and another thing… idk about you guys but my crowley and aziraphale are a demon and an angel, enemies to friends to situationship to almost-lovers, a 6,000 year slowburn. and they were fully shaped by the fact that they are supernatural beings, and by all their shared experiences, good and bad. that crowley and aziraphale have now semi-canonically been snapped out of existence, they have *never* even existed in this universe, they were basically book of lifed, the very punishment that was a threat in s2. and no weird ooc human au can ever be them because what they’ve been through and what they’ve learned is so much of who they are
So, I'm ready to take a closer look at this situation. Perhaps I'm overanalyzing it, but weapons in Star Wars, especially lightsabers, are part of the characters. Luke's change of lightsabers symbolizes his maturation, his transition from farm boy to knight. Ventress's change of lightsabers reflects her transition from the Dark Side to something more neutral. And that's not to mention Ahsoka.
In other words, it's an important character detail.
So, the first time we see Devon with a red Sith lightsaber is in Episode 3. And it's the remaid half of Maul's lightsaber, which she snatches from him. However, the way the lightsaber lies nearby throughout the conversation implies that Maul did this intentionally. He wanted to see whether Devon would listen to him or choose to attack. In a sense, he's giving her a choice, although it's not entirely a voluntary one. Devon knows Maul is a Jedi killer and a criminal; she has no reason to listen to him when there's even the slightest chance of escape. In other words, it's probably about as free a choice as Sidious gave Maul.
I also find it interesting how the following scenes, intentionally or not, parallel Savage's first encounter with Maul. Both Devon and Savage find themselves in darkness, the only source of light a red lightsaber, and Maul pursues them. In a sense, they are both unwittingly drawn into the same darkness Maul inhabits. The only difference is that Savage is searching for Maul, while Devon is trying to escape him.
Their duel also reveals something. Devon fights, but Maul? Maul is literally trying to teach her a lesson. Each time, he knocks her down to prove that she can't defeat a Sith, can't defeat the Empire, that she needs Maul. And the fact that he takes the lightsaber back at the end, I think, reveals his current view of Devon. She's not ready yet. She's not ready to descend into the Darkness, literally running back into the Light.
(It's also interesting that this scene emphasizes the saber's second half. Devon looks on with some surprise. Perhaps she didn't know the saber could be separated this way? I don't know.)
What do we have in the end? I think the original half of the lightsaber identifies with Maul himself. It's his lightsaber, the one he trained with, the one he became a Sith with, the one broken just like him. The other half is precisely what he's missing. A connection with someone else. By giving Devon this half (which may or may not be made from Savage's lightsaber), he defines her role for himself. The role of an apprentice, the role of someone who will stand by his side.
Then we have the heartbreaking Episode 8, followed by some changes in Maul. This is probably my favorite genre - a character reflecting and drawing all the wrong conclusions. Still, I think it's remarkable that Maul didn't abandon Master Daki right away. Only when the situation became glaringly hopeless, when it became clear they couldn't defeat Vader either together or separately, and Devon's life was in danger. Even then, he hesitated. And yet, I'm under no illusions. He would have gotten rid of Master Daki one way or another. He'll try to do it with Kanan. Maul's actions and thoughts haven't fundamentally changed, but his attitude toward the situation and himself has.
That's why the next time he offers Devon his half of the lightsaber. Not only is she ready for it, but Maul himself is reconsidering her role. The phrase "I won't let him do this to anyone else" seems to me to be sufficiently clear. Maul no longer sees Devon as an apprentice, as a replacement for Savage, but as himself. Someone with whom he can do everything "right," unlike Sidious. By forcing Devon to experience the loss of her Master, Maul, consciously or not, puts her in his place when he loses his brother.
In other words, if Maul was previously Maul, trying to fill the void left by Savage's loss, now he becomes Sidious for the metaphorical young Maul. And it's terrifying and heartbreaking, because I'm not even sure Maul realizes what he's doing. He certainly understands that losing her Master will push Devon to the Dark Side, but does he understand who he's becoming in this situation? Or does he simply think he can cope better than his own Master?
Because from his perspective, he's doing what no one ever did for him, what Sidious never did for him. He helped Devon when she needed it. He didn't leave her to die, as he was left. From his perspective, he's doing everything right and justified.
I think the most interesting thing here is that Maul, in a twisted sense, is trying to heal. He's trying to accept his past, he's trying to process everything Sidious did to him, he's trying to forgive himself. And he desperately projects all of this onto Devon, believing that if he "helps" her cope, he'll help himself. The only problem is that Maul wants to undo the damage he helped cause… by causing more damage.
This line right here is a pivotal game changer for Maul's character, and just kicked sand on every claim that he's doomed to be a static character. This man is about to struggle.
To be absolutely clear, this is compassion, and very altruistic. Y'know, the Jedi stuff that the Sith denounce as weakness. In this moment, Maul is saying he doesn't want other people to suffer on premise alone.
This is distinctly separate from anything we've ever seen from this guy. Sure, he's had sadness at the loss of his kin, but that is still partially Maul's own suffering and loss. This time around, he doesn't want other people (whom he will never know or benefit from) to suffer, either.
This is real character growth, and the furthest thing from Sith philosophy. Two thoughts:
Yes, Maul's goals here are still tangled up in fear, and revenge for his own loss. Definitely dark side stuff. But the writers could have left it there. Instead, they chose to show that he actually cares about other people, too.
This is going to get very sad, isn't it? We've already seen the end of Maul's story in Rebels (2015), and, spoilers: His life ends with the complete loss of everything he has ever had, and a petty revenge goal against Kenobi. Back to square one.
Essentially, whatever Maul goes through in this show, he's going to end up broken. He's going to lose everything, and any unexpected moral growth from this point forward is going to... not be enough.
He may quietly make positive steps in this show, only to revert to old ways in the end, presumably due to suffering too much. This really does happen to people irl, and it can be a type of character arc, but you don't see it in stories too often... probably because it hurts too much.
When Maul first gets revived in Clone Wars, he says "We shall start with revenge [against Kenobi]", implying this vendetta is just one box he wants to check off, prior to other goals. 20 years later, he fails in every way, and returns to that one petty goal, only to fail there too.
This is going to be the bleakest character arc imaginable, and a tragic commentary of when a horrific cycle of abuse might be too much for a certain person to overcome.
The real question is, how much is Maul going to grow and achieve before it all topples over? And can this show Pull A Star Wars, and give audiences a sense of hope in spite of it all?
The way Maul talks to his past self, in that soft, gentle voice??? Have we ever heard anything like that from him?
Maul, raised to believe that pain and suffering make him stronger, hating himself for his weakness, finally (sort of) forgives himself??? Forgiving this boy for being scared, and hurt, and alone? Accepting the fact that Sidious did nothing but break him?
I’m gonna be rewatching those episodes over and over this week I can tell. I barely processed anything that happened after the reflection scene ngl so I should probably attempt that. This was what I wanted from this show from the beginning and yes I have nitpicks because of course I do but god. I’m devastated. In a good way. And the worst way. That fucking flashback, Savage, Kenobi. Maul acknowledging the abuse he was put through, saying he doesn’t want that to happen to anyone else, while also being incapable of not mirroring the same behaviors that Sidious used to manipulate and abuse him. The nature of the man he hates the most, who took everything from him, ingrained so deeply in himself that he can’t even see it. It makes sense why he’s been so patient with Devon now. He’s trying. He can’t escape himself, and we know he won’t, and he doesn’t even realize he’s trying to. God it fucking hurts
I was waiting for a scene of Maul crying, but I didn't think it would affect me this much. I'm not okay, wow. And I didn't expect him to say something like this. The kindness didn't entirely leave him, apparently. This makes his eventual failure to defeat Sidious so much more tragic.
"The emperor wants you dead./Likewise."
Is he talking about Palpatine or himself? Is he passively suicidal?
A small analysis of Maul's emotional breakdown on chapter #8
At first, we see him blaspheme against his own reflection, proof that he's still struggling to forgive his past self for what he has become today.
Also, Maul is definitely struggling with his mind blaming himself for his own choices and weaknesses, but mostly bc he has nothing else but hate in his heart
it became his only motivation, no more remains
"I hate you" because he wasn't taught to hate anything else but himself. Because, to quote his own words: "every choice you've made, has led you to this moment."
Then, we see young Maul having a goodbye conversation with young Savage, hi voice is so soft in there, a caring, kind and worried voice full of fear and worries. He was probably a shy guy with several self-steem issues since the beginning... Surely that's why we see Savage being so protective of him.
"I must, my brother." Sidious is clearly taking Maul with him without any promise of return, and Maul seems to know this, so he agrees to follow him with no choice.
With all these, we can theorize that Maul spent most of his childhood on Dathomir, under Savage's care and possibly looking after Baby Feral. Sidious appears, and Talzin has no choice but to give him one of her children as a peace offering, an act to seal their alliance.
And of course, we have the constant obsession with Obi-Wan Kenobi. His personal nightmare, the person who reminds him of his own failures and the most cathartic moment of his life, basically the day he opened his eyes to the reality he was in.
Kenobi was a powerful catalyst for hatred when his mind failed to grasp that the true cause of his suffering, always being the man who initially promised him power and glory at the end, but turned his back on him at the first opportunity,
Making him spend years and years begging for mercy, a second chance, anything that would take him back to the only thing he had ever known in life, even if it was hell itself.
We also know 'Wrath of Darth Maul' has definitely a different concept of Maul's childhood.
Despite the similarities in Sidious's treatment of Maul, the fact that Maul was dragged from a GOOD life at that age into Sidious's clutches is... far more devastating.
In 'Wrath of Darth Maul' at least he had "nothing to miss" because he didn't know anything, but now...
Hi. Sorry. Hi. Going to be unwell forever about "The Emperor wants you dead" / "Likewise." because Maul. MAUL. ARE YOU REFERRING TO WANTING THE EMPEROR DEAD IN EQUAL MEASURE OR WANTING YOURSELF DEAD. Never in my LIFE
I don’t really like the original one, it just looks kinda weird. I get why Gella is on it but the whole vibe of it doesn’t fit with the story for me🤷♀️
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