What if Maul’s Siege of Mandalore plan succeeded?

The Siege of Mandalore doesn’t go as Maul anticipated, but the latest Star Wars: The Clone Wars offers insight into what would be different if it succeeded.

Warning: Major spoilers ahead from Star Wars:The Clone Wars Season 7, Episode 10 “The Phantom Apprentice.” 

Fans have waited years to see the Siege of Mandalore. Pieces of it are referenced in the Ahsoka novel and other tidbits have been revealed over the years. Despite these clues and knowledge of where the larger story is headed, the latest Clone Wars episodes continue to be emotional and even surprising.

More from Star Wars: The Clone Wars

• Celebrating 20 years of Asajj Ventress
• 5 times Star Wars turned into a zombie horror movie
• General Grievous’ terror unmatched in Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars
• The Clone Wars saved Padmé Amidala
• Theory: Is Peridea actually the planet of Mortis?

This felt particularly true in “The Phantom Apprentice” when fans realize why Maul created the Siege of Mandalore in the first place. The common assumption was that this was just another grab for power and a futile attempt at drawing in and finally killing Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The truth is that it was all about Anakin Skywalker. Maul did intend to draw Obi-Wan to Mandalore and he counted on Anakin Skywalker coming as well. Through his vision of the future, Maul realized Anakin was the key to Palpatine’s plans. He intended to kill Anakin on Mandalore, thus throwing a major wrench in Palpatine’s schemes.

Things don’t work out for Maul as Ahsoka brings the Republic forces to Mandalore instead and despite the information he shares with her, she rejects the offer to join him, defeats him in combat, and ensures that he is captured.

What if Maul’s plan had succeeded, though? We can only speculate, but here are some possible outcomes.

Order 66 and the creation of the Empire

Anakin’s death would’ve been a major setback for Palpatine, but Order 66 and the creation of the Empire would probably still happen. With the Clone Wars ending, Palpatine wouldn’t be able to stay in office. He’d still need to find a way to eliminate the Jedi and stay in power.

There wouldn’t be enough time to groom a new apprentice. With Obi-Wan on Mandalore, another Jedi would’ve gone to Utapau instead and they might’ve failed to kill Grievous, but that would only delay the ending of the Clone Wars for so long. Palpatine would still need Order 66 and the creation of the Empire to control the galaxy.

Obi-Wan and Maul alliance

The real intriguing possibility is that Maul and Obi-Wan could’ve joined forces, albeit temporarily. Maul seems like he’s momentarily cast aside his revenge obsession with Obi-Wan. He might’ve even asked for Obi-Wan’s help in killing Anakin. There’s no way Obi-Wan would accept that offer, but he might be forced to work with Maul once Order 66 happened.

Stuck on Mandalore and surrounded by clones programmed to kill them, Obi-Wan and Maul might’ve relied on each other to survive and escape. If this alliance managed to last past this point, there are even more implications, along with the fact that Darth Vader wouldn’t exist.

The Shadow Collective joins the Rebellion

Regaining power on Mandalore was about drawing in Anakin, but the reemergence of the Shadow Collective also ensured that Maul had ample resources at his disposal. In “The Phantom Apprentice” Maul is shown telling the syndicate leaders–including Dryden Vos of Crimson Dawn–to go into hiding. He’s ensuring his forces remain intact, regardless of what happens on Mandalore.

In the event that his plan worked and he escaped, Obi-Wan would be unlikely to trust Maul. What if Maul offered to have Crimson Dawn, the Pykes, and the rest of the Shadow Collective join the Rebellion, though? These mighty crime syndicates could be invaluable for the Rebellion, especially in their early days. The Rebellion could’ve offered stronger resistance from the get-go if they had Maul and the Shadow Collective behind them.

Padmé lives

Padmé died because she lost the will to live, but that only happened because Anakin went to the dark side and became Darth Vader. Even if Maul killed him, her reaction would be much different. At least Anakin would’ve died as the man she loved instead of going down a dark path.

Padmé could stay alive and raise Luke and Leia. Palpatine might’ve still been interested in them as apprentices to replace Anakin, the one he groomed for so long, who never actually became his apprentice. Padmé’s political experience and leadership would’ve made the Rebellion stronger. Luke and Leia’s lives would’ve been quite different as well.

It’s fascinating to consider the endless possibilities of how the galaxy would be different if Maul’s plan succeeded and he killed Anakin shortly before Palpatine planned to execute Order 66.

Instead, fans will have to see how Ahsoka, Maul, and Captain Rex react to Order 66. Just because we know they all make it to Star Wars Rebels doesn’t mean we know how the next episodes will unfold.

The final two episodes of The Clone Wars drop on Disney+ May 1 & May 4.