Darth Maul was a Dark Lord of the Sith and the first known apprentice of Darth Sidious. As a young child, Maul was kidnapped by Sidious and secretly trained in the ways of the dark side of the Force. Growing up under this dark side tutelage of Darth Sidious, the only emotions Maul learned were those of bloodlust and rage.

Maul was a master of Juyo, Jar'Kai, and Teräs Käsi, and chose to use a double-bladed lightsaber for combat. In the years leading up to the Invasion of Naboo, Sidious had sent Maul on several political assassination missions, most notably against Black Sun, but Maul longed to encounter and kill Jedi.

In 32 BBY, Maul was dispatched by Sidious to kill Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi. After tracking them to Tatooine and then to Naboo, he engaged both Jedi during the Second Battle of Theed. Maul slew Jinn, but made a fatal mistake when he underestimated Kenobi. After a brief, but fast-paced battle, Kenobi slew the Zabrak Sith Lord.

"It was a man… But like no other man…"
―Asa Naga

"Fear. Fear attracts the fearful… the strong… the weak… the innocent… the corrupt. Fear. Fear is my ally."
―Darth Maul

"You have been well trained, my young apprentice. They will be no match for you."
―Darth Sidious

"Stealth is the greatest tool of the Sith assassin"
―Darth Sidious

"At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge."
―Darth Maul

"He who trained his entire life to kill Jedi could certainly not fail to kill a mere Padawan."
―Darth Maul

"There is no Palpatine. No Empire. No Jedi.
There is no light, no dark... just you and I here now."
―Darth Maul to Obi-Wan Kenobi

After a long and intense engagement, Maul slew the exhausted Jinn, inciting the anger in the Jedi Master's young apprentice. Within seconds the apprentice—Obi-Wan Kenobi had pounced upon the Sith Lord and blades had met. For a short while Maul was evenly matched against the rage-filled young Jedi Padawan, until Obi-Wan cut his double-bladed lightsaber in half. Obi-Wan began to gain the upper hand, but eventually skill prevailed for the Sith Lord and he was able to Force push the young Jedi into a melting pit. Kenobi hung onto a small device on the side of the pit as Maul grinned, predicting his victory, from above. However, Maul's overconfidence was his downfall.

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Kenobi used the Force to leap out of the melting pit and summon his Master's lightsaber to his hand. The Padawan sliced Maul in half through his waist causing the Dark Lord to flinch in shock. Maul fell to his apparent death, into the melting pit, in silence. It was an unfortunate setback for Darth Sidious but, for a calculating man with foreknowledge of the future, it was not a disaster. Perhaps it was even deliberate. Within a year Maul would be replaced with another powerful apprentice.

...........

Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, a dark side splinter group called the Prophets of the Dark Side managed to resurrect Darth Maul. It is unknown whether this Maul was created through cloning techniques, by using some form of Sith alchemy to restore and reanimate Maul's actual corpse (which was destroyed in the Naboo Reactor Core Room,)or through other means. The Prophets themselves stated that "there are techniques to mold a being in every way." As an example to the lesser vassals of Palpatine's Empire and to put an end to the tainted Sith Apprentice, Darth Vader was chosen as the first target for the dark warrior. These dark side worshipers believed Vader to be too much of a Jedi to be a worthy Sith Lord.

On the shadowy volcanic moon Kalakar VI, Vader thought he would intercept a Rebel courier with the stolen plans to the first Death Star. Instead, he was met by a reborn Darth Maul and the observing dark acolytes. Darth Maul then dueled Vader on equal terms, but gained the advantage late in the duel. Yet, in the final moments of the battle, Vader surprised Maul by stabbing his lightsaber through his own body (and, through proximity, Maul as well), damaging his own circuits and almost losing his own life in the process. With Maul defeated, the observing acolytes were executed by Palpatine himself for their "treacherous" act towards his rule.