Why Rheena Sul From Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Sounds So Familiar

Watching "Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord", the last thing you'd expect is a visit from the only son of your favorite propane and propane accessories salesperson, but that's exactly what we're treated to in the show's two-episode premiere. Indeed, the character Rheena Sul, a cool gambler gangster on the planet Janix, has a very familiar voice — specifically, one that's very close to Bobby Hill from "King of the Hill."

That's because they share a voice actor in Pamela Adlon, an artist with a gift for voice acting and an incredible range. Over the course of her long career, she's lent her talents to hundreds of episodes of TV, video games, and movies, including shows like "Adventure Time," "Phineas and Ferb," "Bob's Burgers," and much more. You may have seen her on screen, too, as she made her live-action feature acting debut as Delores Woodchuck in "Grease 2" and was lauded for her work on the series "Louis."

In "Maul — Shadow Lord," we quickly learn that Rheena has a mysterious past that involves the Janix cop Brander Lawson (voiced by Wagner Moura, himself fresh off his Oscar-nominated performance in the political thriller "The Secret Agent"). A fellow with a past of his own, Brander usually turns to Rheena for help whenever he needs information on the planet's assorted criminal activities. She's sure to remind him that it's going to cost him, though.

While Rheena only has a small role in the show's first two episodes, the connection between her and Brander is almost certain to come back into play as "Shadow Lord" continues exploring a different side of Maul (as voiced once again by Sam Witwer here). But more than that, there's a crucial link between Pamela Adlon herself and the voice actor behind an even more pivotal character in the series.

It turns out "Maul — Shadow Lord" is actually a family affair for Pamela Adlon, as her daughter, Gideon Adlon, voices one of the "Star Wars" show's leads. Specifically, the latter plays Devon Izara, the Twi'lek Jedi Padawan whom Maul singles out as his potential new apprentice. 

Gideon Adlon, as it were, is a working actor herself and has followed in her mother's footsteps since making her screen debut in 2011 on "Louie," a show that Pamela Adlon also co-wrote and produced in addition to starring in. (It's important to note that Pamela Adlon publicly cut ties with "Louie" creator and star Louis CK, whom she had previously collaborated with multiple times, after he admitted the sexual misconduct allegations raised against him in 2017 were true.) On top of co-starring in the hit big screen comedy "Blockers," Gideon Adlon has since branched out into voice acting like her mother, having lent her vocals to TV series such as "Pacific Rim: The Black," "Star Trek: Lower Decks," and the since-canceled "Terminator Zero."

For now, Rheena and Devon have yet to share any scenes together on "Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord," but that could change in the future. Until then, you can check out the show's first two episodes on Disney+, with additional episodes releasing two at a time weekly until Monday, May 4.