One of the most heated rivalries throughout theStar Warsuniverse is the one between Obi-Wan Kenobiand Darth Maul. The two fated enemies met in battle on multiple occasions, and each time, Maul’s anger and hatred fueled him to do everything in his power to finally finish off the foe that managed to embarrass him during their first encounter. Their rivalry would span decades, though a winner would eventually be crowned.
Darth Maul was a powerful Sith, so strong that he was able to deal with the powerful Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn. At the same time, Obi-Wan was one of the most skilled Jedi in the Jedi Order, something that garnered him respect from his peers and caution from his enemies throughout theStar Warsseries. Each time the two would clash was as exciting as the previous time, though each of their battles managed to feel different in tone.
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How Did Darth Maul’s Rivalry With Obi-Wan Begin?
Initially, there doesn’t seem to be any bad blood between Darth Maul and Obi-Wan Kenobi; at least, there’s nothing personal between them.Maul is a Sithand Obi-Wan is a Jedi, naturally putting the two warriors at odds with one another, but things would become much more serious once Maul struck down Obi-Wan’s master Qui-Gon Jinn on Naboo. After the Battle of Naboo began inThe Phantom Menace, both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon engaged Darth Maul in a heated duel. Despite outnumbering the Sith apprentice, Maul had little issue evening the odds before he got the better of Obi-Wan.
With Obi-Wan left hanging from a massive pit, Darth Maul grew arrogant, believing Obi-Wan’s death was certain. Instead of giving up, Obi-Wan trusted in the Force and was able totake the Sith by surprise, cutting him in half and sending him to the bottom of the pit he’d just been dangling from. Despite Maul being cut in half and dropped down a seemingly endless shaft, he would survive the ordeal through pure hatred. Obi-Wan may have believed that his foe was gone for good, but little did he know their rivalry had only just begun.
How Many Times Did The Jedi & Sith Battle?
While the number may change at different points,Obi-Wan Kenobiand Darth Maul fought each other on four separate occasions throughout theStar Warsseries. Only one of their battles would be featured in a film,The Phantom Menace. The remainder of their duels would take place in theStar Warstelevision seriesThe Clone WarsandRebels.
Obi-Wan emerged from their first confrontation as the clear victor, but that wouldn’t always be the case. Their next meeting came during season 4 ofThe Clone Warsafter Maul sent a messageto the Jedi Councildemanding that Obi-Wan come to face him on Raydonia. Maul would get the drop on Kenobi thanks to an assist from Savage Opress, and the two would take him as a prisoner for a brief time. Luckily for Obi-Wan, Asajj Ventress, with an agenda of her own would arrive to save him and the two would engage in a battle with both Maul and Opress. This entire encounter is best chalked up as a loss for Obi-Wan, as he was left with no option but to flee from the combined might of his former foe and his mighty brother.
Obi-Wan would find himself battling against Maul and Opress again only an episode later, kicking offseason 5 ofThe Clone Wars. This time, Obi-Wan received backup in the form of the Jedi Adi Gallia, though she was quickly struck down by Opress. For the remainder of the encounter, Obi-Wan managed to defend himself against Maul and Opress without any help, and the winner of this encounter is arguable. While Maul does throw Obi-Wan away from himself and an injured Opress, Obi-Wan does lose Adi Gallia, which leaves the real winner of the encounter down to each individual’s personal definition of a victory.
The final confrontation between Obi-Wan and Maul is often viewed as one of the best exchanges between the rivals, as well as a demonstration of Obi-Wan’s Jedi mastery. They would meet for the final time in season 3 ofStar Wars: Rebels, though their last confrontation would only serve to prove that Obi-Wan was always the best of the two men.
How Did Obi-Wan Kill Darth Maul?
After enough scheming, Maul was able to figure out Obi-Wan’s location, allowing him to be the one to finally exterminate one of the greatest Jedi to ever live. Finding himin the deserts of Tatooine, Maul taunted his old rival and declared his intention to put him out of his misery once and for all. After a brief exchange of words, Maul douses the fire the men were standing around, and the only light left shones from the blades of each warrior’s lightsabers. At first, Obi-Wan seems uninterested in a violent confrontation, but after Maul correctly deduces that Obi-Wan is protecting someone on the planet, Maul’s fate becomes sealed.
Obi-Wan initially takes his classic stance before deciding to switch to the stance ofhis former master, Qui-Gon Jinn. It’s possible that Obi-Wan simply wanted to pay homage to his master by defeating the man who killed him with his form, but it’s also possible that Obi-Wan could sense that taking the stance would bring back Maul’s violent arrogance. After Maul leaped at his old foe, it would only be two lightsaber clashes before Obi-Wan would slice through Maul’s blade and much of Maul as well.
Obi-Wan knew exactly what Maul would do, and baited him into attacking in the exact way he wanted. Taking Qui-Gon’s stance,Obi-Wan was able to bait Maulinto attempting the exact same move that he had killed the Jedi with all those years ago on Naboo. Knowing exactly how to counter Maul’s strike, he cut down his old rival before exchanging a few words and holding him as Maul finally succumbed to his wounds.
