I do wonder how many of the new MSL viewers who don't have that prior series knowledge, and somehow either refuse to acknowledge or have no idea that Maul is the Villain (who is destined to fail in his stated revenge quest against Sidious), are actually gonna be shocked when he eventually betrays the main cast again in Season 2...

They are not prepared for how evil, and stupid this man truly is lol. This is even after S1 went out of it's way to warn the audience about this more than once... In a way it does also make me quite excited for how he eventually sabotages himself, or gets defeated again.

Whether it is by Devon's hand, or his own. When Maul eventually fails, he fails spectacularly.

https://preview.redd.it/152vzage5ruh1.png?width=3838&format=png&auto=webp&s=f06848de0a3197654c134fdefa93b73f51d4a3b5

https://preview.redd.it/p3dnyulw1ruh1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=9d6442cff4ff560e78600397946c0d5918fb0497

https://preview.redd.it/qzh6ug5u1ruh1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=1c87a83f10f65db7b33b70a3751ab2ae4072d890

Janix is a great setting that should be returned to.

I don't want the series to become fodder for just yet more YouTube video thumbnails, EPIC lightsaber duel compilations, and then nothing more than that... To just look pretty, and not have seriously addressed the implications of S1's narrative consequences, themes, and character dynamics. Most importantly I don't want these new characters to be reduced to those who just deliver, and mindlessly spectate an endless series of action scenes woven together by a thread bare plot, with the occasional sprinklings of corporate mandated fan service. Something that a lot of the other Plus shows eventually devolved into...

Devon needs to be more than just her rage, and the desire for revenge.

Devon becoming just an angry thing who swings a lightsaber around for the entirety of S2's episodes...

I don't want to see Devon just become Maul's red lightsaber swinging pet apprentice, without seriously examining that inherently toxic dynamic... There would be nothing more gross to me than the writer's treating that relationship between Devon, and Maul as being completely sincere, or healthy in anyway. Because it's anything but that.... It needs to be heavily scrutinized, and serve as a cautionary tale more than anything. It was built on abuse, lies and a betrayal... Reducing it to simply tag team lightsaber duels, and other long winded action scenes exclusively for those hype, and aura farming moments would be very lazy. Would even be to some extent irresponsible I feel, given the very heavy subject matter they have chosen to explore...

The part of Devon that regrets, and knows that she may be making the wrong decisions is still there. Clouded by rage sure, but not fully... There is still hope for her to untangle herself from evil, and save both herself and Rylee from absolute despair.

Relegating Rylee, and other supporting characters to just background noise.

https://preview.redd.it/b3tieqtrixrh1.png?width=2048&format=png&auto=webp&s=da3f9a45a7900e67395aaac501808b900118a14b

This moment really stuck with me because it communicates without using words the intersection in experience these two characters have now endured. Both share a trauma brought about by the loss of their past lives, and people they cared about deeply.

This is not just a Show about Maul... It's about the people the Shadow Lord's actions has affected. Rylee has gone through an experience that, while different in the broader details, is quite similar to Devon's own. His life has been completely turned upside down by the events of Season 1. He lost his home, his dad, and there is no way he can go back to the normal life he once had. His path in life has been irreversibly altered by Forces larger than he alone can comprehend, and Devon is the only person other than Two Boots now who can help him navigate this new world he's been forced into... This should weigh heavily on Devon's conscious, as well as the audience. A mirror that reminds Devon that Rylee should be protected from a further descent into absolute despair that has now seemingly completely consumed her own life, as she first tried to impart on him through words after the police station escape "We cant let fear control us"... That look of shame and solidarity she gives him, and Two Boots at the end of the first season I hope, teases an exploration of that shared emotional tragedy too. It's not just about being the typical will they, won't they love interest. It is a shared trauma bond...

He may just be used for levity, but he does have some substance there beneath the jokes and silliness.

Even the comedic relief characters be they Vario should be given the chance to develop into something more than just that. The first season ends with him even experiencing a profound sense of dread for the future, and I don't think it is just for himself anymore... Having seen what Lawson did, and the position it put his Son in. That should make him experience a change at least... From a cowardly criminal, to someone who can show bravery, and warn the characters of the new dangers they are in while working for Maul, and Crimson Dawn.

Daki was Devon's true father figure, the one who taught her everything she knows. A reminder of the life she once had, and could return to.

Daki's death having been in emotional, and thematic vain...

Daki dying in Season 1 needs to actually mean something to Devon and other Characters beyond the initial loss itself, as in, not to just be a death catalyst for the fall of Devon then completely discarded of after the fact. You don't just dust yourself off of those memories when losing someone who was that fundamentally significant to your past life, and childhood emotional development... That death, and what it did to her mental state needs to be shown to weigh heavily on her mind beyond just the immediate anger it caused, because he was the person who raised her... Taught her literally everything she knows since she was just a very small child. Having her completely forget about him, or barely mention him by name, or by their shared experiences would be extremely cynical, and negate the emotional core of that foundational relationship. Even reflect poorly on the Devon Character in many ways.

Basically I just want Season 2 to actually be about something, and have a clear message at the heart of it. Because looking, and sounding cool is only one part of the appeal of STAR WARS as a creative storytelling Universe.