Star Wars: History of Darth Maul vs Obi-Wan Kenobi

It’s a rivalry for the ages. Darth Maul and Obi-Wan Kenobi do not get along. From the moment they met when Obi-Wan was still learning the ways of the Jedi, now through to his days of isolation, there probably aren’t two people in the Star Wars canon that have quite this level of ongoing hatred for each other.

The rivalry is being renewed on Star Wars Rebels in season 3, as we learned in the new trailer yesterday. But for fans unfamiliar with Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the previous animated series, the return of Darth Maul may have come as an even bigger shock.

We’re here to help, with the history of this epic rivalry, and some hints and guesses at what’s to come.

Round 1: The Phantom Menace – Darth Maul vs. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon

It all started in Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace. The climax of the film saw Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master Qui-Gon Jinn taking on the titular hidden threat, a genuine dark lord of the Sith, Darth Maul. Maul was at his peak, and angry. The dark side of the Force so coursed through his veins, he couldn’t stop moving. When separated from the Jedi by force fields, he paced back and forth while Qui-Gon sat and meditated.

The Turning Point: Maul successfully kills Qui-Gon despite it being two-on-one. Obi-Wan lashes out (perhaps brushing up against the dark side himself) and cuts Maul in half, sending him falling down a near-bottomless looking shaft.

The Score: Maul 1, Obi-Wan .5 We’ll give Maul a point for killing Qui-Gon; Obi-Wan gets half a point. Get it?

 

Round 2: The Clone Wars S4E22 – Darth Maul and Savage vs Kenobi and Asajj

In their first meeting since that fateful day, Obi-Wan goes to fight this “broken monster” on his own after getting called out.

Oh wait – so, Darth Maul didn’t die, and was kept alive for years in a dark side rage in a literal pile of garbage, living solely off dark side energy fueld by his hatred of Kenobi. His brother found him and got him magic tech legs. I digress…

Kenobi gets quickly overpowered by Maul and his brother Savage Opress – but Asajj Ventress, dark side assassin and on/off strange rival flirtation of Obi-Wan’s stumbles upon him for the surprising assist. She doesn’t arrive, however, until Maul has given Obi-Wan quite the beating. Still, the two of them team-up against the brothers, and manage to even score a minor victory. They hold their own precisely long enough to escape with their lives.

The Turning Point: Asajj comes in for the rescue; Obi-Wan uses one of her Sith lightsabers, “Red’s not my color,” and they get away in a jump ship just in time.

The Score: Maul 1, Obi-Wan 1 – Obi-Wan scores another half point victory by escaping with his life, with assistance. Even he admitted, though, “We’re outclassed.”

 

Round 3: The Clone Wars S5E1 – Maul and Savage vs. Obi-Wan

Both teamed up with pirates, Darth Maul and Savage Opress fight Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Adi Gallia; and swiftly kill Adi. Now it’s just Maul and Opress versus Kenobi (the pirates… do their own thing). In one of the most baller moments ever for a Jedi, Maul claims, “We are two, and you are no match for us.” Kenobi lights up his own lightsaber, as well as Adi’s, and says, “You are mistaken” with a cold bite in his voice. The three fight, and Obi-Wan Kenobi looks like a man possessed. He holds his own, and catches Savage by surprise, cutting off his arm. Maul Force pushes him away, and they escape.

The Turning Point: Kenobi’s confidence, and of course his smooth move in cutting off Savage’s arm.

The Score: Maul 1 – Kenobi 2 – This one is a clear victory for Kenobi, though Savage and Maul would probably give an arm and a leg to have this fight over again.

 

Round 3.5: Darth Maul Kills Duchess Satine, Obi-Wan’s One True Love

Later, Darth Maul had taken over Mandalore as its new leader with the darksaber in hand. With Kenobi restrained, Maul Force-chokes Duchess Satine Kryze, pulling her closer and closer, until he ignites the darksaber and pulls her body directly onto it. She professes her love for her dear Obi-Wan again (who, at least once upon a time loved her back enough he offered to leave the Jedi order), and dies. It’s one of the best (and most heart-breaking) episodes of the series.

Turning Point: Maul was in complete control for this one. Obi-Wan couldn’t even fight back.

The Score: Maul 2 – Obi-Wan 2 Yeah, we’ll take a stab in the dark and say that’s as clear-cut a victory as Maul’s going to get. 

 

Round 4: Star Wars Rebels Season 3 – Maul vs. Ben Kenobi

And that brings us to this year’s main event. It’s been teased since early in the season, when Maul (no longer Darth) looked directly into the Force and saw… something. “He’s alive” were his only words, and fans instantly thought/hoped that meant he saw Obi-Wan Kenobi; the fact that Ezra Bridger, who was also looking into the Force at the time, saw twin suns (as in Tatooine, where Kenobi was hiding) seemed to make it a lock. Now in the trailer for the rest of season 3, we’ve seen that the two will confront each other once again, and this one’s probably for all the marbles.

Fight Prediction: Well, Obi-Wan Kenobi is still around in Episode IV and Maul is decidedly not. In Legends when this fight took place, Obi-Wan handily defeated him, but the death blow actually came from a surprising third party: Uncle Owen! Of course, with Maul’s slightly strange and off-putting new attitude, while they’ll definitely fight, this one might not actually go to the death. Instead, it could just be these men coming to terms of sorts. Still, with all their bad blood, this should be a doozy of a fight.

The Final Score: We’ll find out!