The animosity between Obi-Wan and Darth Maul is as old as the story of the galaxy far, far away itself, but according to what Obi-Wan Kenobi director Deborah Chow has recently told Total Film, the sinister former Sith Lord is going to sit this one out.
“As long as I’ve been involved, we’ve never had Darth Maul in any of it,” She said. “Dave [Filoni] did a beautiful job of telling that story already.”
Chow is referring to Maul’s reappearance in Star Wars Rebels, in season 3 episode 20, “Twin Suns,” where he tracked down his ancient foe to the desert world of Tatooine and confronted him one last time. The old Ben Kenobi is first reluctant to fight Maul, but when he threatens Luke Skywalker’s safety, the two prepare to exchange blows one last time.
Ben Kenobi, having completely mastered the living Force, ends the fight in three strikes, finally giving Maul the sweet death he’d been yearning for since the days of the Clone Wars. Maul embraces Kenobi in his final moments, content with the hope that the young Skywalker will go on to defeat the emperor and avenge them all.
We last saw a live-action version of Darth Maul as a hologram in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and as much as we’d appreciate seeing the character return in one form or another, his reemergence in Obi-Wan Kenobi would only undermine the powerfully emotional way with which Dave Filoni concluded his story.
So, there it is, folks. We can safely rule out the possibility of Maul returning alongside Kenobi when the highly anticipated Star Wars show makes its debut on May 27.