The name "Maul" carries two meanings that illuminate the Sith Lord's role in The Phantom Menace.
To "maul" is to wound by scratching and tearing. The word carries a specifically animal connotation: lions, bears, and other predators "maul" their prey with claws and teeth. Darth Maul's name – together with his minimal spoken dialogue and feral, snarling facial expressions – indicates his beastlike nature. After Qui-Gon Jinn's first encounter with Darth Maul, he and Obi-Wan Kenobi both refer to the Sith Lord with the pronoun "it" – as if he is subhuman, like a monster or animal. ("It was well-trained in the Jedi arts. My guess is it was after the queen.")
To "maul" is to tear or rip apart. Thus, Maul's name positions him as a foil to Qui-Gon. Throughout The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon forms unexpected connections with people who would otherwise be relegated to the margins of society. On Naboo, he enlists the outcast Jar-Jar Binks to help him and Obi-Wan on their mission. Later, when they are leaving Tatooine, he frees Anakin Skywalker from slavery and brings him along, prompting Obi-Wan to remark on the pattern: "Why do I sense we've picked up another pathetic lifeform?" When Darth Maul kills Qui-Gon at the conclusion of the film, his death marks the beginning of the disintegration of the galaxy at large. (Most immediately and directly, Qui-Gon is no longer present to mediate between Anakin and Obi-Wan's clashing temperaments.) Qui-Gon brings together, but Darth Maul tears apart.
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Characters: Darth Maul / Qui-Gon Jinn
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