Darth Maul was one of the most exciting characters in The Phantom Menace.
In fact, we’d argue that George Lucas got rid of him too soon.
Lucasfilm cannily fanned the flames of anticipation, with theSpecial Editionre-release of the originalStar Warstrilogy.
Suddenly, the franchise seemed new again, and audiences were clamoring for a new trio of adventures.
Then there were the fans rushing into Toys R Us to buyPhantom Menacetoys.
When asked, most of those fans were after one toy in particular: Darth Maul.
At last we will have revenge.
As Yoda tells us, Always two there are.
Perhaps inevitably,The Phantom Menacedidnt live up to the weight of expectation.
He brought agility to theStar Warsfranchise, too.
And then George Lucas killed him.
For this writer, Darth Mauls exit was the biggest mistake George Lucas made in any of the prequels.
Consider the overall plot of the Prequel Trilogy.
We knew what would happen.
We were watching to seehowit would unfold.
It was something we all knew when we went in to seeThe Phantom Menacefor the first time in 1999.
What we didnt know was how Darth Maul would figure in the whole drama.
What part would he play in Anakins path to the Dark Side?
His look and presence alone were enough to tell you that he would make a formidable opponent in combat.
Imagine, for a moment, that the ending ofThe Phantom Menacehad been slightly different.
Qui-Gons dying wish is that Obi-Wan takes Anakin under his wing and train him as a Jedi.
Obi-Wan agrees, while privately vowing to avenge the death of his master.
In the subsequent films, Darth Maul would continue to serve as Obi-Wans nemesis.
Obi-Wan aims to teach Anakin the ways of Jedi righteousness, but secretly fights his desire for revenge.
A season later, Maul faced off against Ben Kenobi and finally met his end.
Of course, as Maul has already proved, its hard to keep a good Sith down…
