Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 has gone down a treat with fans, partially because it’s achieved a lot of interconnectivity with other corners of the saga. It’s deepened our understanding of Revenge of the Sith, for one, and there’s also been a fair bit of set-up for Rebels. The latest episode, “The Phantom Apprentice,” goes even further though and finally provides us with an explanation for Maul’s memorable cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
In the 2018 Anthology film, Maul was ultimately revealed to be the brains behind the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate. This made a certain amount of sense with what had been established in previous Clone Wars seasons, but his total domination of the galaxy’s criminal underworld did kind of come out of nowhere. Season 7, episode 10, however, reveals Maul’s true master plan.
“The Phantom Apprentice” reveals that the villain knows that the Galactic Senate is failing and anticipates his former master Palpatine taking control. His scheme to sit at the center of the web of the criminal underworld, then, is an attempt to control the flow of information and put himself in a place of power. The episode explains how he seizes this power, too, by showing him meeting with the leaders of three major crime syndicates.
These are Lom Pyke of the Pyke Syndicate, Prince Xizor of the Black Sun and none other than Dryden Vos of Crimson Dawn. Vos is depicted as closely resembling Paul Bettany’s portrayal of the crime boss, creating a significant direct crossover with Solo. A rare one in Star Wars media, actually, seeing as plans for any sequels or follow-ups have yet to materialize.
Elsewhere in this episode, Maul attempts to convince Ahsoka Tano to join him so that they can take on the Emperor together. Being the heroine she is, she refuses and ends up managing to capture the villain. The Siege of Mandalore appears to be over, but as there are two episodes of the show left to go, we know there’s still peril ahead for Ahsoka and friends.
Don’t miss Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 as it reaches its penultimate episode next Friday on Disney Plus.