Spoilersahead for the latest episode ofStar Wars: The Clone Warson Disney+.
Dave Filonimay be the one person on the planet who truly understands all the intricate connections threaded throughout theStar Warsuniverse, perhaps even better thanGeorge Lucashimself. The success ofThe Mandalorianlet Filoni play in the franchise’s live-action space, but it’sStar Wars: The Clone Warswhere his encyclopedic knowledge of the galaxy far, far away truly shines. There’s no better example of this understanding than the latest episode, “The Phantom Apprentice.”
That title alone should conjure up a bunch of things: It’s an obvious nod toStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, which also means the one-and-only Darth Maul (played on-screen byRay Parkand voiced bySam Witwerin the character’s animated form, both exceptionally well). Maul’s appearance brings with it a spiderweb of connections that tie together a ton ofStar Warslore, like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Siddious, Count Dooku, the Crimson Dawn syndicate, and so much more. But it falls to this episode ofThe Clone Warsto tie Maul’s story to that of Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) and Anakin Skywalker. Beyond just connectingClone WarstoStar Wars' wider universe, however, the animated series enriches it, making characters and their relationships more meaningful and relatable. Oh, and this episode also delivered the best lightsaber duel in years. More on that in a minute.
But first, a recap of the plot: This one’s pretty basic since it continues the movie-like “Siege of Mandalore” arc. Theprevious episodesaw Ahsoka “advising” her own branded clone troopers under Commander Rex as they accompanied Bo-Katan and her Mandalorian soldiers in a fight to oust Prime Minister Almec from his position and uproot the puppetmaster Darth Maul from his hiding place. Those skirmishes continue in the current episode, but the major emphasis is on the curious relationship between Maul and Tano, who meet for the first time. Maul’s plans are revealed–as are his prognostications and his questionable mental stability–and Tano is tested, all leading to an epic duel between the two in a clash of the Force’s light and dark sides.
That battle–Maul’s double-bladed lightsaber staff vs Ahsoka’s dual-wielded lightsabers recently re-gifted to her by Anakin–is one of the best inStar Warshistory. Say what you will about the prequel trilogy, but it delivered some of the best frights in the franchise and some incredible moments we’ll be talking about for decades to come. And say what you will (again) about the most recent film trilogy, but those moments are decidedly lacking. Animation may allow for a little more creative freedom in these battles, but it’s still thanks toLauren Mary Kimperforming as Ahsoka with Park returning to give life to Maul’s movements that the fight has weight, impact, and some serious style. It’s well worth watching a few times to really appreciate it.
But “The Phantom Apprentice” also ties into the rest of theStar Warssaga supremely well. Kenobi clues Tano into the events transpiring elsewhere via socially distant hologram meeting. It’s here that we learn of Anakin’s rather brutal killing of Count Dooku, a download on all things Darth Siddious, and a succinct setup for the events that are to transpire. Dooku’s death arrives early inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, followed by Kenobi’s dispatch to Utapau, where he’s destined to kill General Grievous. The exposition dump is intended to not only connect to the wider universe and events taking place elsewhere in canon, but to bring a tinge of dark foreboding and foreshadowing as to Anakin’s impending turn to the dark side. It’s a turn that Maul, in his apparent madness, predicts, and one that Ahsoka refuses to believe. Ultimately, it’s Maul’s conviction that Anakin will turn that forces Ahsoka to duel him rather than join him; perhaps her thoughts remain clouded, even if her sense of justice bends towards the moral. (Though everything now has a sense of unease to it, evenAhsoka’s concern for ARC trooper Jesse.)
These events also predate the plot ofSolo: A Star Wars Storyby about 9 years. Why do I bring that up? Because the standalone story’s major antagonist Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany) makes a brief, wordless hologram appearance in this episode. He’s one of the higher-ups of the Crimson Dawn syndicate whom Maul advises to go into hiding, along with the leader of the Pyke syndicate, all part of the Shadow Collective. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, but a nice tie-in toSolononetheless. (Too bad Vos couldn’t hide from Qi’ra and Han Solo in the end, though how Maul managed to make his way to Dathomir to meet with the new leader of Crimson Dawn remains to be seen.)
This episode was as much about Maul as it was about Ahsoka’s part to play on the periphery of Anakin’s descent. Maul, a former cog in the machine of Darth Siddious who feels abandoned and forgotten (rightfully so), now has plans and ambitions of his own. And he’s proving to be a real thorn in the side of the Republic and the Jedi. And yet his thoughtless betrayal of Saxon, Rook, and his band of Mandalorian fighters–the same fighters who had liberated him from imprisonment not all that long ago–belies his hypocrisy and madness. He will use anyone and everyone to meet his own ends, just as he accuses the more powerful of doing. But there’s no reasoning with the increasingly insane Maul, who is just as increasingly hard to kill.
We’re still in the middle of the “Siege of Mandalore”, so despite knowing that Maul has much more story to play in the future (Star Wars Rebelsfans know what I’m talking about), it’ll be interesting to see how the rest of this arc plays out and what surprises Ahsoka has in store for us. Stay tuned!
