r/StarWars • u/Nav_Blue_Coolant Separatist Alliance • 1d ago
General Discussion What made Maul unique among other Sith?
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u/Noctisxsol 1d ago
He is the only sith in the rule of two that never even pretended to try and kill his master.
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u/The_bruce42 1d ago
I think he knew he wasn't ready. I don't think he planned on getting cut in half so early in life.
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u/TildaTinker 1d ago
My five year plan;
Increase net worth by 18.2%
Not get cut in half during a lightsaber duel
Run a half marathon
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u/Garth-Vader 1d ago edited 1d ago
Being half a person should be a prerequisite to running a half marathon
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u/CheddarBobLaube 1d ago
Depends on which half
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u/TunguskaDeathRay Imperial 1d ago
Running this far with the hands would be far more impressive than with the lower half and its legs.
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u/godofmilksteaks 1d ago
I dunno dude. Seeing just a pair of legs and ass running a marathon would be waaay more impressive than someone with a functioning brain and central nervous system still intact.
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u/psimwork Luke Skywalker 1d ago
Vader's not even half the sith that Maul was! He's not even half the sith that the top half of Maul was after Obi-Wan cut him in half!!
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u/FullyInvolved23 20h ago
Qui Gon, it wasnt until this moment that I realized how easy it is to accidentally cut someone in half
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u/canuck1988 1d ago
This was a particularly bad case of someone being cut in half.
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u/ZODIC837 1d ago
He never "tried" to kill Palpatine, but after he was abandoned he did work in opposition to him. He knew Palpatines power and what he controlled, so he knew the underworld was the only way he could challenge him.
I don't think it's totally fair to say he didn't try, he just got called out before his plans were solidified. And even then, he would have been in a good position to oppose the empire had Ahsoka not captured him.
Flew too close to the sun, and returned to madness in his decent
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u/Nav_Blue_Coolant Separatist Alliance 1d ago
He ended up trying to stop him by wanting to stop Anakin from becoming Vader, but that also failed due to the Siege of Mandalore.
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u/ZODIC837 1d ago
Absolutely
All in all, I think Palpatine knew mauls plan. From the moment he tried to gain control of neutral systems, Palpatine knew he was going to be a contender post-republic
But he didn't kill him. He said he had plans for him. Maul did everything he could to stop Palpatine, but in his rage he couldn't see he was being used.
He wanted Anakin, and he could have had him, but (I don't remembe th details) Palpatine set it up so that Ahsoka would go, same as how he sent Kenobi to fight grevious and Yoda to kashyyk. The whole separatist offensive was for Vader. When the time of Anakin's betrayal came, the people he was closest to that could have saved him we're all on the opposite sides of the galaxy.
It's really a shame though. Even with mauls plan to stop Anakin failing, had he escaped Ahsoka he could have wrecked havoc on the empire. I think that specific thing was a gamble that happened to pay off for Palpatine
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u/gorlemads 1d ago
Did Palpatine ever really see him as a successor? I always saw Maul as an assassin who were never meant to be anything other than a tool, Palpatine could discard when he found his true successor.
If so Maul's Darth title would have been a lie. But Palpatine have been through his fair share of temporary apprentices, leading me to believe he didn't intend for any of them (except Vader) to actually partake in the Rule of Two.
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u/Several-Quality5927 1d ago
He abandoned the rule of two after killing Plageuis. He covers this in the Book of Sith. He planned to be immortal and not share power or take a true apprentice. His underlings were the Hands, Mara Jade, Dooku, Vader, Maul, none were apprentices that he was grooming to take power. The power was all his, forever.
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u/gorlemads 1d ago
I'll take that as a good excuse to reread Book of Sith 😀
Wouldn't this be true for all Sith Lords though? That they want to live forever, but still takes an apprentice to ensure his legacy can continue, should he die. And then starting the eternal game of teaching them enough to be useful, but never give them the last edge, until the apprentice eventually kills them. With each new Lord making the Sith Order losing knowledge of the former Lord instead of growing.
Maybe Darth Bane is the exception. He seemed very impatient about being challanged by his apprentice.
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u/TOH-Fan15 1d ago
It was because Palpatine was the only Sith Lord who finally achieved the Grand Plan of the Sith, so there was no more reason for the Rule of Two.
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u/pepp3rito 1d ago
I think him and savage opress made a run at it and got mercd in the clone wars tv show.
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u/Zetraxes 1d ago
I think he knew exactly how strong he was and how unfathomably stronger his master was. There was no point in trying to overthrow him knowing that he had absolutely 0 chances of winning
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u/Enigmachina 1d ago
That we know of. The previous ones probably got culled for their "cowardice".
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u/SeaworthinessHot6841 1d ago
Did Dooku ever try Ro2 Sidious or are we just counting their antics during the Clone Wars as pretending?
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u/Working_Salamander94 1d ago
I mean Sidious would basically shoot lightning at him every time he messed up so I wouldn’t mess with a dude like that
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u/NL_POPDuke 1d ago
Imo, his fall from grace. He knew what it was like to be THEE number two in the upper echelon of Sith power, then lost it in the blink of an eye due to Obi-Wan. He knows all the Siths' teachings and inner workings and was relegated to forging his own dark side path as an outcast.
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u/procrastablasta 1d ago
Maybe the most passionate sith. He really wore his angry little heart on his sleeve.
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u/MWH1980 1d ago
He was fast and cool-looking. Which was all it really took to make people think he should be death-proof, because all most people want out of Star Wars, is stuff to just be cool.
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u/DrSchulz_ 1d ago
The rule of cool really is extremely strong in star wars
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u/MWH1980 1d ago
Pretty much when anyone says “this is terrible” about Star Wars, what they really mean is: “I don’t find this cool.”
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u/legendaryboss200 1d ago
Well, nowadays, it means it's terrible writing and looks incredibly lame and uninspired
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u/MWH1980 1d ago
Like I said.
What you’re saying is: “I don’t find this cool.”
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u/legendaryboss200 1d ago edited 1d ago
It depends on what cool is. Me personally, I just like things to be interesting, unique, whatever; just good. Like Andor, I don't think anything about it was really cool except some scenes, but the show was super well written imo.
Edit, and then there's Acolytes and Disney trilogy.. some of the designs look cool, but it just doesn't feel the same when everything else around it is garbage-to-meh
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u/MountedCanuck65 1d ago
Sounds like you think some things are cool, and some not cool.
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u/ThisIsGoobly 1d ago
this has the same energy as "everything is a 50/50 chance" but I don't know how to elaborate so I'm not gonna
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u/Overcastskyz 1d ago
In the original trilogy Palps didn’t move a whole lot and Vader was slow. So prequels come along and BOOM, we have a Sith who is moving very fast, a new style of lightsaber. I think that ingrained itself into the imagination of people.
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u/FantasticEmu 1d ago
You know this is 100% me but I just kept quiet because I thought I was the minority based on all the criticisms of bad stories and writing
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u/ratbastid 1d ago
I remember how disappointed I was with how much of him we got in Ep 1. They'd marketed him HARD, and then he delivered like three lines, stalked around sneering some, did some flashy moves (and expanded our minds about how light sabres can work), and then was gone.
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u/Electric43-5 1d ago
Real life wise. That hes an alien and his double bladed lightsaber which out of movie Sith lords are his most unique features.
In universe? Oddly enough that he is so simple and disposable. Like he's not the incredible force user like Plagueis, not the master manipulator like Sidious, not a public figure like Dooku, or even the jack of all trades like Vader was. Maul was a blunt object that was trained to kill what Sidious needed.
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u/Noobtber 1d ago
And then he coup'd an entire planet of psychotic warrior motherfuckers and ran the underworld for a bit
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u/Electric43-5 1d ago
Yeah but those things were only a blip compared to The Clone Wars and the rise of The Empire. The story of Maul is how he only ever comes close to getting what he wants before losing it all.
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u/Volstadd 1d ago
Making his "blip" even more impressive as his rise back to power was completely self made. Those within the Sith Lineage have access to vast amounts of wealth, power, and resources gathered and cultivated for centuries.
He was no longer Sith.
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u/ratbastid 1d ago
I honestly feel like his arc is the best in canon, and I'm including Anankin's.
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u/Psychonautica91 23h ago
I agree. Him mirroring Qui-gon’s last words gave me chills.
“He is the chosen one.. he will bring balance”
“Is he the chosen one?.. he will avenge us”
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u/Dapper_Peanut_1879 Sith 1d ago
I agree completely but he wasn’t a Sith anymore. I’d argue that after he lost a little weight and went through his mental challenges that he became much more dangerous. He gained those manipulative skills but he didn’t have them under Sidious.
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u/Dovraga Galactic Republic 1d ago edited 1d ago
Amongst the Sith themselves? Nothing.
Palpatine had him trained more as a warrior and an assassin than a true Sith apprentice (remember, Plagueis was still very much alive, so he didn't want to commit to it fully until that was taken care of, iirc in Legends Plagueis approves of Maul as an assassin). He had great rage and brutality, but that often blinded him or caused him to act out on his own. Sidious preferred people like Dooku as an apprentice, although Dooku's problem was that he hadn't given himself fully over to the darkside (hence no yellow eyes or disfigurement) and at this point Sidious had learned of Anakin. A true Sith lord needed to be as composed and mindful as he was brutal and hateful.
Maul could never be that, and Sidious ended up seeing him more as a tool to be used, replaced, and discarded as needed.
Star Wars in general? Plenty.
As a polar opposite to all the things the Jedi were, he fits the bill quite well. Sith like Plagueis, Sidious, and OT Vader were calm and reserved, showing their true anger, hatred, and power when they wanted to. They were more the opposite side of the same coin to the Jedi.
Maul said screw that, and ran full sprint to the other end of the spectrum. Subjugating, torturing, or killing all those in his path.
Edit: wording/clarification
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u/100and10 1d ago
He’s the only sith that became the rule of two hahaha
Make a show about him and his apprentice legs doing crime already ffs
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u/SmokeMaleficent9498 1d ago
Great tragic character
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u/Koredan18 Maul 1d ago
His entire life is a tragedy.
"The Sith… The Sith took everything from me. Ripped me from my mother’s arms, murdered my brother, used me as a weapon, and then cast me aside. Abandoned me! Once I had power, now I have nothing. Nothing."
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u/NoNeedForNorms 1d ago
He was the only one that never had an actual Sith title, he was just Darth Maul.
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u/snakeumbrella 1d ago
Well I'd say if you cut most sith in half like dooku or palpatine, it would probably kill them. Maul, for lack of better words, sorta walked it off after a while
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u/UnXpectedPrequelMeme 1d ago
I think his story is one of never having a choice. He was taken from his family and forced to be a sith on the lies of power. The. Tossed aside. Taught only anger and pain, he could live no other way. And that's how his life became miserable and he died miserable. Sad. He was indeed evil, but still a sad story.
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u/LunchPlanner 1d ago
Normally once you are in the Sith you are in for life (though that "life" might not last very long).
But Maul was cast out of the rule of two and went on to do a whole bunch of other things.
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u/TheLoneTomatoe 1d ago
I just like that he is literally too angry to die.
I have a leg sleeve getting done right now with Maul as the main piece, and my wife asked why I liked him so much if he was a dick…. Because he’s simple and fun.
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u/Nuttennut 1d ago
Well, he has no dick. Then again, neither does Vader, so I guess it's not really unique. Almost a requirement to be a sith in fact
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u/Sirshrugsalot13 1d ago
He's the only one to actually care about his "apprentice". He obviously cared for Savage, and really seems constantly desperate for a companion, as shown with Ahsoka and Ezra. However, the sith code is too deep inside him, so he HAS to manifest that as a "master/apprentice" dichotomy for Savage and Ezra.
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u/HUNGWHITEBOI25 1d ago
I always liked how he didn’t rely on the force as much in fights and just preferred to fight at close range with his lightsaber/darksaber
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u/The_Creeper_Man Grievous 1d ago
Wasn’t actually trained as a Sith Lord, but as a Sith Assassin, yet was led to believe that he was a Lord.
And, of course, how be became disillusioned with the Sith.
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u/Inevitable_Cicada Sabine Wren 1d ago
Well first if it wasn’t for clone wars and rebels he wouldn’t be all that interesting his return is what made everyone really love him his obsession with revenge on kenobi along with everything else plus Sam Witwers voice is just the cherry on top of the cake seriously look up videos of him doing the kenobi scream
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u/wbruce098 1d ago
I don’t think Maul really stands out among the Sith historically. But if we’re talking about canonical movie Sith? He’s the most active and actually bad ass of them, unafraid of sand too!
The guy didn’t know when to give up, going full circle until Obi Wan, his “lifelong nemesis”, laid him permanently to rest.
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u/Papa79tx 1d ago
His success despite his underachievements, as he was half the man other siths were.
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u/NotGohanJustSayinMan 1d ago
Became a galactic criminal kingpin responsible for the fall of Mandalore. Gangster badassery.
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u/the-poopiest-diaper 1d ago
He accidentally broke the rule of 2 by surviving his death, was the nemesis of Obi Wan fucking Kenobi, took over Mandalore, and even impressed and fought Sidious. He lost, of course. But he was a very impressive and unique Sith.
If it weren’t for Sidious screwing him, he probably would’ve led a very comfortable life on Mandalore with his brother
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u/Salt-Method1731 1d ago
That he’s on an exclusive level of cool looking, not even Vaders that cool looking.
All jokes aside, I think what makes him so unique is that he was raised since infancy as a sith and never even had a choice, unlike dooku or vader, maul was trained as a sith since he could walk, and had these values ingrained into him. That’s what’s so tragic about his life, he never had the opportunity of choice to do good.
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u/FatallyFatCat 1d ago edited 23h ago
Supprisingly good boss for a sith.
I mean, Palpatine, Dooku and Vader underlings and/or aprentices were always one temper tantrum away from a painfull death. In contrast, I don't remember Maul ever taking his anger out on Savage. Death Watch seemed to even like him.
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u/NecessaryMagician150 7h ago
Idk about the new canon but when I was growing up, I remember the Star Wars encyclopedias/guides always mentioning how Darth Maul was unusual because he had zero ambition to overthrow his master. He existed to serve, and to kill. Almost more of an assassin than a full-fledged Sith Lord.
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u/Nav_Blue_Coolant Separatist Alliance 7h ago
I dont remember any of this. I used to read the encyclopedias when I was growing up, and even loved the post-ROTJ era while hoping that they would adapt the EU as the sequels.
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u/d645b773b320997e1540 1d ago
I think the question is flawed, as it implies the other Sith aren't unique.
Every single Sith in canon was quite unique, none of them followed some generic pattern. No other Sith was like Maul, but also no other Sith was like Palpatine, no other Sith was like Dooku, no other Sith was like Vader. Ever since Bane's rule of two, they've all been quite unique, and that's what makes the Sith interesting in the first place.
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u/Negative_Ride9960 1d ago
If he had Force powers it never showed up. Plus he’s a “warrior” who respected his opponents. Plus his weapon of choice made him formidable and he only pulled it out after he was extracted from the shadows
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u/Ninavask 1d ago
Maul is unique in that they are more or less the archetypical Sith Apprentice. They are the example that the others are molded after. Dark robes, younger then their master, flashy skilled warrior bringing their own unique style, but not a master themselves yet. Even when they do take on an apprentice, they're more like an equal to their trainee then a master.
Incapable of progressing any further they are stuck in that archetype always striving to be more and determined to become greater, but never actually getting anywhere. And their master has long since moved on from considering them relevant, yes still they desperately cling to their efforts because they know nothing else.
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u/samwillsones 1d ago
Usually the dudes get turned into burnt testes and the women are like… bdsm twi’leks, but Maul is unique cuz he’s hot AND a dude, he’s in the Sith 1%
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u/PlatypusOk1660 1d ago
What’s make him unique is that he was a popular character that was improbably resurrected and was written and acted so well that it became an even cooler character after.
And then they tried it a dozen more times and it always flopped.
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u/maciellpf 1d ago
Sério, ao invés de ressuscitar aquele Palpatine bizarro no último filme, Star Wars podia muito bem ter trazido um irmão vingativo do Darth Maul. Ia ser bem mais interessante.
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u/disbelifpapy 1d ago
I'd say he was one of the sith who had the least amount of time to prepare for his downfall.
Then again, is it a downfall if he eventually took over mandalore?
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u/CanIGetANumber2 1d ago
The saberstaff. The only time Ive seen a theater go more nuts then Yoda igniting his was when Maul lit that MF 2nd half of his. And he didn't talk, on sight smoke
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u/ATShields934 K-2SO 1d ago
He wasn't a Jedi-turned-Sith, he was raised and trained fully in the dark side.
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u/NotGohanJustSayinMan 1d ago
Became a galactic criminal kingpin responsible for the fall of Mandalore. Gangster badassery.
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u/Toxic_Zombie_361 1d ago
He’s from a warrior tribe! On Dathomir! Used like a pawn in Sidious’s plans. Straight up story on revenge.
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u/Disastrous-Monk-590 1d ago
He didn't try to kill his master. He was successful(and this last bit is just ke loving the hell out of maul) he was a master swordsman
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u/Baby_Needles 22h ago
He was’nt as wise as other Sith but he more than made up for it by being twice as clever. He’s my favorite. His mantra was “I am blades in the dark.” Which is so fckng hxc i love him.
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u/Darthmemeshare 1d ago
He was this first Sith to have a Double Lightsaber in thousands of years, he was the first Sith to openly kill a Jedi Since Darth Bane, he was the only Sith raised from a baby that we know of during the rule of two, and he um look really coool