One ominous line fromStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menacehas become so much more meaningful inStar Wars, and a recent retcon inStar Warsmovies and TV showshas only proven that so much more.The Phantom Menacehad significant ground to cover as the first addition toStar Warsfollowing the original trilogy—largely consideredStar Wars’best movies, even to this day. Thrillingly,Star Warsmanaged to set up the original trilogy while also bringing plenty of new ideas and characters to the table.
Among those new characters was Darth Maul, the third-ever Sith Lord shown on theStar Warsscreen. While Darth Maul isn’t necessarily high on the list ofStar Wars’most powerful Sith, he has proven to be a brilliantStar Warscharacter. In addition to his many surprising returns toStar Wars, this line fromThe Phantom Menaceproves that Darth Maul was much wiser than he may have seemed in the firstStar Warsprequel movie.
Darth Maul’s Line Foreshadows Order 66
Darth Sidious And Darth Maul’s Conversation Subtly Referenced What Was To Come
InThe Phantom Menace, Darth Maul and Darth Sidious spoke about their plans, and Maul said,“At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge.“At the time, this seemed daunting enough. In the years following that declaration, however,the reality of Darth Maul’s meaning became so much more devastating. When Darth Maul spoke about the Sith’s plan for revenge, he was really foreshadowing all that was to come with Order 66.
When Darth Maul spoke about the Sith’s plan for revenge, he was really foreshadowing all that was to come with Order 66.
This is why the third installment in theStar Warsprequel trilogy,Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, has the title it does.Order 66 was the titular revenge of the Sith, as it was retaliation for the Jedi nearly entirely eradicating the Sithand sending them into hiding for centuries. While that meaning of Darth Maul’sPhantom Menacecomments became clear relatively quickly,Star Wars’recent TV shows have proven how profound Darth Maul’s comment really was.
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Palpatine’s Plan Was Already In Motion When Darth Maul Made This Statement
Star Warshas added to the context of this line even more with the 2022 showStar Wars: Tales of the Jedi. InTales of the Jedi, there were two distinct arcs, each of three episodes. One arc followed Ahsoka Tano, and the other followed Count Dooku. In Dooku’s case, this primarily included his fall to the dark side and his christening as Darth Sidious' new Sith apprentice.
These episodes also had some overlap withThe Phantom MenaceintheStar Warstimeline, which revealed so much more about Palpatine’s Clone Wars plan and, ultimately, Order 66. Specifically,Tales of the Jediconfirmed through conversations with Dooku and Palpatine thatPalpatine was plotting the Clone Wars as early asThe Phantom Menace. As the events ofThe Phantom Menacewere unfolding, Dooku was already killing Jedi Master Syfo-Dyas and having the clone troopers commissioned.
ThisTales of the Jediplotline only proved Palpatine’s genius that much more. Palpatine knew the Jedi would be distracted by the crisis on Naboo, and even the emergence of this terrifying hooded figure who Qui-Gon Jinn believed to be a Sith Lord, and it was therefore the perfect time to strike. The timing enabled Palpatine to hatch his clone plot, going almost entirely undetected as he prepped the troopers to become the ultimate weapon against the Jedi.
The timing enabled Palpatine to hatch his clone plot, going almost entirely undetected as he prepped the troopers to become the ultimate weapon against the Jedi.
Darth Maul Was Right About Palpatine’s Plans, Too
Maul Even Knew The Proper Sequence Of Events
In the end, Maul even accurately predicted the order in which these events unfolded. His exact wording was"At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge.“InRevenge of the Sith,it was only once Mace Windu had discovered Palpatine’s true nature and identity that Palpatine initiated Order 66. All the way back inThe Phantom Menace, Maul anticipated the exact pattern of Palpatine’s larger plan.
Maul even accurately predicted the order in which these events unfolded.
This is also far from the only example of Darth Maul being surprisingly intuitive, especially when it comes to Palpatine’s plans. In theStar Wars: The Clone Warsfinale, Maul told Ahsoka Tano all that he believed about what was transpiring with Order 66, the Jedi, and the Sith. This includedMaul’s perception that everything that had happened up to that point was simply Palpatine manipulating Anakin Skywalker to the dark side. Quite accurately, Maul described Anakin as the key to all of it—and he was absolutely right.
As Palpatine’s Sith apprentice, Maul undoubtedly had access to Palpatine’s larger scheme, but it is nevertheless surprising how precisely he predicted all that would come to pass. The fact that Maul then realized he, Dooku, and countless others had been played by Palpatine as he made his moves to turn Darth Vader only further proves how perceptive Darth Maul really was. This line fromStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menacehas therefore become all the more significant inStar Warsand reveals Darth Maul’s impressive insight, 25 years later.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Cast
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is set in a galaxy facing political turmoil, as Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi seek peace while encountering Anakin Skywalker, a slave with great potential in the Force. Meanwhile, the Sith begin their resurgence, threatening the stability of the Republic.
