Star Wars is highly regarded as the Holy Grail of the entire
Science Fiction genre. George Lucas created a highly diverse universe,
populated with countless worlds, species, and technologies, while also managing
to throw a healthy dose of fantasy in the mix. It has even become
self-sustaining, as the Star Wars series has expanded far beyond the 6 movies
that Lucas created as numerous writers have written novels from millennia before
the story to millennia after. And out of these stories, many evil villains have
arisen. From the original movies, however, the villain that stood out most to
me was the evil Zabrak Sith, Darth Maul.
Recruited by Darth Sidious from his home planet of Dathomir,
Maul was trained from a young age in the ways of the Sith. Maul quickly learned
to use the Dark Side of the Force from his new Master, and soon grew a
reputation for ruthlessness and pure hatred, though he maintained a sense of
honor, respecting those opponents he deemed worthy. (Though his respect was
limited to granting them quick, painless deaths rather than long, drawn-out
ones) Count Dooku, Darth Sidious’s second apprentice, called Maul nothing more
than a savage beast, but this savagery contributes to his character, making him
an even more frightening villain, as there was never any chance for reason with
him; only battle and death.
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| Doesn't get much more terrifying than this, readers. |
Like the rest of his Sith brethren, Maul wears a long black
cloak to conceal his identity and appearance, and for very good reason, as his visage
is quite terrifying to behold. Though his structure is the same as a normal
human, Maul’s bald head boasts a set of vestigial horns. A tribal pattern
tattoo covers the majority of his face, his skin is blood red, his hateful irises
a sickly yellow tinged with red, and his ever-present grimace exposes rotten
teeth. The result of all this gives Maul the appearance of none other than the
devil himself, enhanced by an expression of malice that never seems to leave
his face. While according to Lucas, all of these traits are common in the
Zabrak race, with variations in horn size and skin and eye color, Maul is still
imprinted on the consciousness of many Sci-Fi lovers everywhere as one of their
worst nightmares. In my opinion, Maul’s visage is even more frightening than
Darth Vader, as Vader’s suit tends to diminish his humanity to the point where
we can no longer associate with him, whereas Maul is both young and visible. It
serves as a visual reminder of what we could become if we chose a path of evil
rather than good.
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| Flying in style. Evil style. |
Aside from the Force, Maul also demonstrates an affinity for
technologies. He pilots a specially-made starship known as the Sith
Infiltrator, and a small hovercraft called the Bloodfin, both of which are
sleek and stealthy in design, allowing him to pass through space without
drawing attention to himself. He also crafted his lightsaber in an uncommon
double-bladed design – called a saberstaff – which gave him an edge in most
duels, as the opponents he encountered were not expecting such a weapon. Though
unwieldy, and quite dangerous to himself if used incorrectly, the saberstaff
was effective as a weapon, and at provoking fear in his opponents. Like all
Sith blades, it glowed red, reflecting both his skin tone and the Dark Side of
the Force.
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| With his saberstaff, Maul is like two enemies in one, so it's a fair fight. |
In the story, Maul is sent by his master to eliminate the
two Jedi – Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn – who are protecting the Queen of
Naboo as she attempts to thwart a criminal blockade of her planet. He first
encounters them on Tatooine, engaging Master Qui-Gon in single battle. However,
Jinn escapes, leaving Maul behind to follow them until he encounters the duo
again when they return to the planet of Naboo. This time, Maul faces both Jinn
and Kenobi at once. Throughout the battle sequence, it seems as though Maul is
remaining on the defensive, as he keeps falling back further and further from
the assault of the two Jedi, but in reality, he is leading the two of them to a
battleground of his choosing, a small reactor room accessible only by a series
of laser force-fields. Using these barriers, he manages to separate the two
Jedi, and manages to kill Qui-Gon Jinn right in front of Kenobi’s eyes. When
Kenobi rushes in to attack, Maul easily outmaneuvers him, causing him to fall
into the reactor hole, though he manages to hang on to an outcropping along the
wall. It is at this point that Maul’s honor turns against him, as he toys
Kenobi before attempting to finish him off, which gives the young Jedi ample
time to leap out of the hole and slice Maul in half, ending his reign of terror
prematurely.
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| John Williams Is The Man! |
The battle sequence also contains what is probably my
favorite song in the entire Star wars franchise, entitled “Duel of the Fates.”
It is an amazing score that opens with a choir singing in Sanskrit, the words
of which translate loosely to, "Under the tongue root a fight most dread,
and another raging behind, in the head." The lyrics illustrate the
fights that occur, not only in physical form, but in the mind as well, whether
it be Force power against Force power, or the psychological battles that people
wage within themselves as they make split-second decisions on which way to
parry, strike, and counter, as well as how they feel about the battle. The
instruments trade off the melody, leading to bombastic brass moments as the
conflict gains in intensity, quiet strings as the fight reaches a lull as they
change battlefields, and even a number of staccato measures that could signify
the clash of the weapons against each other. Whatever the exact intentions
behind the music, one thing is for sure; it adds plenty of musical drama to a
scene that requires it, and makes Maul seem even MORE menacing, if that were
possible.
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| Just another picture for good measure. Damn, he's scary. |
Unfortunately, Maul’s quick demise meant he did not leave a
lasting impression on the plot of the series, besides illuminating the Jedi to
the existence of the Sith after millennia of supposed extinction. Due to his
limited time on-screen, Maul tends to fade from the memory of many Sci-Fi
lovers, though he has spawned a series of books chronicling his tutelage under
his Master, and I feel that such a terrifying character deserves more
recognition. And so, I applaud Maul for reminding us of the evil that lurks
inside all of us if we didn’t do our best to restrain it every day. Keep on
scaring us, Maul.
Next Week: Artemis Fowl, from the Artemis Fowl book series
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