The Secret Head Of The Crimson Dawn
By far the greatest cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story is the surprise return of a fan favourite villain. Paul Bettany’s Dryden Vos mentions earlier in the movie that he answers to a dangerous boss. It’s not until Qi’ra betrays him, though, that we find out who the real puppet master of the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate is: Darth Maul, the Emperor’s former apprentice!
Some fans might be left scratching their heads as to how Maul is alive at this point in the timeline, as he was cut in two by Obi-Wan back before the Clone Wars. Rebels reveals, though, that his top half survived that ordeal and, now fitted with robot legs, he based himself on his homeworld of Dathomir and ingratiated himself into the criminal underworld. This explains his position at the head of the Crimson Dawn and why he tells Qi’Ra to meet him on Dathomir.
This is actually a massive deal, as it’s the first time a Star Wars movie has followed up on a major development that happened in a different medium. An explanation for Darth Maul’s resurrection could well happen if Lucasfilm greenlights a sequel to Solo: A Star Wars Story, but right now moviegoing audiences are expected to know what happened on Rebels. For fans, this is thrilling and much more satisfying than, say, Marvel’s tactic of keeping the movie and TV timelines separate.