, said director Brad Rau. “I think this is one of the best shows we’ve ever made, in part, no only the hard work we put into it, but because the narrative and the characters and the style and the chapter titles and the music, they all really go well together.

So, what if you’d like to go into the series blind?

Series writer Matt Michnovetz said they “wanted to create a roller coaster ride for new viewers who know nothing about ‘Star Wars’ and also veteran die-hard ‘Star Wars’ fans to be able to jump in and fall into this rabbit hole with all these twists and turns.”

Witwer added, “We do not require you to know who Darth Maul is to enjoy this show. You don’t even have to have seen any “Star Wars” movie to get what’s happening in our show. It’s very accessible.”

The first two episodes of “Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord” premiere April 6 on Disney+.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Disney+ and this ABC station.