Star Wars: 5 Reasons Darth Maul's Death Was A Good Idea (And 1 Way It Could Have Been Made Better)

4. It Provided Closure To Episode I

The heroes€™ objective at the end of Episode I was to capture the Viceroy and free Naboo. Darth Maul showed up to stop them. The Jedi fought Darth Maul to stop him from stopping them, and it all turned out right in the end. So ending The Phantom Menace with Maul alive would have left us with a massive problem; whether he€™s well or injured or down the hole, we would end the film with a live Sith Lord in the same building as the Queen. If you end with Maul walking away from the duel scot-free, he would have to go and foil Amidala€™s plan and change the entire course of events, or create a massive plot hole; why would Maul just leave when he was put there to look after the Viceroy? Alternatively, if you had Maul fall down the hole, you€™d have to have some Pythonesque scene in Episode II to say that it took Maul ten years to climb out. Also, you have Obi-wan€™s slaying of Maul as his rite of passage to Knighthood, which would be harder to explain otherwise. To end with Maul dead and most plot threads tied up actually moves the story along quicker.