In the year 2 BBY, [Maul](/article/maul], previously known as a Sith Lord, took the crew of the Ghost as prisoners. His goal was to acquire both the Jedi and Sith holocrons that were in the possession of the rebellion.
After the events that transpired on Malachor, Maul began a quest to obtain the Sith holocron that Ezra Bridger had secured and Kanan Jarrus's holocron. Aware that Ezra and Kanan were members of the Phoenix Cell, Maul devised a scheme. Initially, he launched an assault on the crew of a Sphyrna-class Hammerhead corvette, compelling them to transmit a distress call to the Ghost. Hera Syndulla, the Ghost's captain and Phoenix Leader, responded to the distress signal from the corvette. Displaying his command of the Force, Maul subdued Hera, Chopper, Garazeb Orrelios, and Sabine Wren. Maul confined his captives using binders and assigned reprogrammed tour guide droids to watch over them.
Subsequently, Maul made contact with Kanan and Ezra. He demanded that the Jedi surrender both the Sith holocron and Kanan's Jedi holocron in exchange for the lives of their comrades. Kanan and Ezra reluctantly agreed to Maul's terms and journeyed back to Atollon to retrieve the Sith holocron from the Bendu, who was safeguarding it. In the meantime, Maul compelled Hera to guide him on a tour of the vessel to locate Kanan's holocron. Despite her resistance, Maul successfully extracted the information from her mind using the Force. Maul discovered that the holocron was concealed within a drawer in Kanan's living quarters. On Atollon, Ezra and Kanan successfully recovered the Sith holocron after surviving a trial established by the Bendu. The two Jedi were required to venture into a den inhabited by krykna to reclaim the holocron. Through these challenges, they repaired their fractured relationship.
Returning to the Ghost, Hera initiated a rescue attempt. Responding to her cue, Zeb propelled Chopper into a pair of tour guide droids. The rebels then incapacitated the droids before descending the ladder into the cargo bay. When Maul pursued them, the four rebels attempted to trap the former Sith by activating the magnetizer. However, Maul employed his lightsaber to escape and engaged the crew in combat. Using the Force, Maul threw Hera, Sabine, and Zeb to the floor. He also forced Chopper into a neighboring chamber. Maul then cautioned his prisoners that their survival depended on their continued usefulness to him.
In accordance with their agreement, Ezra and Kanan traveled aboard an A-wing starfighter to the Mandalorian asteroid station Vizsla Keep 09. Maul welcomed the Jedi and instructed his tour guide droids to escort Ezra to the command center. He cautioned the Jedi that he would execute his friends if Ezra disabled his droids or attempted to escape. Maul then led Kanan into an airlock where he attempted to eliminate the Jedi Knight by exposing him to the vacuum of space. Nevertheless, Kanan survived and successfully rescued Hera, Chopper, Zeb, and Sabine from being executed by Maul's tour guide droids. The former Sith had promised to spare Ezra's friends, but was secretly planning to kill the Spectres with the exception of Ezra, whom he hoped to recruit as an apprentice.
Following the activation of the holocrons, Maul informed Ezra that he desired to combine their abilities to discover hope. The holocrons enveloped the command center in a pink burst of light. Maul perceived nothing but oblivion. However, Ezra observed twin suns and relayed this information to Maul. Delving deeper, Maul realized that his longtime adversary Obi-Wan Kenobi was still alive. At that moment, Kanan and the other rebels arrived and persuaded Ezra to terminate the ritual. Ezra closed his eyes, and the vision ceased, causing the holocrons to separate with a shockwave that briefly rendered the rebels unconscious. Maul, however, seized the opportunity to escape aboard his starfighter Nightbrother. After the ordeal, Ezra and Kanan pledged to uncover the meaning of the vision together. By declining Maul's proposition, Bridger had also fully embraced the light side of the Force.
The initial depiction of Maul's capture of the Ghost crew was in the Star Wars Rebels episode entitled "The Holocrons of Fate," which premiered on Disney XD on October 1, 2016.