SWDD #6: Darth Maul

You may have seen one lightsaber in action. You may have seen two. Thanks to General Grievous, you may have even seen four. But the Dathomirian Zabrak Sith Lord Darth Maul has a double-bladed lightsaber. With his menacing, spiked head and blood-red skin, Maul proved a formidable match for both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui Gon Jinn, with Maul eventually killing the latter. While normally it would be unwise to judge a book by its cover, Maul's piercing and savage look is meant to strike fear into anyone he encounters (not to mention the audience). Maul's film career was restricted to a one picture deal (i.e. The Phantom Menace) but his deadly prowess is explored more through the Star Wars The Clone Wars TV series, which acts as a sequel to Maul's The Phantom Menace arc. Though Maul's onscreen accomplishments may be limited to just the murder of one Jedi master, off-screen, he became leader of the Mandalorian terrorist group called Death Watch after killing its previous leader Pre Vizsla, fought Darth Sideous and survived, and beat Dooku and Grievous in single combat.

Ray Park as Darth Maul
Image credit: Lucasfilms

However, it is not due Maul's inordinate accomplishments that made me want to choose his as the penultimate character to the SWDD series. It more about Maul's character arc, how he was murdered at the end of The Phantom Menace, was (literally!) resurrected and given new life during Star Wars The Clone Wars' season 4 finale, and yet, ultimately returned back to his old, sithful sinful ways, despite a new chance at life. As stated before, at the end of The Phantom Menace, Maul was sliced int two by Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his bisected remains fell down a reactor shaft. No one expected the character to actually survive (he was cut in half!) but Maul did, eventually finding his way to Lotho Minor, and acquiring a spidery, six-legged, mechanical apparatus to replace his legs.

Darth Maul in his first appearance after his "death"
Image credit: Lucasfilms

During his time on Lotho Minor, Maul never forgot the humiliation and shame that had been brought on him by Obi-Wan Kenobi. He never stopped cursing the jedi, and became more mentally unstable during the years that he spent on that planet. When his brother (Savage Oppress) finally came to pay him a visit, Maul's mental condition had deteriorated to such an extent, that he could not cohesively form sentences; his speech was reduced to that of barks and snarls. Oppress later took Maul to a Nightsister Sorceress named Mother Talzin. Talzin then pieced together Maul's mental consciousness and gave him a new set of legs and his lightsaber. Once the healing process was complete, a newly christened Maul emerged, looking more dangerous than ever. 

Darth Maul in his second appearance
Image credit: Lucasfilms

With his legs back, Maul immediately turned his attention to the one who caused him all the years of pain: Obi-Wan Kenobi. From this point on, Maul would continue to devote all of his efforts to hunting down the Jedi. Later, he would try to win back the favor of Sideous, who would attempt to kill him in turn. Maul would then attempt to stage an uprising against Sideous, and would fail yet again. As of now, Maul is living on an unknown planet, trying to hide from both the Jedi and Darth Sideous; a demeaning ending for a warrior who was once so feared. 

Darth Maul in his third and final appearance
Image credit: Lucasfilms

Maul was a character who was blessed with many second chances. He should have died in The Phantom Menace, but because the screenwriters didn't have better ideas  for whatever the reason, he survived. Even when he was given the chance to live life again, he returned to his old ways of killing, pillaging, and scheming. Maul could have been a redeemed character who turned his life around despite a previous lifetime of evil. Yet Maul didn't; he never fully escaped the gravity of his past and felt an innate need to return to being an apprentice of Darth Sideous and a dealer of evil. Maul's arc is tragic, one that could have shown so much promise and hope, yet he ultimately returned back to his old ways. Though physically he is still living, he is "dead" on the inside. 

Proverbs 26: 11 states "As a dog returns to his own vomit, so do fools repeat their folly" (NIV). This could not be more true for Maul; he returned to the vomit of evil, and only ended up repeating his folly. Due to my sinful nature, I too return to my folly and vomit of sin; Paul expresses trouble with this too in Romans 7:15 when he states "I do not understand what I do. For I what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do" (NIV). I know what is sinful and what is not sinful in this world, yet I my fleshly desires gravitate towards the sinful. Even when I am born again through the salvation that God gave me, I still feel temptations to indulge in sinful practices. But God has given me his word to not succumb to temptations. Romans 12:1-2 states "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will" (NIV). As I continue to struggle with temptation and sin, I know that I can offer my body as a living sacrifice to God; I want/need to be changed by God's will.