15 greatest Star Wars rivalries of all time

3. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul

Speaking of Qui-Gon’s death, that leads us to the next best Star Wars rivalry of all time: Obi-Wan and Darth Maul. Unlike the rivalries between Luke and Vader and Obi-Wan and Vader, this rivalry isn’t particularly lengthy and isn’t very complicated.

Darth Maul is a Sith who, like all those loyal to The Dark Side, wants to see the Jedi come to an end. Maul is mostly a menacing but unobtrusive background character for most of Episode I, almost serving as a symbol for how Sheev Palpatine planned to take over the Jedi, quietly.

But Maul’s passive involvement in the story doesn’t go on forever. Toward the end of the movie, the Force-sensitive Dathomirian Zabrak makes an epic appearance to murder Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan. It’s a battle many Star Wars fans can never forget, with the sensationally frightful music warning viewers of a character’s impending doom and Maul’s super bad, double-sided red lightsaber to match his face.Things didn’t look good for Qui-Gon from the get-go, Maul’s saber being designed to take on two Jedi at a time.

The battle is spectacular, but when Maul delivers the fatal blow to an exhausted Qui-Gon, injuring a beloved father figure of Obi-Wan as the young Jedi watches helplessly behind an electrified barrier, that’s when things really start getting good. Obi-Wan, filled with a vengeful rage, attacks Darth Maul head on with intense speed once the barrier drops. Obi-Wan is almost defeated, but prevails in the end, “killing” maul with Qui-Gon’s saber, avenging his Master and bidding a sorrowful farewell to his friend.