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Fans had no idea how they were made, and – for the first two films – we only saw three of them (Luke’s first one, Obi-Wan’s, and Vader’s). Lightsabers were clearly a rare item in this world, kept like relics by the followers of an ancient religion that the vast majority of characters don’t seem to buy into. The concept appeared in George Lucas’ earliest drafts for The Star Wars, and the late, great Academy-award winning special effects genius John Stears was tasked with making the hilt.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Season 7 (
Darth Vader’s lightsaber – the one he uses in the original film – was crafted in a very similar way to the heirloom lightsaber we described in the previous section. There’s a key difference in the shaft, though, which is why they aren’t identical. The first lightsaber we ever clapped eyes on was Anakin Skywalker’s blue-bladed beauty, which was passed from evil father to disenfranchised son by a man who acted as a surrogate father figure to both.
7 Pieces Of Star Wars Prequel Trilogy Concept Art That Would've Changed Everything - Screen Rant
7 Pieces Of Star Wars Prequel Trilogy Concept Art That Would've Changed Everything.
Posted: Mon, 08 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The Graflex SE Lightsaber
Ray Park also had a hand in developing Maul’s fighting style, and asked that the hilt of Maul’s double lightsaber be lengthened so that he could use it more efficiently. The Den of Geek quarterly magazine is packed with exclusive features, interviews, previews and deep dives into geek culture. Star Wars lore is so detailed that this article could stretch on infinitely.
THE PREQUEL TRILOGY
Without Ahsoka’s appearance in Rebels, Maul’s fate might have been very different. Executive Producer Dave Filoni originally planned for Maul to die at Darth Vader’s hands during the season two finale. However, Ahsoka’s history with Vader was deemed more appropriate for the big season two finale.
Star Wars' Original Darth Maul Design Finally Enters Official Continuity - Screen Rant
Star Wars' Original Darth Maul Design Finally Enters Official Continuity.
Posted: Mon, 22 Aug 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
This new lightsaber style melded marvelously with the overall Dracula-inspired look of Dooku. He was finally unleashed by his Master, Darth Sidious, in an assassination attempt on Queen Amidala on the outskirts of Tatooine. He battled briefly with Qui-Gon Jinn, the Queen’s Jedi escort, but could not reach his target.
Funnily enough, Dave Prowse’s original Vader lightsaber prop was misplaced before Return of the Jedi, so they instead used one made from the same sort of flash attachment as Luke’s. Rumors say that Prowse actually carried a highly modified version of Hamill’s original lightsaber during Jedi, but that’s never been confirmed. It was Nelson Shin who suggested that lightsabers should look ‘a little shaky,’ due to the fact that they’re composed from light. This wobbly effect was achieved by inserting one frame that was much lighter than the rest while printing the film, resulting in that iconic shaky look. The immortal words of Old Ben Kenobi (nee Obi-Wan), lifted from the scene that inspired an infinite number of playground duels. Ezra suffered aural hallucinations and saw visions of Maul, almost killing a rebel officer during one imagined attack.
Star Wars: How Is Darth Maul Alive in The Clone Wars?
However, Maul’s shocking return also meant the return of this lightsaber (or part of it). A duel between Maul and Vader would have satisfied fans’ desire to see a fight scene between these two heavy-hitters, but Ahsoka’s story had more emotional weight, Filoni said. Without enough time in the episode to do both, Filoni decided to send Ahsoka to fight Vader, and, therefore, keep Maul alive. Sure, Darth Maul was a bit of a pushover for getting cut in half by a teenage Padawan. But in Son of Dathomir, he and his combined forces of Mandalorians and criminals capture both Count Dooku and General Grievous without lengthy battles. Once they’re in his clutches, Maul parades his success in front of Darth Sidious in one of the most telling parts of the comic.
Later, Maul waited for Amidala on Naboo, where he dueled with Qui-Gon and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Sith fought with blinding speed and impressive agility, and stabbed Jinn through with his red double-bladed lightsaber; he would prove unable to best Obi-Wan, however. The young Jedi, in a surprising move, cut Maul in two and sent him tumbling down the planet core, seemingly destroyed.
Luckily, the artist didn't have to reach too far to come up with a second design. McCaig finally nailed it when he thought of the next scariest thing for him. On the page, MAul was described as looking like “your worst nightmare”, so that’s what McCaig drew, but it was too much for George Lucas. Still, Maul nearly had a different design entirely that, to be honest, looks more like a Cenobite from the Hellraiser movies than a Star Wars alien. Iain McCaig, who helped design Maul, explained the genesis of Maul’s terrifying look on StarWars.com, admitting that he struggled at first to design the new Sith apprentice. Yes, Darth Maul’s lightsaber has at least two kyber crystals to power it, possibly more.
However, the actor felt like he required some practice as he felt rigid and that he “didn’t feel like I was walking like the Darth Vader we knew from the original trilogy”. But that was just what Lucas wanted, with Anakin’s Frankenstein’s monster-style lumbering perfectly communicating the awkwardness of being essentially turned into a robot with a brand new set of arms and legs. When Lucas initially told 20th Century Fox that he was making the story of how Anakin became Darth Vader, they were as excited as anybody else. Then he told them that, in the first film, Anakin would be 10 years old.
The verbal barb Maul throws at Ahsoka — “One last attempt at glory to impress a master who has no further use for you” — is telling. He showed that very same weakness throughout the Clone Wars when he tried to return to Darth Sidious, so it seems natural that this particular effort would be on his mind when he faces Ahsoka. This isn’t unique to antagonists, but Darth Vader and General Grievous had extensive cybernetic reconstruction. Darth Maul goes through this in The Clone Wars, too, although it isn’t overtly obvious in Son of Dathomir. Maul’s original artificial legs are of a similar design to Grievous’, and were built out of Nightsister magic and scrap parts by Mother Talzin.
He delivered two quick strikes, which Kenobi met, returning his attack only once. Maul looked up, the life fading from his eyes, and uttered his last words. Upon the guidance of Yoda, a young Padawan named Ezra Bridger went to Malachor in search of the power to destroy the Sith. Maul befriended the boy and together they climbed the world's Sith Temple, working in tandem and acquiring a Sith holocron. While Ezra made his way to the top of the Temple, Maul assisted the Padawan's friends, Ahsoka Tano and Kanan Jarrus -- for a time. The Temple was, in fact, a battle station, and he would use it for revenge on all his enemies, while making Ezra his new apprentice.
When he was greeted by Ahsoka Tano instead, he made the most of the situation by offering to form an alliance, two outcast apprentices joining forces to put a stop to the creeping evil of the Sith. After clashing lightsabers in the throne room of the capital city, Ahsoka turned Maul's own weapon against him and was able to capture the former Sith Lord for the Republic. Darth Maul has to be one of the best-designed creations in the whole Star Wars franchise. Who knows what would have happened if the original design for the villain had been used, though. Star Wars Rebels features the final confrontation between Maul and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Darth Maul’s lightsaber is cut in half once again, and he is defeated once and for all.
After studying how to use a double-bladed lightsaber, Darth Maul built his own based on plans found in a Sith Holocron belonging to his master, Darth Sidious. The process involved joining two lightsaber hilts together at their ends. Ian McCaig is the same designer whose art would eventually inspire the witches of Dathomir in The Clone Wars. Early concept art for the character showed a villainous-looking woman with hair falling in strands across her face. McCaig experimented with ink-blot “Rorschach” designs as well as flayed-looking faces before finding the right look for Darth Maul. Like the double-bladed lightsaber, the curved hilt had already appeared in Dark Horse Comics’ Tales of the Jedi series from the 1990s before turning up on the big screen.
We don’t know the exact timeline of how he got to Mandalore where he faced her. After the original Clone Wars ended after six seasons, we thought we’d never get that story, but with a final season announced, it’s likely we’ll finally get to see the siege of Mandalore and more of Maul’s story. Mace Windu’s lightsaber hilt is a particularly impressive one by prequel standards – it’s detailed and different but sleek and elegant, too. The enduring appeal of the lightsaber was enhanced by the sense of mystery surrounding them in the Original Yrilogy.
It’s a vital scene that hints at a wider world, one that would later be explored in countless tie-ins and spin-offs. He returned, tracking the Padawan and his rebel friends to their ship, the Ghost. Maul took the crew hostage, forcing Bridger to unlock and combine his Jedi holocron with the Sith artifact recovered on Malachor. Both saw visions as a result of the ritual, including a planet with twin suns.
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