Full Series Darth Maul in Star Wars Rebels

Then he wouldn't be Maul You can't have one without the other.

 

Revenge and justice are the same thing to him.

I just took the quiz and I got more like Darth Maul:



http://www.starwars.com/news/quiz-are-you-more-darth-vader-or-darth-maul

 

Apparently I am also like Maul! Don't know if thats a good thing though...

 

Frankly, the very title of the thing feels like a catch 22.

 

Well canon aside(SOD), an interesting thing, even in the old canon(aka EU now Legends) Maul's story in Luceno's "Darth Plagueis novel still portrays Maul as strong in the Force and being a powerful asset terms and phrases used for Anakin and Luke. Sidious also fears the thought of a being like Maul falling into the hands of the Jedi or being killed so wastefully as he was too powerful to ignore :










As they explore Maul's origin, I would be interested in they mention Darth Plagueis any in passing. So far the TCW has not but did finally incorporate TPM novel's mention of Darth Bane in season 6.

 

One of my favourite Star Wars books. If Snoke turns out to be Plagueis I wonder what that will mean for this book.

 

Nothing because its not Canon.

 

Stop saying things like that. Malachor wasn't canon either. There is always hope.

 

None of the previous fictional works involving Malachor were re canonized by its being in Rebels. The Plagueis novel is a previous fictional work, so even if Snoke turns out to be Plagueis or if he shows up in some other thing that that Disney does, it won't make the novel canon again.

Sorry if I just crushed your dreams

 

Well, some bits of Luceno's Darth Plagueis book made their way into his canon book Tarkin. They can take what they like from the EU/Legends as they have always done. The more things change the more things stay the same. They also retained Maul fashioning his double-bladed Lightsaber staff weapon after the Zabrak zhaboka as mentioned in Darth Plagueis.

 

Ah its fine, in all seriousness, I don't really care what is canon and what isn't. I never did. I don't really understand why some people do care about that. I mean, in the end all that matters is your own canon.

 

You know what I mean. Things from the book may become Canon, but it does not mean the books status would change.

 

Yeah I understand. If that would happen tho, then I think a lot of people would treat the book as actual canon.

 

Maul's backstory is completely different now anyway (RIP Kycina). Heh, EU writers tried to incorporate Talzin and Dathomir into his past to align with TCW only for Son of Dathomir to blow that all to smithereens afterward. Just more evidence that the show's writers were making stuff up as they went along.

 

Improving stuff and also not giving a **** about the EU.

 

One should ask Pablo Hidalgo or Dave Filoni if Mother Talzin was always meant to be Maul's mother from the moment that they decided Maul would come back.

 

It seems likely that there was some link between Maul and Talzin from the beginning. See how Talzin decides to help Savage find Maul, despite not overly showing much affection to him before that. Her role in restoring Maul also implies that she has plans for him, as she sacrifices her physical form for him.

 

I think Darth Maul as a character is interesting to read about in Shadow Hunter and Darth Plagueis. He's fairly interesting in TCW, as well. Granted, he's a barbarian, and he's not as calm and cerebral as he was in TPM.

Anyway, he is defeated by someone is who is barely Knight level and has just been freshly blinded in Rebels. It's true that Kanan is probably using Force sight to help him see at least momentarily during the fight, but this guy is a wreck and he still beat Maul. Maul is nowhere near as good as he thinks he is in any iteration of the character. He's a survivor of child abuse from Sidious who was manipulated so much that he consistently overestimates his opponents and he does not learn from his mistakes.

 

Well its a serial of approximately 22 minute episodes, a cartoon, and its still Star Wars, often times things do not make sense. TFA was a resent example when Rey defeats an experienced and powerful Kylo Ren(who himself was wounded so being wounded does not nessarily apparently mean win or lose a particular point time in Star Wars).

We know Maul could've easily killed Kanan with just the Force(as we seen his abilities to this during the episode 7th Sister and Force pushing the 8th Brother off the pyramid) but instead chose to give him as close to a fair fight as Kanan was gonna get when he says, "I will make this quick", for this its more the writers keeping Kanan alive for the story its Maul in part being cocky but also in part having a certain code of honor. Basically the same occurred during the Premiere when Kanan and Ezra Force pushed Vader to the ground just in time for a wreaked AT-DP to fall onto him which probably would've killed an Inquisitor, someone other than Vader. Vader did not manage to really injure Kanan, as he was protected by his armor while Maul did injury permanently Kanan.

An important thing to keep in mind also by the time of the finale Kanan was knighted by Yoda in the form of the "Sentinel" prior to this episode back in the Jedi Temple on Lothal, so yes Kanan was a Jedi knight or as close to it as one can get during this time frame era. The writers also have this big theme between Kanan and the Jedi Temple Guards/Sentinel(a reoccurring Grand Inquisitor who basically forced Kanan back into his training and accepting the Force season one finale) stuff Maul easily took on 3 Inquisitors at once , and later two, that neither Ahsoka nor Kanan together or alone could've beaten during the fights on Malachor. The 8th Brother got taken down by Chopper in the Tie. And Kanan spent must of the time on the floor knocked out by an Inquisitor which is common for this character. Maul's fighting the Inquisitors and little speech actually inspired Kanan and Ahsoka to stand their ground and fight, it made them more competitive to an extent even as they were holding back and wanting to flee and unsure of themselves throughout much of the episode. Maul also forced Ahsoka to withdraw from the duel, while she was confident in Kanan's ability to duel Maul despite his injuries the logic of more the writing is something more outside the actual fictional universe so it making sense to us it does not however form what we saw Kanan was using the Force(not unlike Luke in ANH(although later in the canon Marvel run Luke has trouble with those training orbs as they shoot the heck out've him and even Luke gets beaten pretty badly by the Gamemaster). Kanan and Maul blocked eachothers blows so he was not a wreak or got beaten, Maul was caught off balance after he threw the fist and Kanan pushed him to a statue and he stumbled over it and fell. Witwer's performance of Maul is a bit to hammy at times and they rather changed his fighting style from Park's as well as some of his characterization to probably make him work more as a serialized character and for Witwer to get a range out by actually acting as the cartoons reply a lot on dialogue , thus more talking.

But there is no reason to assume if Kanan faces Maul again, that he would beat a more prepared Maul, that is farfetched. Kenobi could not nor any Jedi on the show, and Sidious was the only one who could, and even he had trouble facing off against his former apprentice. Was luck or the will of the Force(writers saving their character) for Kanan which we saw when he fought Vader. Aside from that Maul learns and comes back stronger the next time around, he's an unstoppable killing machine and impossible to truly beat(this was proven in TPM and the TCW and again on Rebels). Maul like Vader are practically indestructible unless they choose to get themselves killed or allow themselves to die(Maul came close in SOD but he was held back by Talzin & later Rook Kast and on Rebels it appears he was gonna unleash a weapon that would destroy all life presumably even killing himself in the process but Ezra seems to in part inspire him and reignite his former desires as a Sith Lord as he sees in the boy a worthy apprentice which means Maul would pass on a legacy or attempt to per the Sith Rule of Two).

 

I was originally skeptical about this character's revival for TCW when it all first happened. In fact, I thought he was for sure good and dead after watching TCW entirety. It was admittedly nice to see him again and even nicer to see him paraphrasing the Sith Code that got relegated to Legends. I am going to expect the unexpected with this. I do look forward to seeing how it all plays out though. Not going to make any head canons or speculations so I don't get disappointed.

 

Maul's downfall is his overconfidence.

I feel like that's the difference between him and Vader. Vader was overconfident too, and like Maul suffered serious injuries at the hands of Obi-Wan because of it. But Vader, following that injury, isn't really depicted to be flashy, overconfident, or reckless. Even if the odds are superficially stacked against him, he usually can think his way out of a situation as use the Force/his power is a very efficient way. Maximum results with minimum exertion. That's how he's depicted in the comics. With a wave of a hand or a throw of his lightsaber, he's able to decimate Y-wings, redirect blaster shots, etc.

Anakin was far more reckless, overconfident, and ready to leap into the fray. And I feel like that's how Maul was and is. He gets the upper hand over Obi-Wan, but blows it. He takes Sidious head on and loses. I feel like had he not underestimated Kanan, he could have overpowered him easily, however once realizing that Kanan was blind, he seemed to cease to take Kanan seriously and underestimated him.

I think Maul is immensely powerful. He never would have been groomed to be Palpatine's successor had Palpatine not sensed great potential in him. But I think a lot of Maul's failing stem from his overconfidence. Anakin failed immensely in ROTS, but Vader bounced back, adapted, and learned from that mistake. In ANH, Vader messes up, and in the Vader comics we see the fallout of that where Palpatine is not happy with Vader at all, yet by the time of ESB, Vader definitely has control of a flagship, and Vader seems to have reestablished himself as a worthy apprentice to Palpatine.

Maul on the other hand seems to have the same pitfall. And part of that may be because he is no longer Palpatine's apprentice and has not received additional training. Hence the envy and the line that Filoni said was once in the script where Maul refers to Vader as being what he should have been.

Vader fails but emerges from each failure stronger than before, which has a lot to do with his cunning.

Maul I feel to be more overconfident and wreckless. He was so close to arming the weapon and getting what he wanted, but he was thwarted by the most unlikely (blind) character, due to his own overconfidence. Had he stopped Kanan, then Kanan and Ezra would have been unable to deactivate the weapon.

 

Isnt it more the will of the Force, acting through Kanan, just as it was acting through Maul when he survived Naboo?! Can we ignore the Force when it suits us, I think not. As stupid as the duel was, Yoda still 'knighted" Kanan, I don't think we can ignore that either as to the writers this character is important to them and Maul like Vader are at the end of the day the villains there to make the heroes get from point A to point B. However Maul they were able to expand upon, so he's one of the few SW characters that gets their own stories and lives expanded upon outside of the main characters/heroes.

How much of this is really the character's fault and how much the writers/directors though?! I think its important while examining these things. The duels and who wins are often somewhat weird in SW , mainly due to the writing and the plot. Can we blame the characters for bad writing?! Even the ability to use the Force they claim its not like a superpower, it takes a massive amount of concentration, skill, precision and labor to use it, its apparently grounded and limited yet at other times we see it being used as a more a superpower when the plot calls for it?! Some complained about the Force Unleashed for the powers, yet if we see a certain character we like using it much the same way, we turn a blind eye to it and project a certain double standard and I don't think the actual writers or Lucas are exempt from this any more than us fans. So, shoudnt we take the same arguments and apply it more broadly rather than selectively . Anakin had a head full of bad wiring and Palpatine's unofficial teachings and guidance surely did not help him growing up as a Jedi. Anakin also grew up a slave and in servitude and servitude of a different kind under the Jedi and later Sith. I do not really see how one can play a slave card, when Anakin was surely in the same predicament, probably worse since Anakin later had a choice while Maul never did. Anakin portrayal in the films is still somebody demented and unhinged . While the TCW did make Anakin more heroic and less a crybaby his portrayal was still of someone in much pain mentally and very much reckless and bloodthirsty . Anakin was indeed even on TCW, brash and impulsive. I don't think we can cast Maul a certain way while turning a blind eye to Anakin or even Vader. Vader also became very personal to Lucas in later years and formed into what we have today. They have to becareful not to damage the mystique of Vader or make light of him and yes this a form of a certain bias, what some could call a Gary Stu. Vader's fall on Mustafar is every bit as bad as Maul's was on Naboo.


But Maul emerges from a defeat or failure stronger than before as well. We also see how easily he adapts and comes up with a new plan if his original failed or it was force to change under changing battlefield conditions ect. Maul was every bit as cerebral and cunning as Sidious, Maul is also very patient.


I don't think the destruction of the weapon really bothered Maul all that much, as the first Death Star did Sidious who was banking on it ensuring his control and reign for 10,000 years. Maul is even seen smiling as he's flying away. He remains every bit as masterful & powerful as he was during TCW, more even as he's even more shady and been learning who knows what on Malahor. He still has all the training of a Sith Lord. Don't forget Maul was well trained enough to reveal himself the Jedi way back in TPM per Sidious's own order, and had he not fallen in some freak manner(Kenobi's Force leap) it was he never Anakin, who was to succeed Sidious. Was not like Sidious foresaw Anakin or created him, there is no EU/Legends stuff retained . So there is nothing envious involved, just Maul stating a fact as he knows it. At Maul's age, legacy seems important, Savage and Talzin are dead, his father-like figure betrayed and attempted to murder him more than once, Maul has all this training and knowledge of this dark religion and he's immensely powerful and full of vigor yet and nothing really to apply it to or pass on. So he's got revenge(i.e. justice to him) and with Ezra, perhaps a son, thats his purpose. If he could not use the weapon, he's still passed on something to Ezra, and in his mind, the seeds to victory.


Its apparent on Rebels that Maul either wanted to power to destroy all life in the galaxy where he could have unleashed it killing everyone and everything, or he could force Sidious and his minions into submission with it, or the weapon could be used more tactically. We do not really quite know how it worked. Maul unlike other Sith is indeed not afraid to die we learn, but from what was portrayed Maul faced a choice drop Ezra and take the holocron key, or take both and carry on the Sith legacy he apparently chose the latter. Throughout the episode its very apparent Maul still dreams the dreams he once shared with Sidious , he still craves the same things - he did not infact give them up entirely if any. I think he evolved & adjusted somewhat but that is natural under the events and life he lived. He's also not quite as evil as Sidious there is still something more human. He's capable of affection and love, which is alien to Sidious. But being cast out've the Order by Sidious but still very much a Sith regardless, maybe just mean that reclaiming the title of Darth has once again became important to him, or he was lying and he still considers himself a Sith Lord .

Vader certainly overconfident when he lost to Kenobi, faced Kenobi again and later Luke and same with Sidious when up against Windu, Yoda and later the Skywalkers. I don't see this a trait limited to Maul on these shows. Perhaps Vader's injuries made him simply more self aware, as he is limited and still badly damaged plus he has added arrogance of being commanding troops and Dark Jedi warriors, "now I am the master". So much of Anakin's arrogance and greed is very much present in Vader, Anakin like Maul were both always very war-like and led from the frontlines and yeah reckless, but they were pretty indestructible. But a post ROTS Vader is still a damaged Vader, his fighting style had to change, he had to adapt to his limitations, his lungs and limbs are not his, the weight of the suit also presents a problem even if he has to use the Force that is something he has to concentrate on and be mindful of at all times. Maul we saw use the Force to build that spider-like apparatus so he could walk again and feed. I think Maul was using the Force to move the Talzin created lower torso in much the same manner while the Mandalorian robotic torso seemed more self powered with the lights and all but that was replaced by a new lower torso that looks even more natural and is perhaps once again Maul using the Force to control it rather that it being powered by batteries or fuel. I would like to get more info on Maul's combat chassis but those are my thoughts. I think the chassis he got from the Mandalorians may of gave out during the electrocutions and the weight may of been to heavy.

Anyhow, I don't see Kanan as any less arrogant "you had your chance", the all of a sudden Ahsoka-like copy grip of the lightsaber and all of a sudden he fights better blind and apparently his blindness made him more attuned with the Force as he slowed things down and listened to the sound of the lightsaber and Maul's metal feet. Basically all Maul had to do was shut his saber down and only activate it when about to strike and wear padding under his feet. But again, Kanan and Maul blocked eachother's blows and Kanan's senses and hearing becomes so great that hears or somehow senses Maul throwing a random punch - and its that punch that allows Kanan to push Maul into a statue and he trips over it. They did the same thing with The Inquisitor in season one finale, a wounded Kanan makes a miraculous recovery and takes on the Inquisitor, pushing him back, and once Kanan fears Ezra is badly wounded or in endanger he gets a Force high and actually defeats the Inquisitor(who we learn was a very powerful Jedi Temple Guard and even this version via Yoda defeats Kanan). I don't really see the complete angle of playing up Maul's defeat while ignoring the many issues of the show(s) with the other characters and characterizations and situations i.e. the writing. I think some of the problems Maul suffers from is simply the writers pen and thus the writers prerogative.

All the Sith and Jedi are arrogant and overconfident, its a trait typical of them both and this was plainly stated by Yoda in AOTC yet in TCW he was unaware of that trait being present even himself until season 6 of TCW. I don't think any of that is limited to Maul, Vader was reckless and overconfident and paid the price for it on Mustafar(that was Vader not Anakin) and again on Malachor when Ahsoka ran over his head. Even when Vader took on Kanan and Ezra in the season premiere he had lots of soldiers on Malachor his Inquisitors were there but they died shortly before he got out've his Tie.

Sidious was a joke in ROTS. TCW rather reinvented the character to be a more menacing and competent than he was against Windu and later Yoda - however even on TCW Yoda out matches Sidious but Sidious is still portrayed as a serious threat while in ROTS Sidious was a laughing overweight maniac and he still attempted to run away from Yoda after it was apparent his Lightning did not severely injury or kill him and he got Force pushed across the room. Sidious was so overconfident in during the senate duel that he thinks Vader would be more powerful than either him or Yoda and Yoda quickly retorts. At the end Sidious has to reply on Shock Troopers to arrive in numbers to finish off Yoda as his fight was over he was outmatched. TPM Maul could've taken down Windu, and even in SOD Maul prefers to engage Windu and Secura over a character he already defeated, Kenobi. Maul surely holding off two great Jedi like Windu and Secura I think speaks highly as he's not a Sidious that would rather first run away- was not like that Jedi task force was any more capable of stopping Maul than Sidious, Tyranus and Grievous in SOD. Maul is a survivor and there is no shame or dishonor in being a survivor, its even what the Sith did, survive.

They butchered the Grievous of micro-series and comics for ROTS and later TCW, so we know they're not above retooling or re-imagining characters. I think Maul suffers from this to some extent yes, his original EU appearances match more his portrayal in TPM, the answer Filoni and Witwer gave on Maul's somewhat different portrayal was that Maul was damaged mentally and this played a role in his psyche.

Maul apparently originally wanted to regain his place by Sidious' side and was forced into facing him, and he did a good job under the confines of the show and the canon, as they cannot have Maul defeat aka kill Sidious. The deleted scene is also better as it shows what happened before they exited throne room and there is no reason to doubt it as Maul was a very capable and powerful warrior on TCW regardless. I don't think that was gonna happen on Sundari Sidious dying and Sidious's big thing was Force push and slam, the slamming of an already spinal damaged Maul and the electrocution was Sidious taking advantage of Maul's injuries(this is backed up in the "Shadow Conspiracy" book). Do we actually know if Maul was sincere in his pleas for mercy or just buying himself time playing on his former Master's own greed and overconfidence, as Maul already stated on Lotho Minor to Savage that , "mercy is a lie, I ask not for mercy" and again later to Dooku he states that "deception is the way of the Sith". Maul's acting on Rebels surely reinforces this theory quite a bit, there is always more to Maul than meets the eye - plus his comeback during Son of Dathomir was rather astonishing not even Sidious thought Maul could take Dooku . But again, Maul cannot kill Dooku because of ROTS.

Instead of big victories, you have to appreciate the little ones on TCW and Rebels,as they exist inside the confines of the first two trilogies and maybe even third .

On Moraband the Priestesses portrayed Anakin there, and he defeated Tyranus but stood no chance at all against Sidious, his fighting style and demeanor was the same as it was on the show when he was up against Dooku who routinely electrocuted him and Anakin either screamed in agony or passed out from the pain or both. But its clear Maul put up a better fight against Sidious on Sundari than Anakin did or Vader in ROTJ, who had to sneak attack him from behind and Vader still got killed by the electricity.

There is good evidence that Maul built up an immunity to the Force lightning in SOD, as he plainly said he became indifferent from pain after days or months of being electrocuted under torture by Dooku and presumably also Sidious. It as always been Maul that has come back stronger, this was proven on TCW and again when he took on Sidious, Grievous and Dooku during SOD/TCW. I would not count him out and never have. I believe they know Maul is a larger than life character and they have to at the end of the day keep true to the character and his significance has to be purposeful the same as they would Vader. Maul puts on a good show and in the end thats what it all is, entertainment.

 

Sweet Jesus. What is this mighty wall of text I see!?

 

I'm still in desperate need of information.

In TCW Maul was defeated by Sidious who nevertheless spared his life because he still got some use for Maul.

"Next", I see him in the Sith Temple at the second season finale of Rebels.

Can't shake the feeling I'm missing some stuff.