Why Darth Maul’s Death is the Best in the Whole Franchise

For those of you who have yet to watch Clone Wars and Rebels you probably don’t know much about Maul. I won’t reveal much but I will give you the basics: he did not die when Obi Wan threw him into that pit. He survived and spent the rest of his life seeking revenge and wreaking a bit of havoc along the way. However, I’m not here to talk about his life; I’m here to talk about his death. 

To analyze his second death we must first have a look at his original death.

Maul dies when fighting Obi Wan at the climax of A Phantom Menace. Maul had just bested Qui Gon by stunning him with a lightsaber hilt to the head and a stab in the stomach.  Obi Wan had just seen his master bested by Maul and didn’t really stand a chance. After he falls into the pit and loses his saber, it seems as though all hope is lost. However, once we hear the force theme play in the background and get a look at Qui Gon’s lightsaber, our hope is aflame once again. Obi Wan jumps up and slices Maul in half. Maul, now in two distinct pieces, falls to his supposed death.

Maul however didn’t die and is discovered in a cave, wearing spider legs, and incredibly insane. The Dark Sisters manage to save him and he once again becomes the villain we love to hate. In Rebels, Maul uses the Sith and Jedi Holocrons (and Ezra) to track Obi Wan to Tatooine where he is to finally exact his revenge in the best fight scene to ever be put on a screen. Many people were disappointed by the fact that this fight lasted a mere 4 seconds, but I promise you this 4 seconds is pure genius.

Obi Wan starts in his typical fighting stance. One we see him do numerous times throughout the series: Lightsaber up by his ear, other hand outstretched with two fingers forward. According to WookiePedia this is known as Form 3. 

Then, he does something different. Obi Wan changes forms to mimic that of his Master: Qui Gon Jinn. 

Obi wan was counting on Maul noticing this subtle change, and he did. Obi Wan perries Maul’s first few blows, but then Maul makes a fatal mistake. He attempts to go for a headbutt. The same move he used that killed Qui Gon.

This was what Obi Wan wanted though. That’s why he switched to Qui Gon’s stance. He predicted that Maul would try the same move and when he did, Obi Wan was ready. He sliced Maul’s saber in half and left a killer slash across Maul’s chest. 

That’s it. That’s the whole fight. When I first saw it I was incredibly disappointed. I’m a huge fan of massive flash and trash light saber fights and this is anything but. Every frame is so intentional. It may not be beautiful, but it is brilliant.