"Twilight of the Apprentice" is the hour-long season finale episode of Star Wars Rebels Season Two. In the episode, Kanan and Ezra travel with Ahsoka to the forbidden Sith world of Malachor to find the ancient secrets of the Sith—and come face to face with Darth Vader.
Quick summary
Heeding the advice given to them by Yoda, Ezra and Kanan travel with Ahsoka to the Sith world of Malachor, where they hope to find the knowledge they need to understand and ultimately defeat the Sith. Ezra joins forces with Darth Maul, who has lived on Malachor for many years in the hopes of unlocking its secrets so he too can destroy the Sith who wronged him so many years ago. Together, they are faced with numerous threats—from Inquisitors to Darth Vader himself.
Trivia
Every Star Wars Rebels episode is chock full of nods and connections to other canon stories and Star Wars Legends. Here's what we found in 'Twilight of the Apprentice:'
- Malachor was first referenced in the Legends video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic as the location of the Battle of Malachor V, the final conflict in the Mandalorian Wars. It was later depicted in the sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. In Legends, it is known as Malachor V.
- The first reference to Malachor in the official canon was in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which referenced Malachor in the same way we would reference Hell. In creating the design of the planet for "Twilight of the Apprentice," the production team drew heavily on mythological depictions of the underworld.
- Kanan tells Ezra that Malachor informed many Jedi legends, and Ahsoka says that there is always a bit of truth in legends—just as the stories of Star Wars Legends continue to provide inspiration for the official Star Wars canon.
- The ancient tongue written on the stone pillar on the surface of Malachor is the same one seen in the Jedi Temple on Lothal, as depicted in "Path of the Jedi" and "Shroud of Darkness."
- Ezra finds a crossguard lightsaber amongst the ruins of an ancient battleground outside of the Sith temple. Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary first revealed that the design of Kylo Ren's lightsaber, also a crossguard blade, was an ancient one that dated back thousands of years to the Great Scourge of Malachor.
- The petrified bodies on the Malachor battlefield were based on those found in the real-world city of Pompeii, where victims of the ancient volcanic eruption were left frozen in volcanic ash for thousands of years.
- Ezra encounters Darth Maul on Malachor. Although he was initially presumed dead after fighting Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, The Clone Wars revealed that he was still alive. Like in The Clone Wars, Maul is voiced by Sam Witwer.
- When Ezra first encounters Maul, Ezra points his lightsaber at him. Maul tells Ezra, "Put your weapon away. I mean you no harm." This provides a dark mirror to Yoda, who, in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, said "Away put your weapon, I mean you no harm" when he was first encountered by Luke Skywalker.
- Ezra introduces himself to Maul as Jabba. This is a running gag that dates back to the series premiere, Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion. Coincidentally, Maul once knew Jabba—he threatened the crime lord into joining his criminal organization known as the Shadow Collective in The Clone Wars episode "Eminence."
- Maul tells Ezra that the Sith ripped him from his mother's arms and murdered his brother. The comic book series Star Wars: Darth Maul—Son of Dathomir revealed that Maul's mother was the Nightsister leader, Mother Talzin, and that Darth Sidious had taken Maul from her as a child to become his apprentice. His brother, Savage Opress, was murdered by Sidious during a lightsaber duel in The Clone Wars episode "The Lawless."
- Maul references the Code of the Sith when he tells Ezra that his passion will give him strength, through which he will gain power and break the chains that are holding him down.
- Maul tells Ezra that two must work together—no more, no less—to enter the temple and gain its secrets, as that is the way of the Sith. This reflects the Rule of Two that was forged by Darth Bane.
- Maul says that he had a real name before becoming Darth Maul, but he no longer remembers it. His true name has yet to be revealed.
- The Eighth Brother, the Inquisitor introduced in this episode, calls Maul a shadow. Maul was the subject of a Legends book called Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, set before the events of The Phantom Menace.
- This episode marks the first time a Sith holocron is seen in canon.
- The Sith temple has many similarities to the temple at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where Indiana Jones found the legendary Holy Grail. Like Indy, Ezra must leap across a large chasm, and the temple begins to collapse after its particular artifact is removed.
- The Sith temple is, in reality, a superweapon that can destroy life. In "The Big Bang," an unfinished story reel that formed the finale of the "Crystal Crisis on Utapau" arc in The Clone Wars, Yoda reveals that, in ancient times, superweapons powered by kyber crystals were used in wars between the Jedi and the Sith. This temple is one such weapon. The Galactic Empire is also building their own: the Death Star.
- Kanan is left blinded by Darth Maul. Without the use of his eyes, he puts on an ancient helmet found on the Malachor battlefield and uses the Force and his senses to see. This reflects Obi-Wan's teachings to Luke in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, where he said that a Jedi had to depend on more than just their eyes to see.
- During their long-anticipated duel, Ahsoka damages Vader's helmet and his true voice can be heard. Like in The Clone Wars, his voice is provided by Matt Lanter, who played Anakin Skywalker.
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