I’m not sure there’s been a Star Wars story to date that I’ve been anticipating as much (or for as long) as the Siege of Mandalore. I’ve certainly had my share of hype over the movies, and while “Twin Suns” has since been, well, “Twin Suns,” the anticipation leading up to that episode was miniscule compared to the aftermath. One major assumption I’ve carried over these years is that the story of the Siege would focus on Rex and Ahsoka. In contrast, Maul probably wouldn’t have much character development, being there to primarily be the threatening antagonist like he was in The Phantom Menace.
Even though Maul has since become my favorite character, I was okay with that. I already got my “Twin Suns,” and, after all, Maul lives in a cycle. Gaining power, losing power, and clawing his way back up the food chain. It’s a cycle that he’s still on in Rebels. It’s a cycle that he dies in. So I assumed that Mandalore would simply be another rotation, Maul spinning the wheels on his own character development.
Then Star Wars Celebration Chicago 2019 happened, and I was physically in the same room when this bombshell went off.
“Honestly, [The Siege of Mandalore is] my favorite stuff that we’ve ever done as the character… [Maul] hasn’t been able to think or see his way out of this horrible, evil cycle that he’s found himself in. And what I found most interesting about this arc, is for a second, he actually tries to think his way out of it. He actually tries something different that he’s never tried before or since. And we see how that goes.” – Sam Witwer
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