“Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny,” Master Yoda warned Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back. “Consume you, it will.” He was speaking from experience, having witnessed Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the dark side in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. And yet, for all that’s the case, he was eventually proved to be wrong. Anakin Skywalker was redeemed in the end, even turning into a Force Ghost – the ultimate proof that he chose light in the end.
The battle between light and dark has always been at the heart of Star Wars. Sometimes it’s fought externally, as Jedi and Sith wage war against one another with lightsabers flashing. More often, though, the fight is an internal one; a Jedi tempted towards the dark side, choosing whether to embrace it or reject it. In both canon and Legends, we’ve seen countless Jedi fall and sometimes be redeemed; from Kylo Ren to Jacen Solo, even Luke Skywalker himself in Dark Empire. For all that’s the case, though, I’ve never wanted a Jedi to fall more than in Maul – Shadow Lord.
Devon Izara’s Star Wars Destiny Seems Certain
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Maul – Shadow Lord is set during the Dark Times of the Empire’s reign, with Darth Maul seeking to train a new apprentice who will help him take on Palpatine and Vader. He’s set his eyes on a Twi’lek Jedi Padawan named Devon Izara, an Order 66 survivor who’s struggling to figure out what it means to be a Jedi in this changed galaxy. The story seems to draw on George Lucas’ sequel trilogy plans, which would have portrayed Maul as a crime boss with a Twi’lek Apprentice named Darth Talon lifted from Legends.
Devon feels vaguely reminiscent of another Star Wars Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, with the same easy confidence in her own abilities. Ahsoka, of course, left the Jedi but continued to live according to their teachings; Devon, in contrast, seems ready and willing to adapt. She’s introduced rebelling against both Master Eeko-Dio Daki and the Jedi Code, stealing rather than starving, and she’s already using the Force in a rather aggressive manner. Devon is resisting Maul’s call to the dark side, but she’s already tantalizingly close.
Most concerning of all, Devon made the mistake of using Darth Maul’s lightsaber. The traditional weapons of Jedi and Sith may look like blades, but they’re really currents of power that a Force-user bonds with. Devon connected to the lightsaber of Darth Maul, and he clearly got a read on her through his own bond with it; he gained insight into her own mind, even learning her name. Palpatine’s former Sith Apprentice has a channel straight into Devon’s mind, giving him insight into how to manipulate her.
Devon’s Story is Too Good For Just One Season
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The dynamic between Maul and Devon lies at the heart of Shadow Lord, and this ongoing narrative is incredibly compelling. Maul – Shadow Lord has already been confirmed for Season 2, and this relationship simply has to continue. The problem, though, is that there’s no way for Star Wars to pull that off without having her side with Maul in the end. Jedi and Sith may well have to work together against Darth Vader’s Inquisitors for a time, but any alliance is destined to fail, meaning it wouldn’t be enough to sustain the story into a second season. Only a full-scale fall to the dark side can do that.
We don’t know whether Devon will become Star Wars canon’s Darth Talon or not (although Shadow Lord‘s creative team have admitted to knowing the theory). If she does go with Maul, though, then there’s a thrilling question mark hanging over her fate. We know Maul will become leader of Crimson Dawn (as seen in Solo: A Star Wars Story), and Star Wars Rebels has already revealed he’ll fall from power. By the time of Rebels, Maul is alone and abandoned, even trying to woo Ezra Bridger as an apprentice. He’s lost everything – which raises a lot of exciting questions about Devon’s future should she join him.
There’s typically a sense of inevitability when a Jedi faces the dark side. Some Jedi are portrayed as the ultimate heroes, meaning the idea of them staying as Sith Lords is laughable; even if they dabble, they’ll ultimately prove Yoda wrong. Devon’s story, however, is wide open. Absolutely anything can to her, simply because she has no other footprint in canon right now. That makes this the most exciting fall we’ve seen in a long time.
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