Darth Maul

Darth Maul (c. 57–32 BBY) is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He was portrayed in the film ' by martial arts specialist Ray Park, and voiced by British actor Peter Serafinowicz.

Biography

Born circa 57 BBY, Darth Maul was an 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.

Related Topics:
Darth Sidious - Zabrak - Iridonia

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Indoctrinated in the ways of the dark side of the Force from youth, Maul had no emotion aside from bloodlust and rage. During his training, any show of fear was severely punished by Sidious, 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.

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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, Sidious returned and challenged his apprentice to a duel, one which Maul lost. Sidious then told Maul that he had been secretly training another apprentice to replace him. Rage and hatred overwhelmed Maul, and in one final act of defiance he nearly killed his master. When Maul's emotions were finally spent, he prepared himself for death, yet Sidious laughed instead. By wanting to kill his own master, Maul had in fact passed the final test. Sidious proclaimed him Darth Maul and took him to a new home on Coruscant.

Related Topics:
Outer Rim - Droids - Coruscant

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Maul was skilled with the lightsaber, trained by Sidious to be a master of , 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. Maul was a master of the fighting style teräs käsi, and was also skilled in the Jar'Kai style of wielding a lightsaber in each hand.

Related Topics:
Lightsaber - Jedi - Acrobatic - Martial arts - Hand-to-hand combat - Exar Kun - Teräs käsi

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Maul was also skilled with combining Force talents with mechanics. Sidious 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. Sidious also gave Maul a powerful transport — a Sith Infiltrator called Scimitar — which hosted a cloaking shield generator. This vehicle was developed by Raith Sinear, the man whose company would later develop the TIE fighter for the Galactic Empire.

Related Topics:
Mechanics - Speeder bike - Sith Infiltrator - TIE fighter - Galactic Empire

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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.

Related Topics:
Politician - Merchant - Warlord

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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 his wise apprentice 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.

Related Topics:
Amidala - Qui-Gon Jinn - Obi-Wan Kenobi - Galactic Republic - Tatooine - Revenge - Tusken Raiders - Pirate

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In 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. Darth Maul then finally succeeded in slaying Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn whose abilities were conquered only because of his age; he was not the young, spriteful fighter that thrived in his spirit. However, overconfidence, a common personality trait among the Zabrak race, led to Maul's own immediate downfall when he then challenged Jinn's shocked apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi. After Maul kicked the vengeful Obi-Wan into a bottomless pit, he taunted the Jedi who dangled helplessly by a ledge, watching his lightsaber fall down, down, down... into the abyss. But by calming his anger over his master Qui-Gon Jinn's murder, and connecting with the Force, Obi-Wan Kenobi was able to make a spectacular leap out of the shaft and in doing so he Force-guided Qui-Gon's lightsaber that lay beside his body into his own hands. Wasting no time in striking as he landed from his jump, young Obi-Wan quickly sliced the astounded Darth Maul in two before he could react and watched as Maul's halves fell down through the pit. Kenobi then mourned the death of his master who spoke his few last words and then passed on. Obi-Wan Kenobi would go on to become a general in the Clone Wars a decade later and also a hero of the Galactic Civil War.

Related Topics:
Battle of Naboo - Qui-Gon Jinn - Clone Wars - Galactic Civil War

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