To give a clear sense of timeline in relation to Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, several events from the film are mentioned in this episode, including the death of Count Dooku, Obi-Wan being sent to Utapau to hunt for General Grievous, and Anakin being assigned to observe the Chancellor.
While interrogating ARC trooper Jesse, Maul employs an invasive mind-reading trick similar to one used by Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The sewer system of Mandalore was developed for these final episodes. The ""hub"" section, where we first encounter Maul, is new, while the tunnels are a reworking of the sub-ground system seen under Lothal in Star Wars Rebels.
Maul is shown talking to holograms of syndicate leaders of his Shadow Collective, including the Black Sun, the Pykes, and Dryden Vos of Crimson Dawn. Dryden Vos first appeared in Solo: A Star Wars Story, played by Paul Bettany.
The Shadow Collective members that Maul confers with were added during the animation phase of the episode, which happens later than the design phase. Both the Falleen and Dryden Vos are made from re-worked existing models; in fact, Vos is a composite of a background Mandalorian citizen and an existing Mandalorian Minister, who has had his face subtly adjusted -- with Obi-Wan's hair added to his head!
Ray Park, who played Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, returned to the role for "The Phantom Apprentice," performing motion-capture for the duel between Maul and Ahsoka. Park devised a new flighting style for Maul to accommodate his age and metal legs.
From a design perspective, Maul was one of the few characters not updated for this run. The only change was the addition of the hood (seen in Solo: A Star Wars Story) to the back of his tunic for his hologram scene in "Together Again," which helped in his reveal.
Bo-Katan, however, received several design updates. She has new eyes, new proportions, new holsters, and her helmet paint job matches the one seen in Star Wars Rebels.
