Ron Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Story releases today and it contains a shocking cameo from a major Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace character.
While this information was leaked online over the past few weeks, it’s now been confirmed that Darth Maul appears in the film via hologram. The horned man is in league with Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) and he’s the true mastermind behind the actions of Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany) and his crime syndicate, the Crimson Dawn. Maul speaks to Qi’ra from the planet Dathomir; a location that plays a major role in his backstory.
It’s worth noting that Ray Park portrays Darth Maul once again in Solo, which is nice for fans, as the actor hasn’t touched the role in almost two decades. In an excellent preservation of continuity, the evil Zabrak is still voiced by Sam Witwer, who gave Park’s character new life in both Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Lucasfilm’s ability to maintain its casting for the sake of a mere cameo is admirable and sure to make those in the audience smile.
One wonders how exactly Darth Maul will come into play in any follow-up material to Solo, though. Whether it’s in a comic book or second film, Ron Howard’s latest flick definitely suggests that the villain has a larger role to play. Those who saw the character meet his end at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Rebels need not fret about timeline inconsistencies, either, as Solo takes place seven years before the events of the computer animated TV series begin.
Indeed, the decision to bring Darth Maul back is as intriguing as it is unexpected, and fans of that galaxy far, far away can now see the former Sith Lord sew more chaos as Solo: A Star Wars Story is currently playing in theaters around the globe.
