Was Darth Maul ever really worthy of being a Sith Lord, despite what he thought?

Darth Maul is introduced as a Sith Lord in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom MenaceBut whether his lordship was deserved is questionable. While the Jedi refer to themselves as knights who serve the will of the Force, the Galactic Republic, and innocents of the galaxy, their ancient enemies use the title of Lord instead. The first Sith may have fallen Jedi, but the Sith Order soon developed its own distinct culture from the Jedi. Sith are lords because they rule (or seek to rule) the dark side of the Force, the galaxy and its beings.

Sith Lords, especially those in the dynasty of Darth Bane, are not as fond of fighting their enemies directly as the Jedi Knights. The Sith manipulate galactic events from the shadows, with many Sith coming from positions of political, economic or social positions of power and influence. When a Sith must engage their enemies head-on, they are seemingly unstoppable opponents, with dark side powers and deadly lightsaber skills that allow them to make quick work of even the formidable Jedi. in The Phantom Menace And non-film materials in canon and legends, Darth Maul lacks key qualities of a Sith Lord.

Darth Maul was only ever really a Sith assassin

In the context of The Phantom MenaceDarth Maul is not shown functioning as most Sith Lords do – especially as a member of Darth Bane’s dynasty. Darth Maul is an exceptionally skilled warrior, killing the formidable Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and nearly killing then Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. yet Darth Maul is not shown or implied to be a behind-the-scenes manipulator like Palpatine (Darth Sidious) or his successors, Count Dooku (Darth Tyranus) and Darth Vader. Maul only serves as an assassin for Sidious, displaying the appropriate martial prowess of a Sith Lord but not the station of one.

In the original Legends continuity, Darth Maul died in The Phantom MenaceBeing seceded by Kenobi. In the modern Star Wars Canon, Maul somehow survived the dismemberment and resurfaced during the Clone Wars. Due to this, Darth Maul’s appearances in the Legends continuity predominantly show him during his training or on missions for Palpatine. In the modern canon, Maul finally begins to act as a Sith Lord – manipulating crime organizations and consolidating them under his rule – but At this point, he is no longer an official Sith and his manipulations seem to be uncharted territory for him.

Darth Maul’s position in the Sith Order was elaborated by James Luceno’s 2012 novel Darth Plagueis. Although Darth Maul’s training gave him the fighting prowess of a true Sith Lord, Palpatine refrained from completing his training – especially in the realms outside of combat and assassination. Darth Maul’s Sith Lordship – whether deserved or not – was official, and it broke the Rule of Two, since Darth Plagueis was alive at the time. nevertheless, Palpatine notes that he views Darth Maul as a fighting machine rather than a true Sith disciple.

In the modern Star Wars Canon, Darth Plagueis is implied to have died before the events of The Phantom Menace, suggesting that Darth Maul’s Sith Lordship did not break the rule of two in the newer continuity. Even if this is the case, He is only depicted as a tool of Palpatine during his time as an official Sith Lord. Although this does not necessarily mean that Palpatine saw him as little more than an assassin in the modern canon, he still did not show the appropriate manipulation and leadership skills of a Sith Lord before his defeat on Naboo.

Darth Maul never truly became a dark lord of the Sith

If Darth Maul won his battle with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, he could have truly matured into the role of a Sith Lord. Of course, this is less likely to have happened in the Legends continuity, given Palpatine’s comment in Plagues and his use of Count Dooku’s wealth, political connections, and charismatic leadership skills. in all likelihood, Maul would be killed and replaced by Dooku, with Palpatine orchestrating their conflict.

Despite Darth Maul’s seeming unworthiness of his Darth title, He is not the only Sith to achieve Lordship before displaying the appropriate qualities of a Dark Lord.. Darth Vader is one such example, having sacked the Jedi Temple and assassinated the Separatist Council before any of his formal Sith training began. Darth Vader grew into the role of a Sith Lord, embodying the manipulative traits through the events of the original trilogy. Darth Maul’s defeat in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace robbing him of the opportunity to similarly grow in his role as a Sith Lord.