Star Wars: Ranking Every Major Death From Worst To Best

The Death: Darth Maul manages to defeat Qui-Gon Jinn on Naboo but is then sliced in half by a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the closing stages of The Phantom Menace.

Ranking Explained: There is no denying that The Phantom Menace is a drab Star Wars affair. Characters such as Jar Jar Binks, Watto, and Boss Nass all go down like a lead balloon, but Darth Maul is regarded as one of the finer points from an otherwise dire first prequel outing.

With his red and black face, devil horns, and double-ended lightsaber, Lucas struck gold. And though Maul's character does not get the screen time his traits perhaps deserved, his death is one of the most memorable scenes of the entire saga. He defeats Qui-Gon in a dramatic final showdown with the Jedi and his apprentice, Kenobi, but is then sliced in half by Ewan McGregor’s character with his body spiralling down a bottomless chute that only seems to exist in the Star Wars universe. The combat is truly stunning and John Williams’ Duel of the Fates score adds to its blockbuster feel.

Maul would later be brought back to life via cartoon series The Clone Wars and Rebels, but his first death is undeniably one of the series’ most captivating scenes, and significantly better than the second.