Eclectia: Star Wars

Darth Maul info, links and pics page

The following was taken from www.cinescape.com

One quick glance at Darth Maul reveals that he's some sort of alien. Horns, strange facial markings and those eerie yellow eyes give that much away. According to this source, Maul (whose "real" name is Khameir Sarin) is from a species called "Zabrak". Observant Star Wars fans might have noticed that there is a similarly horned member of the Jedi Council. He's a Zabrak too, named Eth Kooth.

So how did Darth Maul/Khameir Sarin get caught up in the black arts, anyway? Apparently, after a long search for a suitable apprentice, Darth Sidious discovered the young Force user on the Zabrak homeworld, Iridonia, when Khameir was just twelve years old. Sidious forced the lad to lay a trap for some of his friends. This ambush ended up killing seven Jedi Knights, and the after effects transformed Sarin into the second of the two Dark Lords of the Sith.

The Sith themselves were apparently formed 2,000 years before the events of The Phantom Menace by a rogue Jedi Knight (never mind those comic books, I guess). Their numbers swelled, but the evil Force wielders battled each other as much as they did the Jedi. Then a Dark Lord named Darth Bane changed the rules: From his time forward there would be only two Dark Lords at a time, a master and an apprentice. Because of this rarity of Sith, the Jedi Knights of pre-Phantom Menace time rarely used their lightsabers to duel. More often than not, the weapons would be used to deflect blaster shots or (presumably) for ornamental purposes.

Phantom' Bad Guy Steals the Show
Darth Maul emerges as sex symbol for fans

Neva Chonin, Chronicle Staff Writer Monday, May 31, 1999
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His fans are legion. They call him horny boy, hunny bunny, ``the biggest badass in the universe'' and ``our favorite sumptuous bag of tattooed man-meat.'' When his action figures arrive in toy stores, they're snatched from boxes before they reach the shelves. The object of this adoration is Darth Maul, the homicidal, horn- headed Lord of the Sith whose black-and-red tattooed face has become the new ``Star Wars'' film's most famous icon. And if fan chatter and sales figures for ``Phantom Menace'' merchandise are anything to go by, he's gaining the commercial clout of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda combined. In other words, he's stolen the $115 million show. ``I cannot keep his double-bladed light saber in stock,'' says a Toys 'R' Us employee who asked for anonymity. ``Last week a grown man bought one and broke it in half before he even left the store because he was playing with it too hard.'' For collectors, there are -- among other things -- Darth Maul beach towels, boxer shorts, body wash, fruit snacks, inflatable chairs, spinning lollipop holders, CD players and coffee mugs.

On the Internet, dozens of Maul Web sites have sprung up, including one founded by women who think the film's two-toned villain is the hottest thing to hit the ``Star Wars'' universe since the Death Star went supernova. Not bad for a character who speaks only five lines in the course of a two-hour movie. ``Hey, Charlie Chaplin didn't say a lot on the screen either,'' says Maul's creator, Lucasfilm concept designer Iain McCaig. ``Nothing, in fact. And you read a lot more into him because he doesn't speak. He remains an enigma.'' Maul's facts are few. What is known is that he serves as apprentice to the film's arch-fiend, Darth Sidious, gives Jedi heroes Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn a run for their money, fights like a rabid tiger and boasts a stare intense enough to melt a glacier.

His lack of background inspires debate: Boys wonder if he can whip Darth Vader in a light-saber duel; girls want to know if his swirling facial tattoos extend below the neck. Body markings are just one among many Maul mysteries that female admirers love to unravel on an online fan site called the Darth Maul Estrogen Brigade. Only a week old, the Web site already boasts thousands of hits, a fan fiction archive and a burgeoning mailing list.

On the list, ``Sith Vixens'' ranging in age from 15 to 33 freely share their fantasies about mauling Maul: They want to spank him and douse him in wine, bear his children and brush his teeth, feed him Saltine crackers in bed, fight him in their underwear.

``I don't what got me so hooked,'' co-founder Erin Womack writes in a recent e-mail. ``Maybe it was those piercing yellow eyes.''

``He just evokes that demon-hunter, raw-meat-on-a-stick-around-thebonfire-instinct in me,'' rhapsodizes another member, Liz Spencer. Co-founder and Web site architect Nicole Parrot, a mother and Web designer who lives in Montreal, admits she was ``just taken away'' by the Dark Lord of the Sith the first time she saw the film.

``I have 15 years of martial arts behind me, so I appreciate it when a guy knows how to move,'' she says. ``It's just raw animal power.'' Maul's real-life alter ego is 24- year-old Scottish martial-arts expert Ray Park, a first-time actor who provoked something akin to Beatlemania when he appeared at a recent ``Star Wars'' convention in Denver. Park also trained Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson for their fight scenes in ``Phantom Menace.'' ``I just tried to bring out my innermost dark feelings to play Maul,'' he says by phone from Los Angeles, where he's making promotional appearances. ``He's not overly aggressive; he's just very confident and skillful. He doesn't have to do much to let people know he's bad.'' And for the darker side of ``Star Wars'' fandom, bad is very, very good. ``Bad bald men are very sexy,'' says McCaig, whose original vision of Maul was that of a diabolical Bozo the Clown. ``And then there's the fact that he moves like a tiger. He's just beautiful.'' Though Parrot she says she'd rather not see Maul return in the next ``Star Wars'' installment, arguing that ``it would destroy the mystery of the guy,'' most fans belong to the Bring Back Maul camp. They insist that, with the Clone Wars coming up in ``Episode II,'' Lucas has a perfect opportunity to resurrect everyone's favorite bad boy, who came to a dubious end in ``Phantom Menace.'' Will Lucas do it? McCaig won't say what his boss has in store, but he does dangle a carrot. ``I'm actually working on that right now,'' he says. ``So the question will be answered in the next four weeks or so.'' Until then, there are always Web sites and toy stores to feed the public's growing addiction. ``We're getting Darth Maul lip balm in this week,'' sighs the weary Toys 'R' Us worker. ``That should be fun.''

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THE DARKLORD OF FEW WORDS

Darth Maul's dialogue in ``Star Wars: Episode I -- the Phantom Menace'' consists entirely of the following five lines:

-- ``Tatooine is sparsely populated.''

-- ``If the trace is correct, I will find them quickly, my master.''

-- ``Yes, my master.''

-- ``At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi.''

-- ``At last we will have revenge.''

10 DARTH MAUL WEB SITES

-- Darth Maul -- Dark Lord of the Sith: tatooine.fortunecity.com/ leiber/389

-- Darth Maul Estrogen Brigade: darthmauleb.cjb.net

Darth Maul Fan Club: www.travel.to/DarthMaul