Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
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What is Maul’s lightsaber saying at the end of the third episode of Shadow Lord? The subtitles say it whispers an alien language, but you can clearly hear “Rahtahmah.” That is part of the chant in Duel of the Fates, one of the most iconic pieces John Williams ever composed for Star Wars. The words are sanskrit, translated from a Welsh poem called Battle of the Trees. I would recommend checking out The Soundtrack Show by David W. Collins, who works in the sound department at Lucasfilm and voiced Spybot in Shadow Lord. But he did an entire episode all about Duel of the Fates, talking about the creation of the song, and what the chant means. In short, it’s a collection of words that don’t necessarily make up a complete sentence, but just mean things like battle, dread, rage, and so on. It’s a fascinating listen. But in the context of Shadow Lord, I think it’s just meant to evoke the Force and the dark side and shifting fates, probably specifically Devon’s fate. I don’t necessarily think Maul’s lightsaber is literally speaking to him, I think that sound is more a signal for the audience. But that’s just my take, any read of the scene is up for interpretation, so what’s yours?
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Visit our store: swexplainedstore.com
What is Maul’s lightsaber saying at the end of the third episode of Shadow Lord? The subtitles say it whispers an alien language, but you can clearly hear “Rahtahmah.” That is part of the chant in Duel of the Fates, one of the most iconic pieces John Williams ever composed for Star Wars. The words are sanskrit, translated from a Welsh poem called Battle of the Trees. I would recommend checking out The Soundtrack Show by David W. Collins, who works in the sound department at Lucasfilm and voiced Spybot in Shadow Lord. But he did an entire episode all about Duel of the Fates, talking about the creation of the song, and what the chant means. In short, it’s a collection of words that don’t necessarily make up a complete sentence, but just mean things like battle, dread, rage, and so on. It’s a fascinating listen. But in the context of Shadow Lord, I think it’s just meant to evoke the Force and the dark side and shifting fates, probably specifically Devon’s fate. I don’t necessarily think Maul’s lightsaber is literally speaking to him, I think that sound is more a signal for the audience. But that’s just my take, any read of the scene is up for interpretation, so what’s yours?
Subscribe for more Star Wars videos every day!
Join this channel to get access to perks:
youtube.com/channel/UCIKlsX1qfGqKPt4KAW-JOZg/join
Support the channel: patreon.com/starwarsexplain
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@starwarsexplain
Instagram: instagram.com/starwarsexplained
Twitter: twitter.com/StarWarsExplain
Second channel: youtube.com/channel/UC5KUexDNjIDcGPz4nAY9mBw
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/starwarsexplained
Discord: discord.gg/ZPwEnDT
Thumbnails by: twitter.com/bryaneward
Mailing Address
Star Wars Explained
1227 Rockbridge Rd SW
Ste 208 PMB 264
Stone Mountain, GA 30087
This channel is not affiliated in any way with Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC, The Walt Disney Company, or any of their affiliates or subsidiaries.
