Star Wars: Darth Maul Breakdown– He’s Half the Sith He Used to Be
The most interesting parts of Darth Maul’s story begin where most people think his story ended; in the Invasion of Naboo.
Everyone remembers Darth Maul as one of the most promising parts of Phantom Menace. A powerful, cool-looking villain with a red lightsaber, YES! And then promptly one of the biggest disappointments of The Phantom Menace.
But getting cut in half was just the beginning of Maul’s story. Now he’s that character that makes everyone say, “Wait. How is HE still alive?”
Darth Maul’s Origin
Born to Mother Talzin, the leader Dathomir‘s Nightsisters, Maul was a Zabrak with enough force potential to be apprentice to Darth Sidious as a child.
He was trained to hate and seek revenge against the Jedi from day one. This began a life-long obsession with taking revenge against those who he thought wronged him.
Unfortunately, when his time came to face off against an actual Jedi during the Invasion of Naboo, he was only able to fell one before he was defeated by Kenobi.
For many fans, this looked like the end of Maul’s story. Not many people live through being lightsabered in half. But not many people are fueled by pure rage and spite like Maul, either.
Maul reappeared a decade later with a list of new grudges and metal spider legs. After Maul’s “death”, Sidious took on a new apprentice, but Maul continued to consider himself a Sith Lord.
He took on an apprentice of his own; his brother, Savage Opress. Together, the two overthrew and seized power on Mandalore, appointed Death Watch the new governing body of the planet, and moved onto organized crime.
Maul’s criminal enterprises included Black Sun, Pyke Syndicate, and the Hutts. As his power increased, so did his threat level to his old master. This eventually culminated in his capture by Sidious and Opress’s death.
After the Clone Wars
After the Clone Wars, Maul began focusing on his own criminal empire with Crimson Dawn. Heeven made an appearance in Solo: A Star Wars Story as “Hey, how isn’t that guy dead?”
Still fueled by rage and spite, Maul swore revenge on everyone from Sidious to Kenobi, but it would never works out. Instead, he would battle Kanan Jarrus and Ahsoka Tano and try to mentor Ezra Bridger, all unsuccessfully.
The Death of Darth Maul
In the end, Maul seems to have found some semblance of peace. After tracking Kenobi to Tatooine, he felt conflicted, seeing the Jedi reduced to hiding away on a desert planet. He realized he must be protecting the Chosen One and by extension the hope for balance in the Force.
Maul died, still thinking of revenge, and believing that the Chosen One would get revenge on all Sith by destroying them one day in the future.
via Lucasfilm Ltd.
Maul is a character who deserved better than what his cinematic appearances gave him. Fortunately, he got it through the animated shows. He’s a tragic, conflicted, multifaceted antagonist with one of the best aesthetics in the galaxy who was never quite able to succeed.
What’s your favorite Maul moment? Which of his mechanical legs were your favorite? Would like to have seen more of Maul on the big screen? Let us know in the comments!
May The Force Be With You, Adventurers!
