In the film's climax, Maul duels Qui-Gon and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). He is able to kill Qui-Gon and knock Obi-Wan down a shaft, but Kenobi propels himself out of the pit and uses Qui-Gon's lightsaber to bisect Maul, sending the two parts of his body falling down the shaft.
Five years ago today, one of the coolest moments in Star Wars history happened, and there's a chance you don't know about it. It featured Obi-Wan Kenobi having one final lightsaber duel with his longtime rival Darth Maul, and Kenobi killing Maul in the process.
Today, the canonical explanation for Maul's resurrection is that he never died in the first place. Here's how the official Star Wars website describes what happened after he fell down that hole: Thought dead, Darth Maul survived his injuries by focusing on his hatred of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi who cut him in half.
Their last lightsaber duel ended when the Jedi Master struck down his old nemesis. Believing that Kenobi had consigned himself to a life of exile to protect the Chosen One, Maul died taking comfort in the belief that he would be avenged once the Sith's prophesied destruction was realized.
Palpatine Never Truly Thought Highly Of Darth Maul
But Palpatine also believed that all who used the Dark Side of the Force would also feed directly into his own power - and Maul was nothing if not powered by pure anger (he was practically raised by birth to hate the Jedi Order).
If Maul knew, he would have tole Obi Wan or another Jedi during the Clone Wars. Dooku knew Palpatine was Sidious as he told Obi-Wan about him controlling the senate and referred to him as the dark lord. There's no real way of actually knowing if he knew ab palpatine.
He even revealed Palpatine's plan to Ahsoka at the end of The Clone Wars, but she refused to believe him. So Maul knew if he outed Palpatine, all he would do is bring the wrath of his former master upon him -- something he wanted to avoid at all costs.
Darth Maul lives! Well, sort of. After Obi-Wan Kenobi famously cut the horned Sith Lord in half in The Phantom Menace, Maul resurfaced in The Clone Wars, became a crime lord by the time of Solo, and eventually was murdered by Obi-Wan (again!) in Rebels.
"Is it the Chosen One?" Maul asked. "He is," Kenobi replied. Maul looked up, the life fading from his eyes, and uttered his last words. "He will avenge us."
As the son of Mother Talzin, the Zabrak male was taken from a young age by Sidious to act as his impressionable apprentice. The boy was raised as Darth Maul, a name he carried throughout his life. In Legends, it was insinuated that he was born "Maul" before attaining the honor of the "Darth" title.
Like the rest of his kin, Maul was subjected, shortly after birth, to an initiation ritual during which he was immersed in a "magic" oily bath, and covered head to toe in black and red tattoos. Later stripped of his black Nightbrother markings, Maul was left solely red-skinned.
In this scenario, Maul would cause Luke Skywalker to fall to the dark side and then begin training him as an unofficial Sith. With Obi-Wan Kenobi dead, Maul's thirst for revenge wouldn't end, and he'd set his sights on a more dangerous opponent.
He was 52 years old when he died in 2 BBY. Maul was three years younger than his rival Obi-Wan, who was 55 years old when he killed the former Sith Lord at the tail-end of the Empire's rule.
Moments later, Vader confronts him, and they engage in a lightsaber duel. Obi-Wan uses the duel to distract Vader as Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca escape to the Falcon. Obi-Wan allows Vader to strike him down, and his body mysteriously vanishes the moment he dies.
Dissecting the short fight, Obi-Wan used the same moves Qui-Gon Jinn did during their battle in The Phantom Menace, tricking Maul into executing the same parry he did before. However, instead of committing the fatal error his master did, Obi-Wan pivoted and hit Maul in the body, killing him.
Before her death, Maul was like a pesky thorn in Obi-Wan's side. He had killed his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, for which Obi-Wan got his revenge by slicing the Sith in half. But after Maul took yet another person away from him, Obi-Wan absolutely hated Maul.
By his singular hatred for Kenobi, Maul survived though at the cost of his sanity (which was later restored by Mother Talzin) and he surfaced many years later to exact revenge on Kenobi.
Though there was some debate among the fans that Anakin Skywalker's son, Luke Skywalker, was actually the Chosen One since he caused his father to destroy Darth Sidious, the debate was settled when George Lucas himself confirmed in an interview that Anakin, even after becoming Darth Vader, was still officially the ...
Darth Maul feared Vader in the same way as anyone would. Vader was the most notorious and ruthless figure in the Empire, using his rage and anguish to fuel his resolve, enabling him to dispatch his enemies without compassion or remorse.
A Sith Lord with the ability to cheat death and create life, Plagueis is the mentor of Sheev Palpatine / Darth Sidious, who, in accordance to the Sith's Rule of Two, eventually betrays Plagueis by murdering him in his sleep, taking his place as Sith Master.
During his exile, Maul's mind was shattered. He became obsessed with revenge, fueled and kept alive only by his hatred for Obi-Wan, despite losing his mind and many memories. His aggression and fear increased in his crazed condition, as Maul attacked Savage when he first encountered his brother on Lotho Minor.
Maul may have developed a slight fondness for Ezra and still used Ezra to achieve his own goals, it did appear that Maul genuinely wanted Ezra as his apprentice. However, it is made clear by Sam Witwer that Maul does want Ezra as a replacement for his dead brother.
During Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul had no clue about Anakin and dismissed him as a child following the Jedi around. But with Maul's return during the Clone Wars, he likely found out about Anakin through his obsession with Obi-Wan.
Dooku obviously knows this is real. He's aware that Darth Sidious is a Sith Lord and knows Darth Maul is out there doing the dirty work of Sidious.
By surviving his encounter with Obi Wan and living after being replaced by Dooku, Maul effectively breaks the rule of two and continues to do so throughout the clone wars and rebels series. The rule of two states there can only be two, a master and an apprentice. As Maul is neither, he cannot be Sith.