Shadow Collective

starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Shadow_Collective

General information

Organization type

Founder(s)

Mother Talzin[4]
Sith Lord Maul[1]
Sith Lord Savage Opress[1]
Mand'alor Pre Vizsla[1]

Leader(s)
Maul[5]
Pre Vizsla[5]

Headquarters
Sundari, Mandalore[5]

Historical information

Date founded
19 BBY[11]

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Date dissolved
After the Siege of Mandalore,[12] prior to the Imperial Era[13]

Other information

Affiliation

Sith[2] (unofficially)[3]
[Source]
"Our combined strength will be rewarded. Mandalore will be yours, and Kenobi, this Sith
pretender Dooku and all our enemies… will fall."
―Maul, to Pre Vizsla

The Shadow Collective was a large criminal alliance and rival Sith Order founded during
the Clone Wars by the rogue Sith Lord Maul. Partly founded at the behest of Mother Talzin,
Maul aimed to threaten the plans of the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious as well as to
compete with him for galactic power. Among its goals, it sought to defeat both the
Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Galactic Republic. During the war, Maul rallied
the forces of Death Watch, Black Sun, the Pyke Syndicate, the Hutt Clan, and the
Nightbrothers to form a considerable base of power.

The Shadow Collective worked under Maul's vision as he led them to a takeover of
Mandalore. Although Maul's ally Pre Vizsla planned only to win back his homeworld, Maul
had ambitions to influence the thousands of neutral systems impacted by Mandalore as well
as enact a plan of revenge against his former master Darth Sidious. Their alliance ended
when Vizsla betrayed Maul, but the renegade Sith later defeated him in single combat,
executing him and taking control of Mandalore. However, his empire began to fragment after
the Hutts abandoned him, with the Pykes and Black Sun severing ties following their defeat
at the hands of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Maul eventually lost control of
Mandalore when the Republic laid siege to the planet. However, the Pykes and Black Sun
came back and were later joined by Crimson Dawn, a group that succeeded Shadow
Collective and Maul's ambitions after the conclusion of the Clone Wars and the rise of the
Galactic Empire.

Fandom Trivia
Quiz
The Ultimate Skywalker Quiz40 questions

History

A dangerous alliance

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"And what do you seek now, Sith?"
"Fortune and power."
―Pre Vizsla and Maul

Following the Skirmish on Florrum, which saw the pirate Hondo Ohnaka and Jedi Master
Obi-Wan Kenobi defeat Maul and Opress after the pair hoped to take over Ohnaka's gang and
base of operations,[14] the two brothers became stranded in space. However, they eventually
passed out from lack of oxygen in their escape pod.[1]

They were then discovered by Pre Vizsla, leader of a

Mandalorian splinter group known as Death Watch. The
two brothers, who were dangerously injured following the
events which took place on Florrum, were taken onto
Vizsla's ship, upon which they were taken to the Death
Watch's base on the moon Zanbar. Maul and Opress awoke
inside a tent, with Vizsla and Bo-Katan Kryze, Vizsla's
second-in-command, greeted the brothers, inquiring as to The Mandalorian Death Watch
formed an alliance with the
who they were. Upon Maul's response as the brothers
renegade Sith brothers Maul and
being Sith, Vizsla acted with hostility due to his dislike of Savage Opress in a bid to take over
his former ally Count Dooku. Maul told Vizsla that he Mandalore.
worked for no man and admitted his hatred for Kenobi, to
which Vizsla appeared impressed with. When Maul revealed that he was only a Sith that
sought fortune and power, Vizsla told his droids to fix his legs and left.[1]

The two men later had Cassius Tea together in one of the Mandalorian tents. Vizsla explained
his struggle against Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore, and his people's past as warriors. He
also explained how Satine and Kenobi were linked personally and told Maul he believed that
fortune brought them together. Maul rose from his seat and said that it was the will of the
Force that brought them together, saying that he and Savage could help them reclaim
Mandalore, with Vizsla adding that they would punish Kenobi for his trespass into their
affairs.[1]

Bo-Katan stepped in, and offered a counter argument—remembering the time that Death
Watch allied itself with Dooku—and how it affected them badly. Maul proceeded to Force
choke Bo-Katan and expressed his hopes for an alliance between the Death Watch and the
two brothers. He let Bo-Katan go, and Vizsla told Maul that he would put the proposed
alliance to a vote amongst his men. Maul smiled and stalked out, returning to his brother.
Following Opress' awakening, Maul calmed his brother and informed them of their new
alliance, and how they could take advantage of Vizsla. Vizsla then entered and informed the
two brothers of his men's favor of an alliance, officially creating the Shadow Collective.[1]

Recruiting allies

"Your people are strong and powerful, but you'll need an army to free Mandalore."

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―Maul begins to tell Pre Vizsla of his vision

Maul explained his vision to Vizsla, telling him of his plan to gather allies to help them
reclaim Mandalore. Vizsla explained that he had supporters already on the planet, but Maul
told him that they would start by recruiting the Black Sun. Vizsla said that they were hardly a
force to rally with, but Maul told him that they were perfect allies because they could provide
them with the resources they needed without the scrutiny of the Republic.[1]

The newly formed alliance traveled to Mustafar, on which the Black Sun fortress was located.
The force was met by a battalion of Black Sun warriors, led by Vigo Ziton Moj, whom Maul
noted would serve them well. Maul requested an audience with their leader, to which Moj
laughed and said that it was his funeral before leading them into the fortress.[1]

Maul, Vizsla, and Opress entered the meeting room of the

fortress, where Xomit Grunseit and the leaders of Black
Sun were assembled. Grunseit and his fellow leaders
refused to cooperate with Maul, and so Opress, in a single
motion, threw his double-bladed lightsaber down the table,
decapitating and killing each and every leader of the Black
Sun immediately. Moj, the new de-facto leader, hastily Maul, Opress, and the Death Watch
coerced the galaxy's premiere
agreed to join the new group. As they began to load
crime syndicates into an alliance,
supplies onto their ships, Vizsla smiled and said that they forming the Shadow Collective.
had their army now, but Maul brushed him off and said
that there was a singular vision behind their scheme. Vizsla countered that it belonged to
Death Watch, but Maul said that he lacked clarity and did not understand the depth of their
opportunity.[1]

Back on Zanbar, members of the Pyke Syndicate—a crime organization dealing mostly with
illegally exporting spices and drugs—landed, led by Lom Pyke, who informed Vizsla that he
did not wish to oppose the new organization, and conveyed his wishes to join them.[1]

A task force, led by Maul, Vizsla, and Opress, traveled to

Nal Hutta, a central planet of Hutt Space to meet with the
Grand Hutt Council. There, Maul asked the council for
control of everything inside Hutt-controlled borders, or
their lives would be taken. Upon hearing this, a team of
hired bounty hunters, including Embo, Sugi, Dengar, and The leaders of Shadow Collective
Latts Razzi began to attack Maul's forces. A large approach the Hutt Council
confrontation broke out, forcing Maul, Vizsla, and Opress
to retreat. After being pushed back to the landing platform, the trio were reinforced by the
Nite Owls and several Death Watch Warriors and began pushing their way back into the
Council Chamber. Having forced the bounty hunters into a retreat, Maul interrogated Oruba
for the location of the other members. Being dissatisfied that the only location he was given
was Jabba's Palace, Maul had Opress kill Oruba.[1]

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Soon afterwards, the Shadow Collective traveled to Tatooine and attacked Jabba's Palace.
The Death Watch soldiers were quickly able to cause chaos as they landed and dropped over
a dozen armed guards. They soon surrounded the Hutt Council and forced them to join the
Shadow Collective. Now with an army, Maul revealed to Vizsla that he was intending to
control the criminal underworld after taking Mandalore. Maul then ordered him to send
scouts to the capital in advance in order to devise targets in Sundari, the capital of
Mandalore, for Vizsla's plan.[1]

Later, after Maul was captured by the Morubas crime family, the Shadow Collective attacked
the crime family's stronghold on Bahlah, commanded by Savage Opress. After breaking the
supposedly impenetrable walls, they seized the stronghold.[15]

Taking Mandalore and choosing sides

"Death Watch is here to save you from these intergalactic gangsters that threaten our great
city. This is a war, and we will win"
―Vizsla gains public support

Vizsla's scouts supplied Maul with targets for the Shadow Collective in Sundari and Maul met
with the leaders of Shadow Collective. He told the Death Watch to act as the heroes for the
Mandalorians as the other groups were meant to cause chaos and undermine their safety
under the Kryze. The Shadow Collective traveled swiftly to Mandalore where Maul and
Savage led the attacks on the Mandalorian police, causing mayhem throughout Sundari.
After sufficiently sowing the seeds of chaos, Vizsla and two other Death Watch warriors flew
in to interrupt Satine's speech to the people. Vizsla promised that Death Watch would save
them from the threat. As instructed, Vizsla, Bo-Katan, and another soldier led rescue parties
for the Mandalorian people. Kryze lost control over her people as they began to side with
Vizsla as he appeared to thwart the threats facing them. Satine was then captured and, with
the full backing of the populace, Vizsla declared himself Mand'alor.[16]

Now that he had maneuvered himself onto the throne,

Vizsla then double-crossed Maul and Opress, saying
that he had no desire to continue forward with Maul's
vision, because he had what he wanted. The two
Zabrak brothers were publicly shown in shackles
before being thrown in prison, although they quickly
freed themselves. Mandalore's politicians were quickly Maul defeats Vizsla in single combat
and executes him
brought into line, with some joining Vizsla's new rule
and the rest being executed. However, Maul
approached Satine to learn where the other political leaders were, and after she told him that
she and the former Prime Minister Almec were the only ones left, Maul decided to approach
Almec. After he revealed his plan to challenge Vizsla to single combat for the mantle of
leadership, Almec agreed to become their new puppet leader in the event that Maul defeated

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him. Maul then challenged Vizsla for his title and Vizsla fought with him until Maul defeated
him, beheading Vizsla in front of the other Death Watch members and declaring himself as
their new leader. Most of them accepted the duel's outcome. However, Bo-Katan and her Nite
Owls refused to accept Maul and led a resistance against him, quickly fleeing the palace.
Death Watch was then led by Maul, Opress, and the freed Prime Minister Almec. Almec
made a speech to the populace, declaring that Satine had assassinated Vizsla and that Vizsla's
final command was for him to become the new leader of Mandalore. Some Death Watch
warriors painted their armor red to resemble Maul's appearance and they became known as
Mandalorian super commandos.[16]

Defeated by Sidious

Although Almec's rule did not garner the attention of the

Republic, as was Maul's plan, Darth Sidious, seeing his old
apprentice as a threat, traveled to Mandalore to confront
Maul as the battle for Sundari raged on between Shadow
Collective and the Mandalore resistance, led by Bo-Katan.
Sidious dueled Maul and Opress, killing Opress and
defeating Maul.[3] Despite Maul's capture and the Hutts
abandoning the Shadow Collective, the Pykes and Black Maul duels his former master
Sun remained loyal to Maul.[8] Maul was held at the prison
known as the Spire on the planet Stygeon Prime, where he was tortured by Darth Sidious and
Sidious' current apprentice Darth Tyranus, more widely known as Count Dooku. The pair
tortured Maul in order to find the location of Mother Talzin, who was secretly behind Maul's
return and was seen as a threat by Sidious.[8]

The prison was run by Dooku's government, the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
Despite the high security, two of Maul's Mandalorian commandos, Rook Kast and Gar Saxon,
were, ordered by Almec, were able to break in and rescue Maul. This was done, and Maul was
returned to Mandalorians on Zanbar, however they were quickly found by the CIS. General
Grievous attacked the location, and many of Maul's Mandalorian troops were killed in the
battle.[8] However, Maul and his remaining Mandalorians retreated to Ord Mantell on
Warships, which was where Black Sun had a presence in Ord Mantell City. After defeating
Separatist forces there,[4] the Separatists attacked Shadow Collective forces at their secret
asteroid base Vizsla Keep 09.[9] Maul intended to use Dooku to bring about Talzin's complete
return to the physical realm, but was thwarted by Grievous and Sidious. Talzin took control
of Dooku's body initially, but, after being attacked by Sidious' Force lightning, she elected to
exit the Count, now fully whole and returned. Eventually, however, Dooku and Sidious both
fired Force lightning at her, and she elected to keep her defense up to protect Maul. As Maul
was pulled to safety by his Mandalorians, Grievous fatally stabbed the Nightsister Mother.[10]

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Though Maul escaped Dathomir, Sidious felt that, with Talzin's death, he was no longer a
threat to his plans. The Shadow Collective itself had also been disrupted. Both the Black Sun
and Pykes had been attacked by the Separatists, leading to both to retract their support. In
addition, a Separatist invasion fleet had been deployed to and attacked Dathomir.[10]

Regrouped
"What's going on?"
"Maul just told the syndicate leaders to go into hiding."
―Gar Saxon and Rook Kast

Despite the Pykes and Black Sun leaving the Collective,

[10] they eventually rejoined.[17] Crimson Dawn had also

become a member of the Collective by the time of the

escape from Oba Diah.[6] When the Siege of Mandalore
began after the Battle of Coruscant, Almec had the rest
of the syndicate informed of the attack while the
Mandalorian super commandos fought off the invading
Maul having a meeting between the
Republic and Mandalorian resistance forces.[18] Shortly
various syndicate leaders of the
afterward, when Almec had been captured and was Shadow Collective and telling them to
later assassinated by Saxon. Meanwhile, Maul made go into hiding.
preparations for the end of the Clone Wars, the former
Sith contacted the Shadow Collective leaders via hologram and ordered them to go into
hiding. He revealed to his warriors that the dark side had never been stronger and that the
galaxy was about to be remade soon. Maul's forces would soon lose control of Mandalore and
Maul was imprisoned after being defeated by Ahsoka Tano.[17] Although the Shadow
Collective collapsed after Maul's defeat,[12] after the execution of Order 66, which Maul had
foreseen, he was able to escape from Tano.[19]

Legacy
Maul survived and led the criminal enterprise Crimson Dawn after
the end of the war. Unlike the Shadow Collective, Maul relied on a
figurehead, Dryden Vos, and later, Qi'ra, to publicly lead the group.
He resided on Dathomir in a stronghold he constructed out of the
ruins of the old Nightsister lair, collecting various objects from his
former conquests, including a portrait of the former Duchess
Satine. After Qi'ra's ascension following Vos's death, Maul told her
to come to Dathomir and told her that they would be working much
more closely.[20] The emblem of the
Crimson Dawn, Maul's
successor to the Shadow
Collective.

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Appearances

Non-canon appearances
Disney Infinity 3.0

Sources

Amis in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)

Black Sun in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
Darth Maul in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
Pre Vizsla in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
Savage Opress in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
The Pykes in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
Star Wars Comics Preview: May 21, 2014 on StarWars.com (backup link)
"Blaster" – Star Wars Insider 151
Star Wars: Complete Locations
Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy
Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
Star Wars Helmet Collection 1 (Databank A-Z: Ask Aak–Stass Allie)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 6 (Databank A-Z: Jar Jar Binks–B'omarr Order)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 13 (Databank A-Z: Poe Dameron–Delta 7-B)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 14 (Databank A-Z: Dengar–Domino Squad)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 19 (Highlights of the Saga: The Death of Jabba the
Hutt)
Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 68 (Secrets of Spaceflight: Smuggling
Bosses)
Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
Star Wars Helmet Collection 34 (Databank A-Z: Davish Krail–Kuat Drive Yards)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 36 (Highlights of the Saga: Attack on Jabba's Palace)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 38 (Databank A-Z: Baze Malbus–Darth Maul)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 39 (Databank A-Z: Kwazel Maw–Sly Moore)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 42 (Databank A-Z: OOM-9–Viceroy Bail Organa)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 46 (Databank A-Z: Providence-class–Raxus)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 49 (Databank A-Z: Serenno–Anakin Skywalker)
Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles (Indirect mention only)
Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition
Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious
Star Wars Helmet Collection 58 (Databank A-Z: Tusken Raiders–Captain Typho)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 68 (Databank A-Z: Pre Vizsla–Quinlan Vos)
Collapse of the Republic
Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
Star Wars Helmet Collection 79 (Databank A-Z: Zabrak–Zillo Beast)
"The Phantom Apprentice" Episode Guide on StarWars.com (backup link)
The Star Wars Book
Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection
Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian: Making of Season Two
Star Wars Bust Collection 4 (Star Wars Universe: Darth Maul)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Character Encyclopedia - Join the Battle!

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 "A Certain Point of View" – Star Wars Insider 202
"Darth Maul and Other Dark Side Followers" – Star Wars
Encyclopedia
"Scarif and Other Outer Rim Planets" – Star Wars Encyclopedia
Pyke Syndicate | Star Wars: Much to Learn on the official Star Wars Kids
YouTube channel (backup link)
Star Wars: The Secrets of the Sith (Indirect mention only)
Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy
Star Wars Inside Intel: Mandalorian Armor on StarWars.com (article) (backup
link)
"Crime and Punishment" – Star Wars Insider 209
Darth Maul's Lightsaber in the Databank (backup link)
Gar Saxon in the Databank (backup link)
Gorga the Hutt in the Databank (backup link)
HH-87 Starhopper in the Databank (backup link)
Pre Vizsla in the Databank (backup link)
Shadow Collective in the Databank (backup link)
Vizsla Keep 09 in the Databank (backup link)
Xomit Grunseit in the Databank (backup link)

Notes and references

1. ↑ Jump up to: 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20
1.21 1.22 Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Eminence"
2. ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 3.2 Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Lawless"
Jump up to: 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4
3. ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Shades of Reason"
Jump up to: 6.0 6.1
4. ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Together Again"
5. ↑ Mandalorian Super Commando in the Databank (backup link)
6. ↑ Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates the events of the episode "Eminence," which includes
the formation of the Shadow Collective to 19 BBY.
7. ↑ Jump up to: 12.0 12.1 Pyke Syndicate on the official Star Wars Kids YouTube channel
(backup link)
8. ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Revival"
9. ↑ "Tales of Villainy: The Hostage"—Star Wars Adventures (2020) 3
10. ↑ Jump up to: 16.0 16.1 Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Shades of
Reason"
11. ↑ Jump up to: 17.0 17.1 17.2 Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Phantom Apprentice"
12. ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Old Friends Not Forgotten"
13. ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Victory and Death"
14. ↑ Solo: A Star Wars Story

External links
How Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir Connects to Solo: A Star Wars Story on
StarWars.com (backup link)

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