R.I.P. Maul.

I totally agree. Lamer characters have been treated with more respect than what they did with Maul. I felt more inside and cared more for Rush Clovis when I saw him die than I felt for Maul.


Even Bola Ropal who was a character who was created in an episode just so that we could see him die was given a more dignifying death than Maul.

 

I fall on the side of loving how they handled Maul's death. I have no problem agreeing to disagree, so I am not trying to change your opinion, even if I think it is because you have simply seen too many big grand spectacles to appreciate the power of briefness or subtlety (and I realize that is not a fair statement since I don't know you at all).

It wasn't some random idea - it was based on old Samurai movies, so it was grounded in something richer (IMO) than just repeating and upping the ante on previous deaths, which is all shows and movies seem to do these days.

I will admit on first viewing it was a bit of a shock - I wasn't immediately sure what I thought about it, but mainly because I had been reading so many people anticipate their battle on this site, that I wasn't expecting it. What I did know is that it would be immediately controversial with fans.

Upon subsequent viewings I realize how powerful the moment is, and could not imagine any other way being as satisfying for both characters.

--- Double Post Merged, Aug 14, 2017, Original Post Date: Aug 14, 2017 ---

You are assuming "action" is the only thing that makes one better. While that is likely how a dark side user would think, the very essence of the Jedi would be that they could become just as great and powerful as the Sith without having to fight their way to betterment. To quote Yoda "Wars don't make on great".

I do see your point. It's not that Maul was some pitiful thing. Maul was powerful - he stood toe to toe with Sidious (for a while). However, he underestimated Old Ben at the wrong time, which led to his downfall.

 

Incredible impact he made in this galaxy, he will be missed.

 

did darth maul reincarnate as a pig?

 

I gotta say I'm shocked at how many people neither saw nor appreciated the subtlety and depth to the final fight. Yet another lightsaber duel with flipping around would have been so trite and predictable. The way they set up this fight really showed they understood what was going on inside the characters. First you have Obi-Wan not even igniting his saber until Maul clues in on that OW is protecting someone. OW didn't want to fight at first, showing he's grown much wiser (wars not make one great). Once Luke is directly threatened, he ignites his saber as is ready to fight. Then OW opens with his customary stance he used all throughout TCW and the PT, with the 2 fingered peace sign thing pointing forward. This is where it gets really good. OW then switches to the same stance that Qui-Gon used to use. Maul sees this and begins to attack OW the same way he killed QG. OW baited him into it. Right when Maul is about to use that saber hilt to the face trick that staggered QG, Obi-Wan predicts it and cuts him down.

From start to finish, it shows their mindsets, not just how fast and high they can flip around with laser swords. Maul is so consumed by hate, aggression, and arrogance that he thinks he can finish off Obi-Wan like he did his master. OW sees through this, only fights when absolutely necessary, and baits Maul into setting up his own demise.

I'd take that kind of fight tens times out of ten over yet another jumping and flipping fight that we've seen 700 times already.

 

Same here! For me, this brief scene is one of the few best of Rebels, precisely because it's subtle, surprising and digs deep into the characters.

I just love how the fight and body language mirrors the state of the characters! And the ease with which Obi-Wan wins sends a powerful message. You can see how much Obi-Wan has grown since the Clone Wars - back then, he wanted revenge same as Maul, but he left that desire far behind, he doesn't even want to fight Maul if it's not necessary. Maul, in contrast, although he's been through a lot and certainly grew in power and knowledge, is still chasing the same goal as before - getting revenge on Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan wins because he found peace in his new goal - protecting Luke gives him determination and hope and he had come to terms with the past. Maul loses because the only thing driving him is hate and lust for revenge which wouldn't give him any happiness even if he was succesful.

You can see that Obi-Wan doesn't hate Maul anymore, he just feels sorry for him, sorry to see a life ruined by suffering so much to be unable to find any meaning except hate and fear.

And the last dialogue while Maul is dying in Obi-Wan's arms is really tragic:
- You can see that Maul let go of his hate against Obi-Wan and asks him about the Chosen One
- Obi-wan is glad to give him some last comfort in confirming it.
- And then Maul says his last words "He will revenge us" and there is so much sadness in Obi-wan's face, because he realized that even with his last breath, the only thing on Maul's mind was revenge, only directed to someone else - the Sith.

Anyway, that is just my interpretation

But It's kind of sad that the best, most powerful and emotional scenes in Rebels are about guest characters like Maul, OB1, Ahsoka and Vader instead of the main cast of the show. I hope that they have something big and well prepared in their sleeves for the final episodes of the show, but I am afraid the characters are just not deep enough for them to be able to manage that. They just haven't got very interesting arcs to resolve or twist..

 

I agree with the rest of what you said, except for that part. Honestly, I never really like TCW and the clone wars stuff in Rebels was always kind of bland to me. I liked the Obi-Wan Maul fight, but I've found the stuff dealing with the actual Rebels cast to be far more compelling.

 

I haven't read Bloodline, so I may be offbase, but does it suggest there is still a "Chosen One"? That would lead to a lot of questions for Ep 9.

 

I disagree with killing off maul. He was such a memorable character and they kill him off in rebels!? I mean more people watch clone wars then rebels so it would make more sense and kill him off in there. Yes I know disney wasn't in charge of the clone wars but still. I think it would be cool if he just stayed alive and hidden or something so that it would stir up mystery throughout the community. If they kill him off then he is obviously out of the show, so if he just stayed hidden or away then he is still not in the show. Same thing but you don't have to kill of a character.

 

Funny. For me, Maul is the ultimative proof that YOU HAVE TO KILL OF A CHARACTER OR HE WILL NEVER LET YOU ALONE!