"Eminence": This is the title of the fourteenth episode featured in the animated television show Star Wars: The Clone Wars, specifically from its fifth season. It was originally broadcasted on January 19, 2013. The story presented in this episode follows directly after the events of the episode titled "Revival."
A vessel designated as an escape pod is shown aimlessly floating in the vastness of space, soon to be intercepted and boarded by another spacecraft. Upon docking, members of the Death Watch, including notable figures such as Pre Vizsla and Bo-Katan Kryze, breach the pod's entrance. Inside, they come across the brothers Maul and Savage Opress, both Zabraks, in an unconscious state. Vizsla notices Maul's lightsaber lying nearby. Bo-Katan suggests eliminating the brothers, but Vizsla decides against it, expressing his curiosity about their past. Consequently, the brothers are moved to a Kom'rk-class fighter/transport and transported to the Death Watch camp situated on the planet Zanbar. Once there, Vizsla instructs his subordinates to provide the brothers with any needed assistance, which includes equipping Maul with new prosthetic legs and Savage with a cybernetic arm. As Maul regains consciousness, Vizsla enters the room and begins to interrogate him, discovering that Obi-Wan Kenobi was the one who destroyed their ship and left them stranded.
After Maul's recovery is complete, he is escorted to the command tent where Vizsla awaits. Maul observes the symbol displayed on Vizsla's helmet, prompting Vizsla to reveal his identity as Pre Vizsla of Clan Vizsla and a member of Death Watch. Vizsla explains to Maul that the principles of New Mandalore and its leader, Duchess Satine, have led to Death Watch's ostracization on their own world. Maul questions why Death Watch remains inactive if Mandalore is weak, and Vizsla responds that Kryze has influential allies, including Kenobi, whom Vizsla holds responsible for their exile. Vizsla interprets their meeting as destiny at work, a sentiment Maul echoes, attributing it to the will of the Force. Maul offers his assistance to Death Watch in reclaiming Mandalore and assassinating Kenobi. Bo-Katan voices her distrust of the Sith, considering them no better than the Jedi, leading Maul to use a Force choke on her. Maul assures them that all their enemies will be defeated if Death Watch forms an alliance with the Nightbrothers, after which he releases Bo-Katan. Vizsla then directs Maul to rejoin his brother, allowing Death Watch to deliberate on their next course of action.
Savage awakens and proceeds to destroy the medical droids attending to him. Maul returns to the room, informing Savage that they are under the care of Death Watch and that their true intentions will soon be revealed. Vizsla and Bo-Katan enter to announce Death Watch's decision to form an alliance with them.
Vizsla guides Maul through the Death Watch camp, showcasing the soldiers. Maul acknowledges their strength but points out the need for a larger army to seize Mandalore. He proposes that their first step should be to secure the allegiance of the Black Sun.
The Death Watch and the Zabrak brothers journey to Mustafar, where they are greeted by Ziton Moj. Moj leads Maul, Savage, and Vizsla to the council chambers. Maul extends an invitation to the Black Sun to join their cause, but Xomit Grunseit declines, ordering his men to eliminate the brothers and Death Watch members and seize their weapons and ships. As Moj and the guards advance, Vizsla aims his blaster, and Savage swiftly dispatches one of the soldiers by breaking his neck. Maul offers them a final opportunity to join, but Grunseit refuses again. In response, Savage throws his lightsaber which decapitates the entire leadership. With Moj now in charge, he agrees to the alliance.
As supplies are loaded onto the Death Watch ships, Vizsla approaches Maul with a strategy for taking Mandalore. Maul interrupts, stating that their army is not yet complete and that Vizsla should heed his advice if he wishes to control the planet. Vizsla reluctantly concedes.
Returning to Zanbar, the newly formed army observes several ships from the Pyke Syndicate landing. Lom Pyke and his men disembark, informing Maul of their awareness of his growing army and expressing their desire to join rather than oppose it. He joins and Vizsla declares that they are going to Nal Hutta.
The Shadow Collective arrives at the Hutt Palace on Nal Hutta to negotiate with the Hutt Ruling Council. Inside the council chamber, Maul, Savage, and Vizsla are met by representatives of the Hutt families, with Jabba and Gorga appearing via hologram. The Hutts acknowledge them but are displeased when Maul reveals that they have no monetary compensation to offer in exchange for their allegiance. When Oruba inquires about what they can offer, Maul proposes sparing their lives in exchange for control of Hutt Space and all its resources. The Hutts respond with laughter, and Jabba summons his bounty hunters. Sugi throws a knife at Maul, but Opress intercepts it. The knife is thrown back at the bounty hunters, who then open fire. Maul and Opress fight their way through the guards, while Vizsla ignites the council table with his flamethrower to create a diversion. Jabba angrily orders the bounty hunters to pursue them.
Maul, Opress, and Vizsla reach the landing platform, where a firefight erupts. Aided by Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls, they eliminate several guards and force the bounty hunters to retreat inside. Maul and his followers then pursue them.
As more guards arrive to defend the palace, the brothers and Death Watch quickly overwhelm them. Sugi ambushes Vizsla from above, knocking him down before engaging Maul in combat. Maul attempts to strike her with his lightsaber, but she dodges each attack. Embo battles Savage, using his hat for defense but is eventually knocked to the ground. Vizsla cuts down several guards with his Darksaber. Maul is able to disarm Marrok when smoke grenades are deployed. Latts Razzi and Dengar call for their comrades to retreat. Embo, Sugi, and Marrok comply, and Maul allows them to leave, as they are not essential to his plans.
Maul enters the Hutt Council Hall to find all the council members gone except for Oruba. Unable to extract any information, Maul orders Savage to kill him. Oruba then reveals that they should go to Tatooine. Maul is displeased that all he can give is the location of Jabba's Palace and Savage kills the frightened Hutt anyways.
The Shadow Collective travels to Tatooine and go to Jabba's Palace. They attack and kill most of Jabba's guards in the courtyard and proceed to the throne room where Jabba and Gorga Desilijic Aarrpo are. Jabba decides to join Maul's army.
Vizsla is pleased that they now have enough forces to take Mandalore and Maul reveals that Vizsla will be granted Mandalore while he himself will command a new underworld under Vizsla's protection. Vizsla feels that he has been betrayed and finds Bo-Katan in the courtyard. He tells her that once they have Mandalore, they will kill Maul and Savage alongside Duchess Satine before walking off.
"Eminence" served as the basis for the young reader's book titled The Clone Wars: Darth Maul: Shadow Conspiracy. Initially, Star Wars Insider 137 reported that this episode was the thirteenth of Season Five, but this information was later corrected after the magazine's release.
The US premiere of this episode occurred at a screening hosted by the USO on January 18, 2013, at MCAS Miramar in San Diego, CA. Various cast and crew members were present, including James Arnold Taylor, Ashley Eckstein, Dee Bradley Baker, Matt Lanter, Catherine Taber, Dave Filoni, and Cary Silver. The event featured screenings of both "Eminence" and "The Gathering," along with a video message from George Lucas and a Q&A session with the cast.
The decapitation scene was removed by Cartoon Network for broadcast, but it is included in its entirety in the Director's Cut version of the episode, available on the Blu-ray and DVD release.
According to the official Facebook page for Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the trivia gallery for the episode on StarWars.com, the scene in which Death Watch discovers Maul and Savage Opress's escape pod and illuminates it with flashlights is inspired by the opening scene of the 1986 science-fiction/horror film Aliens, where a salvage team finds Ripley.
The trivia gallery also noted that, due to his humanoid cybernetic legs, Maul is shorter than Opress, which is highlighted when Opress stands up and hits his head on the operation lamp. Furthermore, the mechanical arms used to operate on the Sith brothers were repurposed from mining equipment that appeared in the episode "The Mandalore Plot" on the moon of Concordia, which Pre Vizsla had previously controlled.
The Black Sun logo featured in the meeting room for the Black Sun chairmen, as well as on their attire, is directly taken from the Shadows of the Empire franchise. Additionally, the design and architecture of their fortress on Mustafar are inspired by the Virago, Prince Xizor's ship from the same franchise. The blasters used by the Black Sun soldiers are based on weapons used by the robot guards in the film The Black Hole.
All the Huttese dialogue in the episode was translated from English, with the phrase "Stuka Crispo" meaning "Death Watch."
The trivia gallery also confirmed that the substance on the Pykes' hands and mouth are spice stains resulting from their involvement in the spice trade.
The Kom'rk-class fighter/transport ships seen in the episode are smaller variants of those previously shown in earlier seasons and are equipped with a ventral deployment rack for the Mandalorians.