There has been some excited, low-level chatter among Star Wars fans ever since the latest anthology film, Solo, premiered a few weeks ago. Naturally, in-universe references and larger franchise connections abound in the film——but there was one moment that, at least at the Hollywood premiere, drew the biggest gasps from the crowd. A key cameo that has since been heavily hinted at in reviews and other coverage took most early moviegoers by surprise. We’ll get into the specifics of that cameo below, as well as the hidden implications it has for the future of the Star Wars franchise. But if you’ve not seen the movie yet and want to go in entirely fresh, now is the time to leave.
So, let’s just get the super obvious out of the way. Yes, that was the character formerly known as Darth Maul you saw in hologram form at the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story. The villainous character was first introduced in 1999’s The Phantom Menace. Yes, he’s apparently running a crime syndicate at this stage in the Star Wars timeline, and, yes, it would appear he will be working more closely with Emilia Clarke’s Qi’ra in future Solo films. (If, indeed, there are any future Solo films.) Here’s a reminder of what he looks like in non-hologram form.
I say “the artist formerly known as Darth Maul” because the character is simply listed in the credits as “Maul.” (We’ll go into why in a second.) But he is still played by actor/stunt performer Ray Park, who originated the role in The Phantom Menace. He has a different voice, though. Original Maul voice Peter Serafinowicz is out, and frequent Star Wars animated series voice actor Samuel Witwer is in.
Watch Now:
Emilia Clarke Re-Creates Stock Photos
A lot of people who have seen Solo are confused by this appearance. It seems to muddy up the Star Wars timeline: did Qi’ra’s conference call take place before Maul popped up in The Phantom Menace to bedevil Ewan McGregor’s young Obi-Wan Kenobi, and kill Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn? If so, that would make both Qi’ra and Han somehow older than Anakin Skywalker.
Timelines can get baffling but, no, Solo: A Star Wars Story does, in fact, take place roughly two decades after The Phantom Meenace, and around 11-14 years before A New Hope.
O.K. But how can that be? The last time we saw Darth Maul in a Star Wars movie, Obi-Wan Kenobi was…
