10 Star Wars Scenes George Lucas Hated

10. Killing Off Darth Maul - Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Did George Lucas regret killing off Darth Maul at the time? Not at all. In hindsight, the filmmaker clearly had some major regrets at the decision.

Of course, Maul was sliced in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi at the climax of The Phantom Menace. Despite being the greatest part of Episode I, this Sith was now off the chessboard as the franchise moved forward.

In the years since The Phantom Menace's 1999 release, Maul has famously risen from the dead, with him first resurfacing in The Clone Wars in 2008. And why was this Dathomirian Zabrak brought back from his apparent grave? That's because George Lucas realised what a great character he was and so wanted him back in the game.

As The Clone Wars co-creator Dave Filoni explained in the Star Wars Age of Republic: Villains book, Lucas told him that he wanted Darth Maul to be a part of this animated series. When Filoni asked how Maul survived the slice 'n' dice attack of Kenobi, George just told him to "figure it out". From there, Maul would make his return at the end of The Clone Wars' third season.

Going even further, Lucas wanted to position Darth Maul as the main villain of his planned movie sequel trilogy. That was before The Beard sold Lucasfilm to Disney, and thus plans clearly significantly changed by the time Episodes VII, VIII and IX hit the silver screen.