The original post-Empire galaxy was full of criminal syndicates vying for power, and a power vacuum exploited by a familiar villain.
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Before Disney acquired Lucasfilm and launched their own vision for the Star Wars sequel trilogy, George Lucas had his own intricate plans for the saga’s continuation. These ideas, while a fascinating glimpse into what might have been, significantly differed from the familiar heroes and villains that ultimately made the final sequel cut. Instead of a resurrected Emperor Palpatine or a new Sith Lord in the mold of Darth Vader, Lucas envisioned a galaxy in chaos, with two unexpected figures rising to prominence: Darth Maul and a new apprentice, Darth Talon, set to fill Vader’s iconic boots. This surprising insight comes from Lucas’s own statements, documented in Paul Duncan’s book, The Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005.
The book details Lucas’s original plans for a post-Empire galaxy rife with criminal syndicates vying for power, and a power vacuum exploited by a familiar villain. His vision painted a dangerous underworld, far removed from the Galactic Civil War that defined the original trilogy.
The Architect of Galactic Crime Would Be Darth Maul
In Lucas’s original sequel concepts, the galaxy descends into a state of lawlessness after the fall of the Empire, with various gangsters seizing opportunities in the middle of the ensuing chaos. The main figure in this new, fragmented political landscape was to be none other than Darth Maul. Resurrected and reimagined, not as the stoic, menacing assassin from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, but as a cunning crime lord.
Lucas stated, “The key person [in the sequels] is Darth Maul, who had been resurrected in the Clone Wars cartoons – he brings all the gangs together.” Lucas’s plans for Maul weren’t merely a fleeting cameo. Instead, Maul was destined for a much larger, more influential role.
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Lucas’s description of Maul’s evolution in the unproduced sequels is particularly fascinating. He imagined the Sith, already having survived Obi-Wan’s lightsaber slice in The Phantom Menace, gaining cybernetic legs like a spider (a nod to his appearance in Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series). Later, he would have evolved even more, becoming “a bit bigger, more of a superhero” with metallic legs, according to Lucas. This transformation would have solidified Maul’s role as a terrifying and shrewd leader in the criminal underworld. This path would lead to Maul becoming, in Lucas’s words, “the godfather of crime in the universe because, as the Empire falls, he takes over.”
This detailed outline paints a picture of a character arc that greatly differed from what eventually came to life in the current Star Wars canon, establishing him as the primary antagonist in the post-Imperial era instead of dying in his fateful final duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars Rebels.
A New Generation of Villainy Could Have Emerged
Beyond Maul’s ascension, Lucas’s plans introduced a new force of villainy: Darth Talon. A character previously seen in Star Wars comic books, Talon was slated to become Maul’s apprentice, and more significantly, “the new Darth Vader.” Lucas intended for her to be the main threat and the primary antagonist instead of Maul, stating, “most of the action was with [Talon].” This pairing of Maul, the strategic criminal mastermind, with Darth Talon, the physical enforcer, formed the core antagonistic duo of Lucas’s envisioned sequel trilogy. The dynamic would have echoed the Palpatine-Vader relationship, yet with a distinct underworld flavor, promising a different kind of conflict for a new generation of heroes. This shift would have presented a universe where the lines between political power and criminal enterprise blurred, offering a fresh direction.
The upcoming animated series, Maul: Shadow Lord, slated for a 2026 premiere on Disney+, offers a tantalizing possibility of adapting some portions of these original ideas. Set after the events of The Clone Wars, the series will delve into Maul’s efforts to rebuild his criminal syndicate during the reign of the Galactic Empire. Sam Witwer, the acclaimed voice of Maul, is set to return, further cementing the character’s continuity, evolution, and popularity in the fandom. Crucially, the series is confirmed to feature Maul training a new apprentice, strongly hinted to be Darth Talon herself, finally bringing Lucas’s vision of this menacing duo into the canon
While the extent of Maul: Shadow Lord’s adherence to Lucas’s original sequel trilogy outline remains to be seen, the series could provide a fascinating exploration of the intended “godfather of crime,” offering fans a glimpse into the chaotic, syndicate-dominated galaxy Lucas once envisioned. It’s a chance for a new generation of villainy to emerge, echoing the surprising plans that once lay at the heart of the Star Wars saga’s continuation.
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