The Maul – Shadow Lord team break down the episode 8 visions sequence that brought Sam Witwer to "tears"

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As Maul – Shadow Lord gets closer to the end, things are only getting more intense on Janix.

A ferocious battle between Maul and Inquisitor Marrok and the Eleventh Brother left Maul defeated and on the run, and, all alone at his lowest point, he was plagued with heart-breaking visions of his tortured past.

GamesRadar+ sat down with executive producer Athena Yvette Portillo, supervising director Brad Rau, and writer Matt Michnovetz before the Star Wars show was released on Disney Plus, and we asked why it was important to show a more vulnerable side of Maul here.

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"For a viewer to ask the question of, why this revenge?" says Portillo. "What happened in his past, what happened in his childhood, to make him this way? The sense of loss, the sense of losing control, those kinds of elements. Things that are relatable, making mistakes, asking all those questions. It's to that point."

Adds Rau: "And it was a rare opportunity, which we kept expanding in that episode, for the audience to be one on one with Maul. You don't usually have moments like that in this journey, as he goes back to his team, to his family – quote, unquote, his family. So, it was just this really weird, interesting opportunity for the fans to get that vulnerable side of him."

Things weren't just emotional on-screen, either, with Sam Witwer, the voice of Maul, digging deep in the recording booth. "He's at his best," says Rau. "Literally, we had a few different sessions with Witwer to record those scenes, and there were tears in the booth. There were tears on our side of the booth. There was so much emotion. Afterwards, like, 'Are you okay, Sam? Are you okay?' He literally wrung himself out for those moments. It's really beautiful."

Portillo was also affected. "I remember for the pickup sessions for that, I was sitting back… And someone's like, 'Are you okay? Athena, you're crying?' I'm like, I'm crying because I feel his pain. Like, you just feel it. I just don't know how he does it."

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Witwer was involved in Shadow Lord behind the scenes, too, and Portillo explains that the actor "had a lot of influence in that, in the collaboration with Matt, Brad, and [Dave] Filoni on those tunnel sequences, as well as the show in general."

And, according to Michnovetz, this sequence is all important for what's coming. "That particular scene is such an organic point in the story that it plays through, and you'll see as you go into the next episode," he teases.

Maul – Shadow Lord comes to an end with episodes 9 and 10. Make sure you don't miss them with our Maul – Shadow Lord release schedule.

For more on the show, check out our spoiler-free Maul – Shadow Lord review, or catch up on the ex-Sith's story with our guide on how to watch The Clone Wars in order.

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Molly EdwardsSenior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film section. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.

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