The Definitive Ranking of All the Villains in the Star Wars Saga Films

4. Darth Maul

Finally, we’ve reached the dopest Sith Lord of the maul.

(Whoa, did you see what I just did there? The pun game is strong with this one.)

Played by Ray Park, Darth Maul appears to be the swiftest of all the Sith Lords. Combined with the fact that he’s the only one who feels confident enough to use a double-bladed lightsaber, Darth Maul was the first apprentice chosen by Darth Sidious.

And it was on Naboo where Darth Maul revealed himself to Qui-Gon and alerted the Jedi to the presence of the Sith, after a thousand years of operating in secret. This could be considered one of the first steps in the rise of the Galactic Empire. At least, as seen in the saga films.

During the confrontation on Naboo, Darth Maul faced both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn at the Royal Palace. He defeated Qui-Gon and killed the Jedi Master right in front of his apprentice, Obi-Wan, who angrily sliced Darth Maul in half and sent him down the reactor shaft.

Thanks to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, we know that Darth Maul survived his fall. Unfortunately, the character’s rage and loss of the lower half of his body twisted him into a much different character. The semblance of what mainstream audiences were introduced to The Phantom Menace is long gone. But no one will ever be cooler than Darth Maul was in the first prequel film.