Darth Maul
Darth Maul (c. 57 – 32 BBY) is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He was portrayed in Episode I: The Phantom Menace by martial arts specialist Ray Park, and voiced by British actor Peter Serafinowicz.
Biography
Born circa 57 BBY, Darth Maul was the first known apprentice to Darth Sidious. A Zabrak originally from Iridonia, Maul had no memories of his homeworld or family, having been kidnapped as an infant by Sidious.
Indoctrinated in the ways of the Dark Side from youth, Maul had no emotion aside from bloodlust and rage. During his training, any show of fear was severely punished by Sidious, and any hint of mercy rewarded with cruelty. By the time Maul was an adolescent, his master had already forged him into a weapon of pure hatred. Marked by Sith tattoos that covered his entire muscular body, the young Zabrak was now the ultimate tool of the dark side. Despite this rather traumatic childhood (if it could be called that), Maul had fatherly feelings toward his master (perhaps something more than respect), and never once contemplated killing him—until his final test.
The ultimate test came when Maul was abandoned by his master on an isolated Outer Rim world, forced to survive alone while being hunted by hordes of assassin droids. After a month's time, his master returned and challenged his apprentice to a duel, one which Maul lost. Sidious then told Maul that he had failed and he had been secretly training a replacement for him. Rage and hatred overwhelmed Maul, and, in one final act of defiance, he nearly defeated his master. When Maul's emotions were finally spent, he prepared himself for death, yet his master laughed instead. By wanting to kill his own master, Maul had in fact passed the final test. His master proclaimed him Darth Maul and took him to a new home on Coruscant. Unlike later apprentices, Tyranus and Vader, Maul had no ambition to strike down his master. He did realize, however, that Sith tradition required the death of his master before he could acquire an apprentice of his own.
Maul was skilled with the lightsaber. According to Star Wars Insider # 62, Darth Maul was trained by Darth Sidious to be a master of Form VII, which draws on emotions and the dark side. Unlike the traditional dueling techniques of most Jedi, Maul combined his swordsmanship with incredible acrobatic and martial arts and hand-to-hand combat skills, making him a nearly unstoppable dervish of destruction. When fighting multiple opponents, Maul extended the second blade of his double-bladed lightsaber to form a saberstaff, doubling his lethality. Maul often used this to catch opponents by surprise, as few were prepared for the extra blade. Maul had based his lightsaber design upon Exar Kun's and was a master of the fighting style teräs käsi, as well as an adept in the Jar'Kai style of wielding a lightsaber in each hand. When fighting multiple opponents, Maul extended the second blade of his double-bladed lightsaber to form a saberstaff, doubling his lethality. Maul often used this to catch opponents by surprise, as few were prepared for the extra blade. Maul had constructed this weapon himself, using ancient plans stored within one of the Sith Holocrons the Sith still possessed. He had based his lightsaber design upon Exar Kun's.
Maul was skilled with combining Force talents with mechanics. His master gave Maul the funds and schematics he needed and provided him with a secret facility on Coruscant in which to work. There, Maul constructed his signature speeder bike Bloodfin and the Dark Eye seeker droids. Maul had a powerful transport — a Sith Infiltrator called Scimitar — which hosted a cloaking shield generator. This vehicle was developed by Raith Sienar, the man whose company would later develop the TIE fighter for the Galactic Empire.
Maul originally went on countless missions of terror for his master, killing politicians, crime bosses, merchants and warlords. Maul's very appearance had been carefully conceived to put fear into the heart of the Sith's enemies and unwitting allies. Victims of him included Neimoidian Hath Monchar, the Black Sun leader Alexi Garyn, nightsister guard Mighella and all of the Black Sun vigos, which included Darnada and Morn. Yet despite his untold successes, Maul longed for victory over the Jedi.
During the events of Episode I: the Phantom Menace, Maul was sent to capture Queen Amidala and eliminate the two Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had been dispatched by the Galactic Republic to settle the conflict and protect the queen. Maul just barely failed in this task on Tatooine and he thirsted for revenge. Fighting Tusken Raiders and Togorian pirates put a drain on him by the time he left Tatooine.
Upon arriving on Naboo, the hatred-fueled Sith warrior went straight at the two Jedi, ignoring the queen and allowing her to escape. In a vicious duel during the Battle of Naboo, Maul was remarkably able to fend off both of his Jedi opponents with the help of his double-bladed lightsaber. Maul then finally succeeded in slaying Qui-Gon. However, overconfidence, a common personality trait among the Zabrak species, led to Maul's own immediate downfall when he then challenged Kenobi. Obi-Wan, enraged at his master's death, struck out at Maul with a furious assault of lightsaber swipes. But by doing this, he put himself at great risk. Maul eventually Force Pushed the vengeful Obi-Wan into a pit. He taunted the Jedi, who dangled helplessly by a ledge, watching his lightsaber fall down into the abyss. But by calming his anger over Jinn's death, and connecting with the Force, Kenobi was able to make a spectacular leap out of the shaft, and Force-guided Jinn's lightsaber into his own hands. Wasting no time in striking as he landed from his jump, Kenobi quickly sliced the astounded Darth Maul in two before he could react. Maul barely had time to grimace as his body tumbled down the shaft in two pieces.
It was an unfortunate setback for Darth Sidious. However, for a calculating man with access to the future, it was not entirely a disaster; perhaps it was even deliberate. Within a year, Maul would be replaced by former Jedi Count Dooku. Like Maul, it would later appear as though Dooku had in fact just been a pawn in play for the indefinite use of Darth Sidious until the Sith Lord had found his true desire for an apprentice: Anakin Skywalker.
Some fans think that Maul should have been able to realize that Obi-Wan was going to use Qui-Gon's saber; but various sources say that Qui-Gon used what little Force powers he had left to slow the battle so Obi-Wan could defeat Maul.
Echo in the Force
A couple years after his death, an apparition of Darth Maul would later appear to Jedi Anakin Skywalker in a cave on Ilum. Anakin was to enter a cave similar to the one Luke Skywalker (his son) had to enter on Dagobah. Anakin was in a trance-like state and when Darth Maul appeared, Anakin immediately attacked him. After a furious battle, Anakin won. However, as real as he might have looked, Maul was a creation of the dark side.
Real Name and Sith Title
Darth Maul’s pre-Sith name is unknown; various online sources allegedly claim that Maul’s birth name is Khameir Sarin. The name is apparently derived from foreign translations of the Episode 1 novelization, as well as some foreign translations of the Virtual Encyclopedia. It was cut from the original English version of the Episode I novelization. Maul’s real name has yet to be substantially proven. SuperShadow has latched on to this name and included it in his own Star Wars history. However, SuperShadow is a website known for posting false information about the Star Wars universe and what he say’s cannot be considered canon.
The origin of his Sith name is not clear, but it could be a portmanteau of the Portuguese words “mau” (wicked) and “mal” (evil); this backs up Darth Maul’s persona of being pure evil. It could also come from the English word “maul.” As a noun, it means a type of heavy hammer; as a verb, it means to injure a person by beating.
Life after Death
Although Darth Maul officially died on Naboo at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi, two comic book short stories published by Dark Horse Comics have depicted alternate versions of how Maul actually survived being completely bisected (and falling down a seemingly bottomless chasm).
In 2003, Star Wars Tales #17 featured the story "Phantom Menaces" by Joe Casey and Francisco Paronzini, which depicts a post-Episode VI Jedi Master Luke Skywalker visiting Maul's home planet of Iridonia in an ambassadorial capacity. In his guest quarters, Luke is attacked by a ghostly but evidently solid appirition of Darth Maul which fades away after a short fight. He is informed by his hosts that it is supposedly the ghost of their infamous former countryman-turned-Sith. Doubting this explanation due to the spectre's solidity and "tremor in the Force", Luke hunts for the source of the phenomenon.
He is confronted by the spirit one more time before finding a hidden laboratory where a mad Iridonian scientist by the name of Drell Kahmf is tending to a cyber-wired brain suspended in a vat of liquid. Kahmf reveals that he regarded Maul as "Iridonia's greatest champion" and upon his death at Theed (somehow) salvaged the Sith's brain, resuscitated it, and installed it in in his lab with a device granting it the ability to generate a "solid-state hologram" projection of its former body. Luke declares that "artificially keeping him alive is causing an unnatural disturbance in the Force" and scares Kahmf away before switching off the life-support system sustaining Maul's disembodied brain.
Subsequently, in 2005, Dark Horse published Star Wars: Visionaries, a compilation of comic art short stories written and illustrated by members of the Episode III art department and ILM artists. The opening story, "Old Wounds" by Aaron McBride is set in "the third year Imperial Occupation" and begins with Owen Lars trying to teach new words to a toddler-age Luke Skywalker. They see a strange figure on the horizon running towards the Lars Homestead, and Owen instructs Beru to bring him his rifle and take the boy inside. The figure dodges warning shots with ease and uses the Force to disarm Owen before smashing the weapon over his head. Standing on strange, triple-jointed droid legs and concealed by a dark hood, the figure calls out through the Force to an unseen enemy he can nevertheless sense. The evil psychic voice claims to have been tracking this adversary for years, just missing him on Kamino, Geonosis and Mustafar (viewing the crispy body of Anakin Skywalker at the time), and killed witnesses on Polis Massa before finally gaining crucial information on Mos Epsa from an aged Watto, whom he beheaded for his trouble. The dark creature declares that he knew threatening Luke would bring his adversary out into the open, to which the hidden voice finally asks through the Force "Does Palpatine know?". The cyborg-legged monster replies "No. There is no Palpatine. No Empire. No Jedi. There is no Light. No Dark. ...Just you and I here now." At this point, a newly grey-haired Obi-Wan Kenobi bursts out from the sand (a concealment technique clasically employed by the ninja) and the dark figure casts off his hood and reveals himself to be Darth Maul, his severed lower body replaced by a pair of large, dog-legged cybernetic legs and abdomen, and his cranial horns having grown, crown-like, to over three times their original length. Consumed with greater hatred than ever before and clearly having never resumed contact with his former master, Maul had dedicated his new life to avenging himself on the man who had bested and mutilated him. Kenobi and Maul engage in furious combat, in which Maul loses a further arm and some horns before being held at Kenobi's mercy. With his lightsabre hilt to Maul's forehead and his finger on the blade-ignition button, Kenobi hesitates to execute his helpless opponent, but has the decision taken out of his hands when the revived Owen blows the former Sith's head apart with his damaged rifle. Kenobi says he will take the body and burn it in the Dune Sea, and asks if Luke is okay. Owen replies "I told you I'd keep him safe, and I will. Even if that means from YOU. You don't come back here. Understand?" Kenobi departs with Maul's corpse, speaking to Luke through the Force, assuring him "Don't worry. I'll be right here... even if you can't see me."
Presumably neither of these stories are to be considered as strictly canonical. Not only do they contradict each other, but they also have intrinsically questionable status in the Star Wars canon. Even though Star Wars' system of tiered canonicity might allow for either story to be true as neither directly contradicts information in the actual films, the first tale was published under the implicitly non-continuity "Infinities" imprint, while the second is of uncertain status due to the overall nature of the Visionaries collection in regards to canon.
Appearances
Darth Maul first appeared in The Phantom Menace, but, to the disappointment of many fans, his character was killed by the end of the film. Maul's striking visual design, in addition to his limited role, have left many fans wanting to know more about his character.
According to IMDB, “. . .Though curious Star Wars fanatics clamored to rumors that Ray Park would return as Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), their many speculations were shot down by George Lucas himself with the announcement that although that specific character would not return for the sequel, Park would indeed play a role in Episode II. . . .”
Maul's earlier escapades are documented in the following works: Jedi Council: Acts of War (comic book miniseries), Darth Maul: Saboteur (ebook), Darth Maul (comic book miniseries), Resurrection (comic book miniseries), Episode I Adventures: The Fury of Darth Maul (novella), Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter (novel), and Episode I Journal: Darth Maul (novella).
Trivia
- Darth Maul only blinks once, just after he is sliced in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi.
- The lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul took nearly a month to film.
Quotes
- "At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge." - The Phantom Menace
- "Tatooine is sparsely populated. If the trace was correct, I will find them quickly, master." - The Phantom Menace.
- "Fear. Fear attracts the fearful. The strong. The weak. The innocent. The corrupt. Fear. Fear is my ally." - TV spot for The Phantom Menace
- "You worms are no match to the Dark Side!" - Star Wars BattleFront II, video game
References
- Darth Maul (Star Wars: Episode I Journal), 2000. Jude Watson, ISBN 0-613-24763-9
- Star Wars: Darth Maul, paperback (Graphic No edition), 2001. Ron Marz, Jan Duursema, Rick Magyar, ISBN 1-569-71542-4
- Star Wars Jedi Council: Acts of War, paperback (Graphic No edition), 2001. Randy Stradley, Davide Fabbri, Christian Dalla Vecchia, ISBN 1-569-71539-4
- Star Wars Tales: Volume 6, paperback (Graphic No edition), 2006. Robert Williams, Thomas Andrews, Ian Edginton, Lucas Maragnon, ISBN 1-59307-447-6
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Novelization, 1st edition paperback, 1999. Terry Brooks, George Lucas, ISBN 0-345-43411-0
- Darth Maul: Saboteur, e-book, 2001. James Luceno, ISBN B-000-05AAM-X
- Shadow Hunter (Star Wars: Darth Maul), paperback, 2001. Michael Reaves, ISBN 0-345-43541-9
- The New Essential Guide to Characters, 1st edition, 2002. Daniel Wallace, Michael Sutfin, ISBN 0-345-44900-2
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 1999. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-789-44701-0
- Star Wars Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, 1st edition, 2000. Bill Slavicsek, Andy Collins, ISBN 0-786-91793-8
- The Dark Side sourcebook, Wizards of the Coast, 1st printing, 2001. Bill Slavicsek, J. D. Wiker, ISBN 0-786-91849-7