Lucasfilm looks primed to finally canonize a long-celebrated Star Wars Legends Sith character in 2026. Over the years, several big names from the now-out-of-Legends stories have made their way into the prime-Star Wars continuity. These have included characters such as Grand Admiral Thrawn, Asajj Ventress, and Chewbacca's wife, Malla.
Despite all of these, there are still several key figures from the Legends stories that have not made the same jump. One of these is the intimidating Darth Talon, a female Twi'lek Sith who served as the primary antagonist in the Star Wars: Legacy comic series (which ran from 2006 to 2010).
However, after all these years, it seems as though the character is finally ready for her Star Wars canon debut. The first trailer for the upcoming Maul: Shadow Lord series introduced a new Force user who closely resembles Talon in both appearance and narrative significance.
The new character is known as Devon Izara (played by Gideon Adlon). She appears in the trailer as a red Twi'lek, just like Talon, who crosses paths with the show's titular twin-sabered Sith Lord. Thus far, it is unclear whether Devon will become Darth Talon, but the bread crumbs are most certainly there.
In the official Maul: Shadow Lord release, she is described as "a disillusioned young Jedi Padawan who may just be the apprentice [Maul] is seeking," meaning that she may start as a Jedi, but after some time with the show's titular Dathomirian, could grow to become the formidable Darth Talon.
In Legends lore, Talon and Maul are not connected in any meaningful way, but there is some precedent for the character being taken under Maul's wing (at least as a concept.
In Paul Duncan's 2020 book, The Star Wars Archives: Episodes I–III, 1999–2005, it was revealed that George Lucas originally planned to have Talon work her way into the canon Star Wars story.
Describing what would have happened in his version of the Sequel Trilogy, "Darth Maul trained a girl, Darth Talon, who was in the comic books, as his apprentice," adding that "she was the new Darth Vader, and most of the action was with her" (via SFFGazette):
"Darth Maul trained a girl, Darth Talon, who was in the comic books, as his apprentice. She was the new Darth Vader, and most of the action was with her. So these were the two main villains of the trilogy. Maul eventually becomes the godfather of crime in the universe because, as the Empire falls, he takes over."
So, the groundwork for Maul taking on a young female apprentice and her growing into Darth Talon in the canon has been laid; it was just never executed. Perhaps, this is the time in which Dave Filoni and co. will act upon these plans, except that instead of setting this narrative turn in the wake of Return of the Jedi, it will be in the years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
Talon was also set to appear in a cancelled Maul-themed video game in the late 00s titled Battle of the Sith Lords; however, that project was ultimately cancelled, with Lucas' Star Wars sale to Disney cited as the primary reason.
What Could Star Wars Have Planned For Darth Talon?
Bringing a character like Darth Talon into the Star Wars canon is a massive deal for the planet-hopping franchise. Even though she does not have the name recognition of other Extended Universe staples like Mara Jade or Thrawn, she has an enthusiastic fanbase that has been waiting for years for her to make her way into the mainline Star Wars project.
Introducing her as a young girl in Maul: Shadow Lord adds an interesting wrinkle to the Darth Talon story. In the Star Wars: Legacy comics, Talon's origins were not explored in depth. It was revealed that she was a third-generation Sith Lord who had joined the New Sith Order known as the One Sith, hundreds of years after the events of the Galactic Civil War.
Bringing her into canon as a young Jedi allows the franchise to show Darth Taln's long road to the ruthless warrior she was portrayed as in the Star Wars: Legacy comic.
Perhaps Shadow Lord is just the first project fans see the character present in. What if this is where Lucasfilm introduces the Twi'lek Sith, before an older version of her comes back in some other title down the line? There have been rumors of Force-user villains in several upcoming Star Wars projects, like Star Wars: Starfighter and Ahsoka Season 2. What if Darth Talon is one of those big bads?
It's an exciting prospect for longtime fans of the franchise, as Talon's potential emergence adds another significant saber-swinging chess piece to the board.
