Last week, Star Wars: The Clone Wars fans finally witnessed the epic showdown between Ahsoka Tano and Darth Maul. Viewers weren’t disappointed, as the efforts of showrunner Dave Filoni and his team definitely paid off. Now, their hard work has been detailed in a new behind-the-scenes video posted to the official Star Wars YouTube channel.
Maul and Ahsoka’s duel took place in the middle of the Siege of Mandalore, a watershed moment in the Star Wars canon. Filoni described the event as “one of the last large battles” in the series, so there was a lot riding on doing it justice.
“The fans have been clamoring for it ever since we stopped making Clone Wars,” said Filoni. “They’ve been so loyal. I just wanted to make sure that we could do it to a level that they would feel was honoring Clone Wars the right way. And I think we’ve done some of our best work.”
RELATED: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 7.11 Preview
For the occassion, Filoni recruited Ray Park, who originated the role of Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and in Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018. Park provided the motion capture for his iconic character. Although Maul didn’t see any action in Solo, Park clearly hasn’t missed any steps in the last 20 years, as evidenced by footage of him showing off his impressive swordplay and gymnastics. Watching Park go toe-to-toe with Ahsoka’s mo-cap performer, Lauren Mary Kim, perfectly encapsulates the work that went into making this duel memorable.
“It’s hopefully one of the best fights we did, if not the best lightsaber fight,” added Filoni.
The next episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars premieres this Friday on Disney+. You can watch the latest behind-the-scenes video below, then share your thoughts in the comment section!
Recommended Reading: Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Clone Wars Vol. 1
