Star Wars Celebration 2025 has come and gone, and there were several major announcements. Ryan Gosling is joining a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars: Starfighter, and Hayden Christensen is set to return for Star Wars: Ahsoka Season 2. However, one bit of news that’s flying a bit under the radar is the reveal of the animated series Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord. It’s another chance to dive into the life of one of Star Wars’ most beloved bad guys, and as has become par for the course with animated series set in the franchise, there are sure to be plenty of mind-bending cameos.
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Since Shadow Lord will focus on Maul’s time as a crime boss, figures that operate in the underworld like Dryden Vos are sure to have a role to play. But there is another figure running around the galaxy that has a chance to cross paths with the former Sith Lord: Cal Kestis.
Cal Kestis Could Be Part of Maul’s Plans in Shadow Lord
The powers that be at Lucasfilm have already revealed that Maul – Shadow Lord takes place a year after Order 66, which also marks the end of Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. At that point, Maul uses the chaos from the Clones turning on Ahsoka Tano to escape the Republic ship. It opens the door for him to build his criminal empire, which is flourishing during the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story. However, Maul is a Sith by trade, so he’s not going to forget about his goal of training an apprentice in his solo series.
At various points in the Skywalker Saga, Maul tries to recruit a young person to his cause. He does it with Ahsoka in The Clone Wars, Ezra in Star Wars Rebels, and even Qi’ra in Solo. And it just so happens that Cal Kestis from the Star Wars Jedi games, who lost his master during Order 66, is in a bad enough spot during Shadow Lord‘s place on the timeline that Maul’s offer could be tempting.
Following his master’s death and the fall of the Jedi Order, Cal goes into hiding, finding a home on the planet Bracca. He makes a modest living as a rigger and attempts to hide his past as a Jedi. That wouldn’t be an issue for Maul, though, as his connection to the Dark Side is strong and allows him to sense Force users. If Maul were to make his way to Bracca for some kind of business dealing, he wouldn’t be able to ignore Cal’s presence and could try to tempt him with the Dark Side.
The only issue with that idea is that Cal never mentions Maul in the Star Wars Jedi games. In fact, as far as gamers know, he doesn’t embrace his Force abilities again until the Jedi hunters arrive on Bracca in 14 BBY. Fortunately, there are plenty of other major characters from the Star Wars franchise that could interact with Maul in Shadow Lord.
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Which Major Star Wars Characters Could Show Up in Maul – Shadow Lord?
The events of Solo prove that Maul keeps to himself for a number of years, with his role in Crimson Dawn being a secret for the most part. However, Maul can rarely help himself, so it’s possible he attempts to settle a score or two by going after Palpatine and Darth Vader. After all, his goal at the end of The Clone Wars was to take Anakin Skywalker off the board before he could help Palpatine gain total control of the galaxy. With only a year passing by since Shadow Lord kicks off, it’s possible Maul’s former master is at the forefront of his mind.
There’s also a good chance that Maul’s activity in the underworld gains the attention of major players like the Hutts and Pyke Syndicate. They often employ bounty hunters to do their bidding, meaning Maul may have to fight off characters like Boba Fett and Cad Bane if he wants to grow his reach. At least he won’t have to worry about a 14-year-old Cal Kestis messing with his operation.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord arrives on Disney+ in 2026.
Do you think Cal Kestis makes a cameo in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord? Which Star Wars character do you hope shows up? Let us know in the comments below!
