2026's Clone Wars sequel has been confirmed to be missing one of the best (and most vital) parts of the original show. Next year's Maul: Shadow Lord will see Lucasfilm dip its toes back into the world of the beloved Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, adding a Maul-themed epilogue to the fan-favorite Prequels story. However, it will not be a perfect facsimile of the show that came before it, with several key changes set to be in place.
Darth Maul voice actor Sam Witwer confirmed what many people assumed about his upcoming Clone Wars sequel: it will feature no Jedi! During an appearance at Rebel Scum Con in Dallas, Texas, Witwer provided some new details about Maul: Shadow Lord, including letting slip that Jedi Knight, one of the best parts of the original Clone Wars series, will not be present.
The series will, according to the Maul voice actor, be about his brooding big bad coming to post-Order 66 and wondering, "Is this what we had in mind?" and "What happened to the Jedi Knights:"
"But basically, this guy is looking around going, 'Is this what we had in mind? 'Cause I didn't think it was going to be this. I thought it was going to be something different.' 'Cause Maul comes from a land of magic, and color, and knights, and dragons, and now all of that is dead. And the magic and the colors being sucked out of the galaxy by this mechanical, maniacal empire and Maul is going like, 'What happened to the Jedi Knights?'"
One of the biggest draws of The Clone Wars series was getting to see literal dozens of Jedi Knights in their every pursuits during the height of the battle for the Republic. However, its 2026 sequel will seemingly be devoid of the franchise staple force-users, marking what will surely be a massive change in overall feeling for the new series.
The Jedi will, of course, be absent in Maul: Shadow Lord, as the 2026 Disney+ show takes place about a year after the fall of the Republic and Emperor Palpatine's purge of the Jedi Order.
No specific release information for Maul: Shadow Lord has been disclosed at this point, aside from a nebulous 2026 release year. The new series will focus on Witwer's Clone Wars villain navigating a new Galaxy post-Revenge of the Sith, in which the Empire has taken hold of power.
Will There Really Be No Jedi in Maul: Shadow Lord?
Sam Witwer has made it seem that his 2026 Clone Wars sequel will be devoid of any Jedi, but that might not ultimately be the case. At the time Maul: Shadow Lord takes place, the idea of the Jedi is dead. Order 66 wiped out the order of intergalactic peacekeepers, either killing or sending its members into hiding.
However, there are still some Jedi out there, and Maul very well could cross paths with them. In fact, within the timeframe of the series, the formation of The Path is underway, a Jedi refugee effort that is hunting down Order 66 survivors and attempting to keep them safe.
Perhaps Maul could interact with them rather than the Jedi themselves, coming into contact with The Path, only to turn his back on their offer of a safe place for him.
The Maul story is pretty wide open following Revenge of the Sith, meaning the potential is nearly endless for where he could go. The next time fans see the character in the Star Wars timeline is in Star Wars: Rebels and then eventually as the leader of Crimson Dawn at the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Maybe the show's titular madman will interact with the Jedi (or the remnant thereof) in a more abstract way in the new series, eventually leading him on the path to where he ends up in Rebels and Solo.
