Star Wars: Darth Maul's ENTIRE ARC Explained

Maul Makes His Return

Over the next couple seasons we get to see what the movie couldn't show us: that Maul's true strength is his intellect. Being raised and trained mostly by Darth Sidious, Maul has learned what most Sith do not: patience. By gathering an army of criminals, mercenaries, and Mandalorian terrorists, Maul conquers the planet of Mandalore, installing a puppet dictator whom he controls from the shadows.

He does all of this knowing that Mandalore's ruler, Satine, is a former lover of Kenobi. With the planet's neutral status, Kenobi will be forced to go rogue and come alone to rescue her, with no military or political aid. It's a true display of great planning, executed flawlessly, for a petty, fruitless endeavor... Kind of like Jay Gatsby ( a comparison I did not go into this expecting to make).

The Sith mantra states, "Through passion, I gain strength; through strength, I gain power; through power, I gain victory; through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall set me free."

During their duel, Kenobi meets Maul's bitterness with empathy, trying in vain to make Maul accept that he had no control over what he became. He was raised by the Nightsisters to be a warrior, groomed by Sidious to be a Sith, used as a weapon, and discarded. Now, free from his masters, Maul simply has to make a choice to be better, to change, to forgive. But Maul is still a slave, his chains of resentment dragging him ever further down the road of defeat.

It doesn't take long for Sidious to find Maul, hoping to remove him as a variable from his grand plan. During their duel, Maul watches helplessly as his former master executes Savage.

"Bother!" Maul mournfully cries, for the first time acknowledging Savage as more than his apprentice. To have any personal attachment to Savage would be seen as a weakness his enemies could exploit. Maul abhors weakness, especially in himself, but only in loss, with nothing left to lose, does Maul acknowledge his vulnerability. Only in loss does Maul see Savage as his brother - his only friend - now gone forever.

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