Darth Maul: A Symbol of Duality
Darth Maul is yet another fan-favorite villain who makes his only appearance in the first of the prequel films, Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Maul is a fairly forgetful antagonist, for he is often overshadowed by the sheer popularity of both Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader. There is one characteristic about Maul, however, that separates him from both of the other strong dark-sided characters--his dual-sided lightsaber. Shooting out a bloody red from both ends of the base, Maul's lightsaber is by far the most interesting lightsaber in the prequel films. Yes, Maul's saber might be badass, but what can it reveal about his character? I think that the dual-edged characteristic of Maul's lightsaber is a sly insertion of a deeper trope integrated through Lucas' understanding of literary dynamics. Duality is a very prominent theme in lots of works of literature, and this transition from page to screen is representative of that very idea. Given this, I contend that Darth Ma...