Darth Maul’s return from the dead in The Clone Wars was only the first of many Star Wars death retcons, a problem that continues in The Mandalorian.
Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian season 3, episode 1.
From Darth Maul’s return in The Clone Wars to The Mandalorian season 3’s IG-11 comeback, Star Wars has a death problem. Perhaps the most recognizable example of a Star Wars character who died and returned, Darth Maul was curiously given far more to do in the Star Wars universe after his death in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. However, as much as Maul’s spider-legged return worked, not every Star Wars death retcon was a good decision.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker established that resurrection is possible in the Star Wars universe, as seen with Ben Solo bringing Rey back to life. Still, presumably dead characters returning in Star Wars usually have more to do with story-related retcons than with actual in-universe resurrections. That includes Maul’s comeback, as well as The Mandalorian season 3’s latest death retcon of the hunter-turned-nanny droid IG-11.
Star Wars Characters Increasingly Survive Fatal Injuries (Like Maul)
Actual fatal injuries are becoming rarer and rarer in the Star Wars universe. Though the original Star Wars trilogy established that having a limb cut off or being frozen in carbonite wasn’t enough to kill someone, Star Wars characters surviving what should be deadly injuries have recently become way too common. The first major example of a Star Wars character who should absolutely be dead but still returned was The Phantom Menace’s Darth Maul, who was cut in half but still survived out of sheer hate and desire for revenge on Obi-Wan. Now, not even melting in lava seems to be enough to kill off a Star Wars character.
IG-11, who sacrificed himself to save the day in The Mandalorian season 1, has been put back together – at least partially – in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 1, “The Apostate.” The return of IG-11, whose remaining parts had already been turned into a statue, is the latest example of how little death can mean in the Star Wars universe. Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Grand Inquisitor, for instance, was stabbed by a lightsaber through the stomach and did not die. Likewise, Third Sister Reva was stabbed by Darth Vader and still managed to travel to Tatooine. That is not to mention the most egregious offender in Palpatine, who “somehow” returned.
Why Star Wars Has Created A Death Problem
Retconning a character’s death can often help the Star Wars universe, and there are examples of both successful and failed Star Wars survivals. Darth Maul’s return was one of The Clone Wars’ best creative decisions, as it allowed Maul to be reinvented as a major Star Wars villain of his own rather than just Palpatine’s henchman from Episode I. The Emperor’s return in The Rise of Skywalker, on the other hand, risked ruining the impact of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader’s Return of the Jedi stories, not to mention how the movie itself wasn’t able to explain how Palpatine returned.
Situations like Kenobi‘s Grand Inquisitor and Third Sister both surviving what should be fatal lightsaber wounds and returning right away also add to the perception that death holds no meaning in Star Wars. While that allows for pretty much every Star Wars character to be revisited regardless of their fate, it completely reduces the stakes of the movies and TV shows. Instead of emotional, redefining moments like Han Solo’s death in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars’ deaths risk becoming a gimmick to create instant twists, only for them to be retconned later. This is a possibility with The Mandalorian season 3’s IG-11 return, which completely undercuts the droid’s sacrifice.
The Mandalorian season 3, episode 1 is now streaming on Disney+. New episodes release Wednesdays.
