By George & Josh Bate
The Empire finally arrives in Maul – Shadow Lord, and brings along with them a ton of hidden details and Easter eggs.
Here’s all the parallels, hidden details, references, and Easter Eggs we noticed in Chapters 5-6 of Maul – Shadow Lord…..
Chapter 5: Inquisition
The episode is written by Jennifer Corbett, who was one of the head writers and an executive producer of The Bad Batch.
Daki’s philosophy of where the Jedi should stand in the Imperial era feels more akin to Yoda than Kanan Jarrus. That is, Daki’s priority is to survive and play a more passive role, unlike other surviving Jedi who take it upon themselves to actively rebel against Imperial rule.
Lieutenant Blake is voiced by Alaistair Murden, a prolific voice actor with roles in Starfield, Ms. Marvel, and Dune: Awakening.
Spybot refers to Storm Troopers as “Impy Shinys.” “Shiny” was a derogatory term that more seasoned clone troopers used to refer to rookie clones during the Clone Wars.
Maul offering Vario the chance to live feels like another shift in the former Sith lord’s personality and character. The old Maul would have likely slaughtered Vario after he was done with the crime lord, but this new, more calculated Maul approaches things in a more calm manner.
The Stormtrooper tells Lawsen to, “Move along.” This is what Stormtroopers say to Luke and Obi-Wan on Tatooine in A New Hope.
Among the Imperial forces arriving on Janix is Marrok, an Inquisitor who first appeared in Ahsoka before making a brief cameo in Tales of the Empire.
Marrok is also known as the First Brother.
Marrok appearing behind Lawsen from the darkness sees Maul – Shadow Lord once again lean into horror imagery. This is something we spoke with the creative team about in our exclusive interview.
Marrok is voiced by AJ LoCascio, who previously voiced Han Solo in Forces of Destiny, LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, and LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales. He also voiced Colby in last year’s Tales of the Underworld.
Daki uses a Jedi mind trick on a Stormtrooper just like how Ben Kenobi does on Mos Eisley in A New Hope.
The Stormtroopers and Marrok use Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry (LAAT/i) to get around Janix. This vehicle first appeared in Attack of the Clones and was used as a transport for clone troopers.
Lawsen’s ex-wife and Rylee’s mom is voiced by Tamlyn Tomita, who made her screen debut as Kumiko in The Karate Kid Part II before reprising her role as the character in the series Cobra Kai.
Marrok uses Force abilities to investigate last episode’s crime scene in a manner similar to how Cal Kestis investigates the history of particular areas in Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor.
The holoimage of Lawsen’s family on the captain’s desk resembles other holoimages seen in Rebels, such as one with Ezra’s biological family and one with Ezra’s new found family.
When Lawsen sees Daki and Devon in his apartment, he says, “You’ve gotta be kidding me.” This is what Finn says in The Force Awakens when learning that Poe Dameron is after a map to Luke Skywalker.
Chapter 6: Night of the Hunted
The episode is written by Christopher Yost, who previously wrote four episodes of Star Wars Rebels (“Imperial Supercommandos,” “Legacy of Mandalore,” “The Occupation”, and “Dume), the TV movie Star Wars Rebels: Heroes of Mandalore, Chapter 6: The Prisoner of The Mandalorian (alongside Rick Famuyiwa), and The Bad Batch episode “Entombed.”
The title of the episode is one letter away from mirroring the title of the iconic 1955 Gothic horror-thriller film Night of the Hunter from director Charles Laughton and starring Robert Mitchum.
Daki mentions he and Devon were only passing through Janix. The Force works in mysterious ways, as it has done since the original Star Wars when C-3PO and R2-D2 somehow landed on the planet of Anakin Skywalker’s son.
Rylee says his mom got a job working for the Empire on Coruscant. Coruscant is the capital of the Galactic Empire that first appeared in canon in the prequel trilogy.
Rylee asks his dad, “Are they Jedi?” This question suggests that Rylee, unlike many in the galaxy, is aware of the Jedi. Perhaps his father taught him of the old protectors of the galaxy given that the lawman has some unknown experience with them.
Some of the musical cues as Devon and the others escape from Marrok are borrowed from John Williams’ score from the beginning chase sequence in Attack of the Clones.
It appears that Two-Boots is undergoing an arc similar to that of Kino Loy in Andor. The droid voiced by Richard Ayoade is recognizing that his conception of a fair and just Empire may be flawed as he witnesses Lieutenant Blake cut corners, break rules, and even kill his former boss.
The interior of Rheena’s casino looks like a casino in Las Vegas crossed with the gambling scene of Canto Bight.
Rheena refers to the chaos on Janix as a “kouhun’s nest.” Kouhuns, also known as Indoumodo kouhuns, are small, multi-legged arthropods that kill their victims using deadly venom. Kouhuns were the little slugs that Zam Wesell dispatched to kill Padme in Attack of the Clones.
Marrok duels Devon and Maul on a train. Is this the first time a lightsaber duel has taken place on a train?
Marrok consults with a mysterious hologram at the end of the episode, informing them that he has come in contact with Maul and that the former Sith lord is “more dangerous than we suspected.” Who could Marrok be talking to here? Vader? Palpatine? The Grand Inquisitor? Our money’s on Vader, especially as he is the head of the Inquisitors.