Darth Maul
Darth Maul (c. 57–32 BBY) is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He was portrayed in the film 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 of the Force from youth, Maul had no emotion aside from bloodlust and rage. By the time Maul was an adolescent, his master had already forged him into a weapon of pure hatred.
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, Dark Lord of the Sith and took him to a new home on Coruscant. The origin of his Sith name is not clear, but it is said to be a portmanteau of the Portuguese words "mau" (=wicked) and "mal" (=evil), which backs up Darth Maul's persona of being pure evil.
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, trained as 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.
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. Yet despite his untold successes, Maul longed for victory over 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. Kenobi would go on to become a general in the Clone Wars over a decade later, and would guide Luke Skywalker along the path to becoming a Jedi and destroying the Empire.
It would later appear as though Maul 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. However, before Skywalker, Sidious acquired a completely different — and also temporary — successor: renegade Jedi Count Dooku, rechristened Darth Tyranus (who would appear in Attack of the Clones and then in Revenge of the Sith .) Maul later was ressurected, going to figh Obi-Wan Kenobi. Once the 2 began to fight, Owen Lars shot Maul in the back of the head. The 2nd time Maul was ressurected, he fought Vader, and was killed. Maul once again came back to life in the Expanded Universe.
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), 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.
- Various online sources claim that Darth Maul's birth name is Khameir Sarin or Khamir Sahn. There is no evidence of this or any real name for the Sith Lord in any official sources. The name is generally attributed to Supershadow, a website known for posting false information about the Star Wars universe.
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
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