"Brothers" marks the twenty-first installment within the fourth season of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated television program. It serves as the third chapter of a narrative arc, spanning four episodes, that delves into the destinies of Asajj Ventress, the Nightsisters, and a pair of Nightbrothers. This storyline commenced with the preceding episodes: "Massacre" and "Bounty." Its original broadcast occurred on March 9, 2012.
"Savage Opress, a formidable warrior, embarks on a mission to locate his long-lost sibling. Could it be that Darth Maul, thought to be deceased for over a decade following his violent severing by Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber, is actually alive? Savage journeys to a bizarre planet's depths, seeking to discover the fate of the fallen Sith Lord."
Savage Opress continues his search for his missing brother, the former Sith Lord Maul, a task assigned by Mother Talzin. However, his power grows daily, making him increasingly difficult to control. Consequently, Count Dooku alerts General Grievous to Savage's escalating strength. Simultaneously, Asajj Ventress and Anakin Skywalker both sense an unsettling shift involving their respective allies, Latts Razzi and Ahsoka Tano.
In the meantime, while evading authorities after an incident at a local diner on Stobar, Opress uncovers subtle indications of Maul's location within the dust clinging to various cargo containers. Tracing their origin to a freighter that recently visited Lotho Minor, he coerces the captain into transporting him there. Skywalker, in a parallel development, visits the same diner shortly after the altercation, leading to a confrontation where the diner's proprietor, Loubo, attempts to defend his establishment with a frying pan before the misunderstanding is resolved.
Upon arrival, and after Opress identifies Maul's whereabouts in the local junkyard, he abandons the captain for overshooting the location where Opress's pendant illuminated and proceeds in search of his sibling. The amulet, provided by Mother Talzin to track Maul, soon malfunctions, but a resident Anacondan named Morley offers his assistance. Evading the planet's inherent dangers – refuse incinerator droids, a group of aggressive Junkers, and a torrent of acid rain – they reach a shelter where Opress' amulet reactivates, signaling Maul's proximity. At this precise moment, Morley betrays Opress, sending him down a shaft into the junkyard's subterranean realm, where his "master" intends to deal with Opress.
Deep within the tunnels beneath the junk, Opress is hunted and attacked by a spider-like entity, ultimately revealed to be a weakened and deranged Maul, transformed into a centauroid half-spider cyborg. Morley reappears at this inconvenient time, requesting "leftovers," and under Opress' forceful grip, admits that while he exploited Maul for his own benefit, he was not responsible for Maul's transformation into a cyborg or his current insane state, before being strangled to death. During their exchange, Maul, amidst his erratic ramblings, recounts his descent into this pathetic condition and his desire for vengeance against the Jedi, especially the one responsible for his suffering. However, Opress's mission, and the threat it poses, has not escaped the notice of the galaxy's most powerful Force users, compelling Yoda to inform Obi-Wan Kenobi that a past adversary has returned from the grave to haunt him once again.
Details originating from "Brothers" initially appeared in the young-adult novel titled The Wrath of Darth Maul by Ryder Windham, which was published in January 2012.
This episode marked the first instance in the series to feature a red opening logo instead of the customary yellow. The succeeding episode, "Revenge," also utilizes the same red opening logo due to its continued focus on Maul and his brother.
The broadcast version of the episode commenced with Dooku engaging in a discussion with General Grievous regarding the threat posed by Opress. Originally, this scene was intended to conclude Act 1 of the episode, with the actual starting point of the episode being the scene where Mother Talzin mapped the route to find Opress' brother, Maul.
The deleted scene titled "Savage in the Diner" was included in the Jedi Temple Archives section of The Complete Season Four Blu-ray release. This scene features waitress droid Marwigo's sole line of dialogue, but despite its removal, Ashley Eckstein still received credit for voicing the character in the final episode.