ST Darth Maul as the big bad in Lucas's ST?

It’s also worth noting that, regardless of opinions on him, having Maul as the main villain of the sequels simply made more sense within the world of the story than introducing a completely new character who was nearly identical to the Emperor but with no real backstory to account for his sudden appearance. With Maul we at least knew where he came from and (to some degree) what he had been up to, and it was a logical follow-up to TCW. Whether it would’ve been good or not in concept or execution is a separate question, but at least in terms of story logic, he had the perfect setup in the years leading to 2012.

Would a totally new villain who was well planned and fit thematically with the story have worked instead? Yes, of course. But what we got was Snoke, who was a vague copy of the Emperor given the role that Maul would’ve had with a few modifications to make him even more like the Emperor and less original. It’s just such an odd repeat or echo of the OT that it’s among the many things that make the sequels feel more like a reboot than actual sequels. At least Maul, for all objections people might have to him, had a forward-moving story and legitimate buildup behind him. It was a true sequel to both the prequels and the OT. He was fascinating in the more OT world of Rebels, and that was just a relatively minimalist return so that they could end his story in the new canon.

 

I meant that the OT 3 are the main characters of those films and a pivotal part of the saga. Maul served a purpose, but he was a secondary character who died in one film. That's what I mean by they're not very comparable. Main characters kind of warrant more screentime / exposure.

Again, I'm not saying a future film/ series with Maul couldn't work. But I don't think "popular character" is necessarily an excuse to bring a character back, regardless of how much exposure they've already had and how much sense it would make story-wise.

And, again, I'd take Maul coming back in the ST over Palpatine. But if there was a film/series that would star Maul, I think a prequel or something about Crimson Dawn would work best.

 

I honestly don’t know how I’d feel about this. It feels kind of out of place tbh, Maul was never this macro all encompassing evil you would need him to be. But it could work.

 

We don't know if Maul would've had that role, though. He may have tried and failed, or he may have been one of several great threats to galactic peace.
That said, after seeing him in TCW, I can easily picture him as an evil mastermind who finally gets to play galactic conqueror - and fail one last time

 

I don't necessarily think that's needed.

 

Lame idea by Lucas but i like the other stuff which is known about his vision of the ST.

 

I would not have liked Maul as the big bad of the sequel trilogy. It seems to rely way too much on viewers being familiar with TCW or otherwise explaining way too much in the sequel trilogy to justify Maul's return. The trajectory of villains in the sequel trilogy is messy, for sure. Going from Snoke and Kylo Ren, to Kylo and Palpatine, and then pretty much just Palpatine (Palpatine in only one film at that).
The best trajectory they probably could've gone with villains for the sequel trilogy were extragalactic forces like the Vong. And also make them not too similar to Vader and Palpatine.

 

I honestly don’t think it would've relied on any previous knowledge of Star Wars. Maul is a former Sith once thought dead whose fury kept him alive and made him strong enough in the dark side to return from the brink of death - and who attempts to take over the galaxy now that his old master, the Emperor, is gone. That’s all the viewer would need to know.

EDIT: It occurred to me that this would also be an echo of the Sith being assumed extinct in TPM but rising to cause trouble after years of plotting their revenge in the shadows. Nice mirroring!

 

I disagree that it'd have to rely particularly heavy on that. Maul survived and got robot legs, I think is the most information that's actively necessary, as far as what he did action wise. While I think his motives from TCW could be used in a ST.

 

No, the best trajectory would be dealing with the Imperial remnants and figuring out how to stop a new Empire from taking over. The Vong would just come out of nowhere and feel out of place, just like Snoke.

 

Darth Maul trains Darth Talon under Lucas . They are both Darth's and both Sith. Darth Talon also seduces the Ben Solo/Jacen Solo type character to the Dark Side. Talon appears to act more as Lady Lumiya-like character in Lucas' story with much of the action around her being the Vader of the new trilogy. The Darth Maul video game that was in the works would've likely tied into Lucas' Sequel Trilogy and probably would've acted as a prequel to the events of the film since Maul wipes out Sith /Inquisitor type characters and their Neo-Imperial army. The Lucas Sequel series was still primarily set some 30 + years after the OT. Many events of the EU likely would've still occurred in some shape or form. The Imperial Remnant was still active in Lucas' Sequels as a secondary antagonist.

 

Filoni has already showed the end of Maul with Obi-Wan in Rebels finishing what he started in TPM.

Luke vs Maul doesn't seem like in the cards at all. Luke vs The Son in the Mortis Arc to defeat when Anakin couldn't? That's more likely.

 

Lucas' ST was a continuation of the OT, PT, and TCW. In that regard, he was pretty much saying that, if you didn't like TCW, then the ST probably wasn't gonna be your cup of tea. And I'm fine with that.

I wouldn't have gone to see the ST, but at least it would have been honest marketing.

 

Agreed. He's telling the story he's built over decades. Considering Filoni's TCW involvement too - he's going to be strongly tied to it as well.

100% fair. The dishonest marketing for what is now the ST only contributes to the negative responses to it.

 

I could've went with this, Maul staying alive and active as the big bad Sith or darksider for the ST. Mainly because Lucas had it that way. I don't agree with the direction although I do like a Darth Talon seducing scene..and seeing her in combat against a son and/or daughter of Solo. It obvious Disney wanted the siblings to not be related so they could have attractiveness/tension.
I'm okay with what we got, it could've been a heck lot better but I think we'd be saying the same thing if Lucas kept his story.

 

Regarding the prophecy, wasn’t the point that we should not abandon reason for shortcut solutions (that the boy will solve all our problems). There’s a reason why Yoda ignores it at first.

Sure Vader brings balance to the Force by destroying Palpatine. But who’s to say a blast to the bridge of his Star Destroyer couldn’t have done the same thing. So yeah, I don’t care if the Force is unbalanced right away. Why wouldn’t it be? Any force sensitive being can fall to the dark side at any time.

But anyways, regarding Maul, I think his survival is ridiculous (much more so than Palpatine’s), and what they’ve done with him afterwards has been equally ridiculous, from his spider legs, to a silly over-the-top voice performance and generic motivations. Like Boba Fett, he was cooler before they brought him back.

 

I think the balance to the force is suggested to be a destroying the sith, not specifically said to be about dark siders.

I don't see how surviving being cut in half (when Anakin survived losing all limbs and being burned alive) is more ridiculous than surviving being blown up. And how is his motivations anymore generic than any Star Wars villain?

I think Maul is far stronger of a character than Kylo in character and characterization, in voice performance. To me, boiling over with rage, but not overly emotional and more seething with anger than rampant fit throwing.

 

That's correct. It's strongly implied in the films that the prophecy is Sith specific...

I agree with most of what you state... whilst I initially thought it was a bit of a cheap gimmick to bring Maul back in TCWC, in doing so, they managed to give him a story and arc that was really compelling, and much more substantial than many other 'villains'.

 

Perhaps, given the intense focus on the metaphysical aspects of the Force, Maul is not the only big bad villain? I'm thinking of Son from the Mortis trilogy might have been a presence.

 

I thought the ST was going to be about the Whills and their microbiotic world maybe the Whills would have played an important role in Lucas ST

 

Actually, some people thought Maul was going to be the main villain of the PT series. JJ Abrams was one of them.



But then Lucas just killed him, (then resurrected him in 2012 lol)

They also said there is a connection with Maul and the Son from the Mortis, yeah it could be.

 

“Main villain” could mean Vader’s role in the OT rather than the big bad.

 

The chains are the easy part.

It's what goes on in here that's hard.

 

Really Lucas was very brave in killing off Maul. people say they expected more from Maul as the main villain, but Lucas just said no Maul is part of a much bigger plan.

 

Have they ever confirmed a connection between the two characters?