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- "Formerly Darth... now just Maul."
- ―Maul
Darth Maul was a Zabrak Sith Lord during the Naboo crisis. The apprentice of Darth Sidious, he was taken at an early age to be trained in the ways of the dark side of the Force. In 33 BBY, Sidious gave Maul his first mission: destroy the criminal organization Black Sun. Maul carried out this task perfectly, dealing the group a grievous blow.
In 32 BBY, the Invasion of Naboo began. Set up by the Dark Lord with the aid of his apprentice, the goal was to get Sidious, as Senator Palpatine, elected Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. After Amidala, queen of the Naboo, escaped, Maul was dispatched to follow her. He found her on Tatooine, where he had a short but intense duel with the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Later, Maul was sent to Naboo, where he fought Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Though he killed the Jedi Master, he underestimated Kenobi's skill and was injured but not killed by the Padawan. Sidious would quickly replace Maul with a more powerful apprentice, the fallen Jedi Master Dooku.
Maul was a master of Juyo, Jar'Kai, and Teräs Käsi, with training in Niman. Maul chose to wield a red-bladed saberstaff in combat.
"Darth Maul was a weapon forged by the hateful energies of the dark side to ensure the victory of the Sith over the Jedi order. A creature of pure evil, Maul had no personality beyond his ultimate devotion to his master, Darth Sidious. His goal was singular -- to exact vengeance upon the Jedi for the decimation of the Sith ranks. The Republic first came to know of Maul only as a mysterious attacker. While Qui-Gon Jinn was escorting the fugitive Queen Amidala from Tatooine to Coruscant, Darth Maul swept down from above, lunging at Qui-Gon from his rocketing Sith speeder. Maul's attack was relentless; he hammered down lightsaber strikes against the accomplished Jedi Master, forcing him back time and again. It was only the timely interception of Qui-Gon by the Queen's Royal Starship that spared him.
Qui-Gon was utterly surprised and unprepared for such an attack. The Sith, everyone knew, were extinct, disappeared from the galaxy for a millennium. Yet the evidence was there -- a dark attacker, trained in the Jedi arts, brandishing a lightsaber no less.
Maul was dispatched by Darth Sidious to track down the Queen, a feat he accomplished through mysterious yet effective means. Traveling aboard his sleek Sith Infiltrator, Maul scouted the galaxy for the missing monarch, and reported his findings to his master. When Amidala returned to Naboo, Maul was there, waiting to face the Jedi once more.
As an undeniable example of his skill and devotion, Maul plunged headlong into battle against two Jedi warriors. Using his double-bladed lightsaber, Maul held off both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn in the heart of the Theed Royal Palace. When the Jedi became separated, Maul killed Qui-Gon with a well-placed saber strike. Kenobi, enraged, attacked Maul. This barrage was deflected by Maul who used Obi-Wan's touching of the dark side as a conduit for a Force attack; using the Force, Maul pushed Obi-Wan into a deep mining pit. Kenobi held onto an outcropping for dear life. Calming himself by calling upon the light side of the Force, Kenobi was able to surprise Maul, and cleave him in half with his saber.
A pained look of bewilderment crossed Maul's tattooed face as death overtook him. His body fell into the melting pit, splitting in two as it tumbled into oblivion.
It was only a matter of time before Sidious acquired a new apprentice.
Maul's Spider Form
Maul had actually survived his wound. He eventually found himself on Lotho Minor where he was able to create spider legs. He spent more than ten years on the planet before being finally found by his brother.
In 2 BBY, Maul is still alive in the era of the Empire. Soon he finally died once and for all.