The Archives: Son of Dathomir 1
Updated: Mar 11
Welcome to the Archives, a place of knowledge and wisdom. In this new series, I will explore a single comic book issue from the official Star Wars canon. I'll discuss the time frame it takes place in, and how it connects to other stories set in a galaxy far, far away. I've chosen to start this series with STAR WARS: DARTH MAUL: SON OF DATHOMIR 1, the first comic book in the official Star Wars canon. There will be major spoilers for the comic to follow.
STAR WARS: DARTH MAUL: SON OF DATHOMIR 1 is written by Jeremy Barlow, penciled by Juan Frigeri, inked by Mauro Vargas, with cover art by Chris Scalf. It takes place in what would have been the 6th season of the television series STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS. Unfortunately, the SON OF DATHOMIR story arc never made it to television, but thanks to the STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS LEGACY multimedia project, the scripts were adapted into a comic book mini-series. It serves as an official continuation of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS.
When does SON OF DATHOMIR 1 take place? SON OF DATHOMIR 1 takes place after the events of the season 5 episode of THE CLONE WARS "The Lawless." Fans will remember the epic lightsaber duel between Darth Sidious and Darth Maul & Savage Opress.
The episode ends with Darth Sidious telling Maul that he will be kept alive for other uses. This is where SON OF DATHOMIR 1 picks up. Maul is being held captive in a secret prison. What is Sidious' plan for Maul? He wants to use Maul to lure Mother Talzin out of hiding. Sidious considers Mother Talzin a threat to his plans and she must be eliminated.
Highlights from SON OF DATHOMIR 1:
Several key moments happen in SON OF DATHOMIR 1. Maul meets his replacement, Darth Tyranus, for the first time. Their meeting isn't too pleasant for Maul, who ends up being tortured by Count Dooku.
We also see the rescue of Maul from his prison by Mandalorian super commandos. Maul is rescued from a familiar prison with the help of a familiar Mandalorian (for fans who watch STAR WARS REBELS).
Finally, my favorite highlight from SON OF DATHOMIR 1, the duel between Darth Maul and General Grievous. Two fan favorite characters going at it in an epic lightsaber duel. No doubt many fans have played this out with their action figures.
So, about those connections to STAR WARS REBELS? Several elements seen in the television series STAR WARS REBELS originated in the SON OF DATHOMIR series. These elements include the Spire (seen in season 1), the Nightbrother starfighter (seen in season 3), and Gar Saxon (seen in season 3).
What did you think of the first issue of the SON OF DATHOMIR series? Let me know in the comments below. Search the Archives next week for more information on SON OF DATHOMIR 2. May the Force be with you.
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