PT Darth Maul: Is he awesome or is he sucky?

Maul suffers terribly from Bobafettitis. Sometimes a character really is better off being a badass-looking henchman with a few cool tricks who disappears after his moment of glory rather than having some epic backstory spun out where every writer tries to make them EVEN MORE EPIC than the last one and it becomes a parody of itself.

 

I don't think Maul is sucky, but I don't think he's awesome, exactly, either.
I like him a lot in TPM. He has this amazing, flowing fighting style, and I love watching the lightsaber duel at the end of the movie.
In TCW, I like him, more or less, but he should have stayed dead.
I also think he tends to be a bit over-rated.

 

I really don't understand that so many people say,

He was quite short at TPM, right? So if I really like a character I like him to stay around some more time. And not just for some gloomy moments.

 

Darth Maul: Is he awesome or is he sucky?
I would say neither. Darth Maul is cool upon viewing; interesting appearance, skilled and showy lightsaber moves, quiet and deadly. But, alas, he is pretty overrated. I feel like he's the Boba Fett of the PT (without actually having a Boba in the PT...) Fan boys/girls love him for the most part, and it's mainly because less can be more. He looks BA and he acts it too.

However, as I stated in the better villain thread between Maul and Dooku, Dook's takes the cake. When you have a bad guy that's a Sith Apprentice, the Apprentice does need some depth. His shadow assassin persona works for TPM, but he never could've made it past Episode I with his character....

 

TCW should have focused on his brother and actual Clone Wars era characters. For me if Maul was brought back in time for AOTC in 2002 I might be more forgiving, but all the way until 2012 or whenever it was? Let it go. Go before TPM and expand his character. Maul's brother meeting Obi-Wan and them clashing and eventually coming to a consensus would have been better imo. If you keep a character too long you potentially run into the issue of ruining the character. Deaths have to happen. Characters that make an impact in such a little amount of time might lose it the longer they go on.

 

I like him but I sometimes wish they focused on Opress more then maul. in TCW.

 

I think he could have been a great character, but Lucas underused him, and as with Fett, killed him off before he could investigate him.

 

Sure, deaths have to happen. But before that or rather disappearing into some smooth oblivion, Maul should have a lot of fun and shall twirl around the galaxy. That doesn't mean that he has to pop up in every arc of TCW or Rebels (if there are any arcs) I would like him to have his own Empire for a good time to create a kind of haven for people who dislike Palpatine's Empire.

 

If I only have two choices, I'm going kinda sucky. Really, it's in the middle, but choosing "great" or "sucks", as my only options, I'm going "sucks".

This is largely because I feel he was not needed. I would have been perfectly fine with more Palpatine and his rise to power. In fact, I think EP1 should have largely focused on just two things:

1) Palpatine

2) The relationship between Obi-wan and Anakin

Now, if "somewhere in the middle" was a choice, that would be mine. I think Maul could have been introduced and given more screen time with Palpatine's rise. Perhaps we learn more about this "new" thing I'm hearing for the first time called "Sith" (never mentioned in the OT, I don't read the books).

Honestly the lightsaber fights in TPM, or in the PT in general, do little for me. I'd rather see character development, and fully fleshed out stories than explosions and stuff.

On a side note, but all related, I think JJ is gonna knock TFA outta the park. I really think this is gonna be a great film and the best since Empire.

 

Anakin and Obi-Wan are IMHO already overstarring in the prequels as in TCW. While Maul in TPM did understarr clearly. I agree that the relationship of Palpatine with Maul came to short. Like did Dooku and Grievous. We definitely need pre-prequels.

 

depends on what you think good or bad is

 

Fortunately this thread is just about being awesome or sucky. Otherwise there wouldn't be a discussion here

 

I think he was one of the best new characters (perhaps the best) in the Prequels when it comes to sheer creativity. He doesn't say much, but he looks pretty scary and awesome. And double-edged lightsaber was something new.
Most other new characters of reasonable significance were just remakes of old ideas (Jango was a remake of Boba), or using well-known actors to carry the role (as is the case with Mace and Dooku). I found Grievous to be corny.
So yes, I think Darth Maul was great, in that sense.

 

He fulfilled his purpose well. As the title suggests, the arrival of the Sith apprentice indicates that the true menace lurks undetected in the background, not the Trade Federation.

By sending Darth Maul to confront the Jedi, Palpatine momentarily averts suspicion from himself. Since the Sith are trying to subjugate his homeworld, Palpatine does not look like a strong suspect in the eyes of the Jedi.

 

I really think that Darth Maul is not a well explored character. His participation is very superficial in both symbolic and historical.

 

I just found out they used voice overs from another actor whenever he spoke, that kinda tones it down a bit for me, especially because all I see now is the roommate from Shaun of the Dead doing Darth Maul

 

The thing is - one could consider comparing Darth Maul to Savage Oppress - given they were brothers and for the matter Savage Oppress was reckoned by some to have more potential and Raw Force Power and strength compared to Darth Maul although skill wise and techniques he probably was not as good as Darth Maul ... I mean Savage Oppress did rely more on brute strength rather than finesse and skill which were striking points against him at times ... and then again if the fact Savage Oppress was trained for a brief time by Count Dooku ... so hence surely wouldn't Darth Maul downright NOT be a 'suck' of a character?

Consider too - he was in agony and anguish for a decade or more after his defeat on Naboo ...

 

Value in-universe and skill etc aren't the same as actually being a good character though. Maul in-universe is a badass no doubt, had several Jedi kills even before QG and was pretty powerful besides... but he's basically a thug. Sidious says 'we need this person killed/maimed/terrified, off you go' and... well, off he went. There's nothing in the films to suggest he's anything besides a fighter and an assassin. He's got no real personality beyond wanting revenge on the Jedi, which as deep motives go is a bit bland, at the very least. He turns up, kicks Qui-Gonn's backside, gawps like a putz at Obi-Wan's sweet moves gets killed by Obi-Wan's ingenuity, falls down pit in two halves. Maul we hardly knew ye.

Frankly he really should have stayed dead. Dude got CHOPPED IN HALF. And then both halves fell down a giant hole in the ground. I don't care how vexing he found that, mere anger is no replacement for vital body organs and he should have been kept kaput.

 

Do you mean Maul sucks in comparison to Savage? I just don't get your point.

 

I have always preferred Savage. Don't buy Maul surviving Naboo.

 

While I like Darth Maul in TCW, i feel like it shouldn't have taken a TV show seperate from TPM to do Darth Maul's character Justice. If we just had TPM i wouldn't like Maul. Yes he's cool in the movie, but what are his motives? Also he only has one line of dialog which doesn't really help or the fact he was killed off at the end, this all makes him a very one dimensional character. When we're introduced to Maul we want to know more about him, but we learn little and the next two films give us nothing about him. This is very different from Darth Vader because as soon as were introduced to Vader we want to know more and we actually find out more about him. They don't just off Vader at the end of ANH.

 

Unfortunately, most creatives/stories attempt to force the audience into not caring about the misguided ones and that's a chief way how. Acting like they don't deserve any depth. I agree it's tiresome.

 

Hi Darth Revan,

they didn't kill off Vader that soon in AHN because Star Wars is mainly a Skywalker's show and not a Dathomiri-Nightbrother-Nightsister's saga in the first place . Then GL realized that people are interested in some non-Skywalker-characters too and thus TCW came - with a resurrected Maul which is cool IMHO. Though, dear Cushing Admirer, I think too that Savage had deserved more character-buildup and -development.

 

Yeah, he definitely should have stuck around for another episode or two. All the story needed was a confrontation with him for the Jedi to realise the Sith were be back. Killing him off was a mistake, I reckon.

The fact he doesn't say much adds to his mystery, and he does look pretty scary. I'd have him over Grievous any day...even Dooku for that matter.

 

That's one cracking avatar! I'm a bit jealous...not really