The Unforgettable Marvel of Darth Maul's Epic Arc That Disney Nearly Denied

The cancelation of Star Wars: The Clone Wars by Disney led to the unfortunate absence of Darth Maul's most compelling storyline, which has yet to be explored in TV or film. The animated TV series was created by Lucasfilm for Cartoon Network and ran from 2008 to 2013. Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, the show was abruptly ended, with only a shortened sixth season released on Netflix as the unofficial conclusion titled "The Lost Missions".

However, Disney later revived Star Wars: The Clone Wars for their streaming platform, Disney+, with creator Dave Filoni and his team returning to produce a final season consisting of 12 episodes in 2020. Despite this official continuation, Disney's initial cancelation resulted in the unfortunate omission of an intriguing storyline centered around Darth Maul, which was absent from both "The Lost Missions" and The Clone Wars season 7. While this story has been told in another medium, it is regrettable that the exceptional animation and storytelling of Star Wars: The Clone Wars' final season were not utilized to portray Darth Maul's most captivating saga within the Star Wars universe.

Clone Wars Was Canceled Before Darth Maul's Son Of Dathomir Arc

The arc in question, titled "Son of Dathomir," continued Darth Maul's storyline from Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 5. Initially, Dave Filoni wrote scripts for this story during The Clone Wars season 6, but it was never produced due to Disney canceling the show. In The Clone Wars season 7, Maul is seen leading Mandalore once again, prompting Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze to lay siege to the planet's capital city. However, Maul's last appearance on the show was in season 5 when he was captured by Lord Sidious.

The "Son of Dathomir" arc was meant to bridge the gap between these two plot points before The Clone Wars was canceled. However, it was eventually released as a comic book series called Star Wars: Darth Maul—Son of Dathomir, written by Jeremy Barlow and published by Dark Horse Comics from May to August 2014. While Maul's story between seasons 5 and 7 has been told through the comic, some may argue that it should have been told in its original intended format.

Maul's Missing Arc Is Crucial For The Clone Wars

The main reason for the importance of including Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir in Star Wars: The Clone Wars is its significant role in the overall story of the show. It is crucial to understand what happened to Maul after being captured by Sidious and before the Siege of Mandalore. Dave Filoni initially considered animating and including this storyline in the seventh season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. However, since the arc had already been adapted into a Dark Horse Comics series, Filoni decided against it.

It is worth mentioning that Filoni has previously adapted comics and novels into his work, such as Ahsoka's journey in Tales of the Jedi, which was based on the Ahsoka novel. Additionally, the Son of Dathomir storyline contains several important plot points, including Maul's escape from Sidious and a battle involving Sidious, Grievous, Dooku, Maul, and Mother Talzin, resulting in Mother Talzin's death at the hands of Count Dooku. Not only does this storyline lay the groundwork for Maul's journey to the Siege of Mandalore, but it also explains Maul's unwavering determination to overthrow Sidious in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7.