27 years ago, Star Wars history was made. I still remember joining the queues outside the theaters to see The Phantom Menace, unsure what to expect but eager to experience the first new Star Wars movie in my lifetime. It’s hard for modern viewers to imagine what it was like, not least because all the social media and online adverts we’re so used to were completely alien back then. But I knew The Phantom Menace‘s trailer almost line-by-line, having watched it so many times on TV, and I was particularly excited to meet one particular new character: Darth Maul.
There was something absolutely unforgettable about Darth Maul. He cut a savage and demonic silhouette, wielding a double-bladed lightsaber I’d only seen in the Star Wars comics before. Lucasfilm rightly predicted that Maul would be a hit, and he figured prominently in the marketing – more prominently than he did in the film itself, it turned out. But the six-plus minutes were still enough to cement Maul as a legend among Sith Lords, and I remember forum discussions eagerly focusing on how powerful he was compared to Darth Vader.
I Totally Think I’m About To Find Out
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27 years ago, that versus match was just a hypothetical. It didn’t take long for some creative comic books to make it a reality (using the Infinities brand, which meant they weren’t canon), but you were really dependent on fanfics to scratch the Maul-versus-Vader itch. After all, in canon, Maul was dead. Until he wasn’t, because even George Lucas realized he made a mistake killing Maul, because the Sith Apprentice was resurrected in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I admit, I wasn’t sure what to make of that; the show didn’t air on a channel I had access to at the time, so I didn’t get to experience Maul’s resurrection for a couple of years.
Now, finally, the resurrected Darth Maul is set to star in his own TV series. Maul – Shadow Lord is set during the Dark Times of the Empire’s reign, meaning he’s actually active at the same time as Darth Vader. Even better, the new Maul – Shadow Lord trailer confirms he’s being hunted by the Inquisitors, the dark side Force users assembled as agents of Darth Vader himself. I don’t mind admitting that trailer made me sit up and take note, not only because it’s beautiful, but because the sheer potential is off the charts. Are we about to see Darth Vader versus Darth Maul, given Vader tends to clean up when the Inquisitors have failed?
Star Wars Rebels almost delivered on this, putting both Maul and Vader on Malachor at the same time. But that story (rightly) focused on the even more emotional reunion between Ahsoka and her former master, so the Maul versus Vader duel was never realized. Besides, that was an older Maul who was malnourished and much weaker, meaning he would hardly be able to put up the fight Vader deserved. Now, we’re seeing Maul at his height, a dark side powerhouse who can easily cut through Inquisitors and who could potentially give Darth Vader a run for his money.
27 years later, it looks as though my Star Wars daydream – a fanfic topic beloved in the fanbase – could finally be about to happen. And I couldn’t be happier.
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