In the very alluring Star Wars universe, the Sith and Jedi battle for dominance. They fight till the end, asserting their beliefs and principles about the force.

Both sides differ in many ways. The light side of the Force favors the Jedi while the dark side is suited for the Sith Lords. As mentioned above, each group has a fair share of warriors and leaders who set an example for the rest.

The Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice, led by characters like Master Yoda, Master Jinn, and Luke Skywalker. On the other hand, names like Darth Sidious, Darth Vader, and Darth Revan vouch for power and evil.

Several other characters, like Darth Maul, have a significant impact on the events of the universe. Darth Maul was a key figure during the Galactic Era and was responsible for the downfall of the Jedi Order.

Let’s peek at one of the most menacing and cunning Sith Lords.

Who is Darth Maul?

One of the most recognized disciples of Darth Sidious, Maul was born on the Dathomir planet to Kycina, a Nightsister of Mother Talzin’s coven. Initially, the Dathomirian was a Nightbrother, one of the faces of the Nightsisters, bound to fight for the dark side.

He was trained by Darth Sidious, who took the young blood under his command upon his mother’s request. Maul’s mother, Kycina, did not wish to see her son suffer the fate of a Nightsister and decided to let him go to the Dark Lord of the Sith. Hence, he was brought up as a student of the dark ways of the Force, destined to become a Sith Lord. 

He was kept from prying eyes in a facility at Mustafar where he learned to become an assassin. During training, he underwent severe punishments when failing to complete certain tasks. His teachers provoked him intentionally to show anger and hatred to qualify as the perfect prospect of Sidious. Interestingly, his master told him to hide his Force ability to solidify his focus on the dark side. Conclusively, the young Dathomirian learned to despise the light side of the Force. 

Maul’s final test to become a Sith Lord was to beat his master in a lightsaber duel. Darth Sidious engaged the young Force user by taunting him, which resulted in the disciple charging at his opponent. While Maul easily lost the duel, he passed the test per his master’s expectation and was crowned a Dark Lord of the Sith.

Early Encounters With the Jedi

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After a difficult training regime, Maul was eager to prove his valour. He encountered Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, who was present at Tatooine to protect the Queen of Naboo. 

The newly stated Sith Lord was more than thrilled to encounter a Jedi and duelled his opponent to his best. Unfortunately for Maul, Master Jinn escaped, which the Sith took as a defeat and vowed to take revenge.  

Despite the setback, Darth Sidious encouraged his apprentice, allowing Maul the chance to avenge his loss in Naboo. In that instance, Maul faced Jinn and his padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and engaged both in a fierce duel. 

He finally defeated the old Master Jinn, but his arrogance let Kenobi escape. He understood the implications of the escape and wasn’t satisfied with his encounter. Maul understood the gravity of the situation and realised that revenge was yet to be taken.

Upon duelling with Kenobi, his body was split into two halves, which was not much use to his master’s plan. Hence, he was sent into exile and deemed a failure by Darth Sidious. The once menacing Darth Maul was a mere reflection of his golden days as he lay in exile while his replacement, Count Dooku, flourished under his master’s guidance.

Maul’s Return and The Shadow Collective

While many proclaimed the former Sith Master dead, only Mother Talzin was aware of Maul’s survival. She commissioned Maul’s brother, Opress, to find his brother and bring him back to the coven. 

Maul returned and was treated to regain strength. Upon advice from Talzin and Opress, he continued his path to avenge his loss to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Since then, both brothers had undergone a rampant journey, killing innocents to lure their target to face them in battle.

They allied with the Mandalorian Forces of Pre Vizsla, forming a group named the Shadow Collective. The main aim behind the group was to take on the Jedi and eliminate any hindrances. Maul benefited a lot from the Shadow Collective forces as he finally got his revenge on Jedi Master Kenobi with their help. 

He discovered his weakness in the form of his relationship with Duchess Satine. He enacted a cleverly thought-out plan and lured Kenobi out of the Jedi stronghold. Kenobi watched as Maul mercilessly killed the Duchess, finally claiming revenge as he laughed off his foe’s reaction. Together, the Dathomirian brothers and Shadow Collective seized control of Mandalore, drawing negative interest from the Jedi and Darth Sidious himself.

Confrontations with Darth Sidious and Downfall

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Initially, Darth Sidious did not heed Maul’s actions but welcomed them as a way to dismantle the Jedi. However, after the Mandalorian conflict, he saw the two Dathomirian brothers as a threat and set out to eliminate the two Sith Lords. 

He easily killed Opress and defeated Maul, taking him as a captive for further use. Sidious wanted information on the Shadow Collective and tortured his former disciple to reveal Mother Talzin’s hideout. He taunted him by informing him about his replacement, Count Dooku, which worked in his favour.

Eventually, the Sith Lord was successful as his forces, led by Count Dooku and General Grievous, defeated Maul’s and Talzin’s forces. Maul was practically defeated, clearing any threats for Darth Sidious to rule over the galaxy.

Analysing Darth Maul’s Character

While possessing traits like anger, hatred, and other forms of negativity, Darth Maul was not completely heartless. 

He respected his opponents, their virtues, and their skills. During battles, he didn’t hesitate to offer painless deaths to enemies he deemed worthy. He was also capable of portraying emotions in his training days when he felt guilty for betraying them under his master’s orders. An instance where he showed love and care was after his brother’s death, where he fought till the end, taking on his master. 

A redeeming quality about Darth Maul was his commitment and total admiration for his master. Darth Sidious was not a forgiving character and often implied torture to get a message through to his students. However, Maul’s deep respect for his teacher made him a valuable asset to the Dark Lord.

He only doubted his master when he realised that he was a pawn in a bigger game plan devised by Sidious. He sensed that he could not succeed and develop further as he wasn’t next in line of Sith Lords. After he felt defeated at the hands of Kenobi, he went through a rough patch. 

Maul lost his sanity and turned ruthless. After being given a second chance thanks to his Dathomirian heritage, he returned as a brutal killing force. He showed no hesitation in killing innocent beings and went on a widely feared killing rampage. 

An interesting character trait of Maul was his determination to understand politics. He established his rule over the Mandalorians by using his political expertise and made them join his forces.

Collectively, Maul had a resilient character who did not easily give up. A disturbing childhood and training period made him mentally strong. This is evident from the time of his death, when he did not plead against his former master but fought him till the end.

Darth Maul’s Strengths and Abilities

Despite concealing his Force nature for a larger part of his training, Darth Maul was a talented Force individual. He showed early signs of power and was immediately taken up by Darth Sidious.

Maul was proficient in many forms of telekinesis. He was an expert in Force Choke, Force Speed, Force Grip, Force Scream, Force Lightning, etc. He also had the ability to combine his Force powers with mechanics, easily outplaying his opponents. 

One of Darth Maul’s main strengths was his lightsaber skills. During his training as an assassin, Maul was put to the test, undergoing various combat forms. He could resist heavy blows while demonstrating his prowess with a lightsaber. He mastered the Form III and Form V dueling forms and was aware of both offensive and defensive strategies. Furthermore, his tactical and calculating mindset helped him tinker with his skills, surprising many of his opponents. 

Final Thoughts

One of the greatest Sith Lords to live, Darth Maul had a unique legacy, which set him apart from other Sith Lords. Starting as a mere assassin, no one contemplated his progress to becoming a powerful Sith Lord, rivalling the status of his master, Darth Sidious.

His existence was cut off by his master for fear of an unwanted rivalry that could dismantle his plans of ruling over the galaxy.