LucasfilmWhen Star Wars shifted to the prequel trilogy, the tone switched, too. Gone was the scrappy Rebel Alliance; for most of the prequels, the action takes place in the halls of the Jedi Council or in the Galactic Senate. With this turn to the political thriller, much of the action was brought back to Coruscant, the capital of the Star Wars galaxy. Coruscant became synonymous with urban jungle, dark alleys, deathstick dealers, and greasy spoon diners. But, as Star Wars’ latest series proves, just because Coruscant is the main city in the galaxy, it’s by no means the only one. Warning! Spoilers for Maul: Shadow Lord Episodes 1 and 2 ahead!Maul: Shadow Lord’s Janix is a city untouched by the Empire, at least, not for a while. | LucasfilmMaul: Shadow Lord is a cat-and-mouse crime thriller centered around Maul, the Zabrak anti-hero we all know and love (or love to hate), and Captain Brander Lawson, a single dad space cop who just wants to apprehend this crime lord before he wrestles out of his grasp. This neo-noir is all set in a bustling city planet, but much to many fans’ surprise, this is not, in fact, Coruscant. In fact, it’s Janix, a planet described by Marvel’s official website as “a neon-lit, shadow-soaked maze of a planet that lies beyond the reach of the Empire.” So why introduce this city that, in basically every way, resembles Coruscant? In planets, much like in real estate, it all boils down to location, location, location. One of the key traits of Janix is that the Empire hasn’t really interfered with it yet, meaning its law enforcement is, for now, independent. However, that could change at any time (and, judging by the Star Destroyer seen in the trailer, probably will), so Brander has to go about his investigation without ruffling too many feathers, including his ex-wife, who works for the Empire herself.Captain Brander Lawson has to step lightly to protect his squad — and his planet — from the Empire. | LucasfilmSo while this planet may look like Coruscant, it really can’t be Coruscant, just because it’s supposed to be a sleepy, little-known planet, not the Planet that Never Sleeps. Plus, this series features Jedi in hiding — Coruscant would not be a great place to be on the run. But how else does this city differentiate itself from Coruscant? One of Star Wars’ best strengths is building distinct cultures from scratch, so we’re sure to find out more over the next few weeks. But even if this is the only project we’ll see Janix appear in, it’s at least a comfort to know the city lovers in the Star Wars galaxy have more choices than just Coruscant — the cost of living there must be insane after the Clone Wars. Maul: Shadow Lord is now streaming on Disney+.