Darth Maul was one of the most vicious and ruthless Sith in Star Wars. Of course, his stony-hearted personality was amplified because the one and only Darth Sidious trained him.
Darth Maul undeniably accomplished many impressive feats in his day, but despite everything we know about him, some things are still a bit puzzling.
He had an interesting history, but what exactly was Darth Maul like before he joined the Sith Order? In addition, Star Wars fans have asked the question of whether or not Darth Maul was actually a Sith Lord.
These questions and more will be answered as we make our way through this article, so keep reading.
Table of Contents
Who Was Darth Maul Before He Became A Sith?
Darth Maul was a Force-sensitive male who was a combination of the Dathomirian and Zabrak species. Born on Dathomir, Darth Maul was originally a Dathomiri Nightbrother and went by the name Maul.
As a child, Maul’s mother (who was a Nightsister) handed him over to Emperor Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious, where he was trained in the ways of the dark side of the Force.
At the time of his training, Darth Bane’s Rule of Two was in effect. This rule stipulated that the Sith could only operate in twos: one Sith Lord who is well versed in the dark side and its techniques, paired with one apprentice who is eager to learn and is thirsty for power.
The Rule of Two was put in place for the Sith to train in secret and rebuild their numbers, as well as plan their revenge on the Jedi and, by extension, the Galactic Republic.
Darth Sidious, being the rule breaker that he was, had multiple apprentices, one of which was Maul, whom he trained secretly. What made Maul’s training even more rule-breaking was the fact that Sidious himself was an apprentice to Darth Plagueis.
Even so, Plagueis was fully aware that his apprentice had his own protege and was supportive of Sidious’ decision to train Maul.
The reason for Plaugeis’ support, despite the clear violation of the rules, was that he saw Maul as an assassin who could carry out high-risk missions for the Sith. If he were to fail, he would be easily replaced without exposing either Plagueis or Sidious.
What Kind of Sith Was Darth Maul?
Despite his tumultuous beginnings, Darth Maul was considered to be a true Sith. By definition, a Sith is a Force-sensitive who is devout to the dark side. They are filled with hate, seething rage, and an insatiable hunger for power.
The Sith use their negative emotions to draw them closer to the dark side and drive them towards their goal of gaining power over the galaxy. Therefore, based on this, Maul fits the criteria of being a Sith in the true sense of the word.
Learning under the stern, talented hand of Darth Sidious, Maul trained tirelessly as a Sith apprentice. Over time, through extensive coaching, Maul climbed the ranks of the Sith Order, becoming Darth Maul.
Throughout the years, Darth Maul trained extensively to become the best warrior the Sith could have. He was nimble and relentless when it came to hunting his enemies.
Naturally, as a Force user and a Sith, Darth Maul was also trained in the art of using a lightsaber. Moreover, he learned to use a double-ended lightsaber and eventually crafted plans to create his own.
Of course, these plans had to be hidden as Darth Maul himself was technically an “illegal” Sith. As such, Darth Sidious placed the plans in a secret entrance to the Sith Archives.
Was Darth Maul A Sith Lord?
Darth Maul was not initially supposed to be a Sith Lord. As we previously established, he was trained to be a Sith Assassin. He would be the hitman for the Sith Order.
He would terminate specific targets that Sidious and Plaugeis gave him and would do it with such verve that this was seemingly a perfect job for him. We know that Maul was never an official Sith apprentice in the eyes of the Empire because he was Darth Sidious’ secret apprentice.
Even though Darth Maul knew his role, he continued to train and improve his skills day by day. Because of his clear dedication to all things dark-side, Maul made his stake in the Order as an apprentice. That was until he was eventually promoted to being Darth Maul.
Traditionally, the term “Darth” is given to a Sith when they are knighted as being a Sith Lord. Based on Maul’s name being upgraded to Darth Maul, it can be deduced that he was a Sith Lord.
What Is Darth Maul’s Real Name?
In Star Wars: Legends, it was stated that Darth Maul went by the name “Maul” before being taken into training as an infant. After that, the moniker “Darth” was simply added to his name.
This is not the typical way names are given out. When an apprentice becomes a Sith Lord, they are completely renamed (like Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader). This is why fans became curious about what Maul’s name was before this point.
To that end, Screenrant raised a good point in that Darth Maul’s origin story was not inherently important to his storyline. From the get-go, Darth Maul was trained to be a weapon for the dark side.
Unlike Darth Vader and other Sith Lords, he did not have an identity outside of being a part of the Sith Order. He was essentially forced to assume the identity he was presented with. That is, being a ruthless killer for the dark side.
Did Darth Maul Stop Being A Sith?
After many years of executing the enemies of the Sith, Darth Maul reached the pivotal point of his career.
This occurred when he was sent by Darth Sidious to Tatooine to retrieve Queen Amidala of Naboo. There’s no doubt that the Queen would not have been released without a fight, and this resulted in a duel between the Jedi and the Sith.
Darth Maul was able to easily hold his own against Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. It often seemed as though the Jedi struggled to defend themselves against the Sith Lord.
Despite seeming as though they were on the losing end of the battle, the Jedi eventually defeated Darth Maul. Furthermore, Qui-Gon informed his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, of the threat against the Queen.
Darth Maul could not accept his loss and plotted his revenge. His plan was successful as he murdered Qui-Gon during a battle they had on the planet Naboo. Out to avenge the death of his master, Obi-Wan defeated the Sith by slicing him in half.
Naturally, after a hit like that, Darth Maul was presumed to be dead. Amazingly, being fueled by hatred for the Jedi who had conquered him, Maul stayed alive long enough to escape Naboo.
At that point, Maul could no longer be considered a Sith. This is because, in accordance with the Rule of Two, Maul failed his mission by “dying”; as such, his master, Darth Sidious, replaced him as an apprentice.
Nevertheless, Darth Maul lived out his days on Lotho Minor until he found his brother, Nightbrother Savage Opress.
Conclusion
Darth Maul was one of the most lethal and skilled members of the Sith Order. Initially, Maul was secretly trained to be an assassin for the Sith, but as time progressed, he grew to be of more importance in the group.
Although his affiliation with the group began questionably, Darth Maul was clearly a Sith by every definition of the word.
He would eventually be promoted to Sith Lord. After an intense battle against some of the best Jedi, Darth Maul was thought to be dead.
He survived, but that didn’t matter and resulted in him no longer being deemed a Sith. Still, this could have been a blessing in disguise.
It allowed Maul to develop as an individual rather than having to conform to the only thing he knew: being a ruthless, hatred-filled Sith.