The 15 spookiest moments in the Skywalker Saga
By Tom Farr
8. The phantom menace
The first film in the prequel trilogy introduced a Sith Lord that was a terrifying sight to behold. Darth Maul’s red and inky black skin and his horns, reminiscent of the devil in Christian thought, was the embodiment of evil for the first of George Lucas’s Star Wars prequels. Palpatine, who is just a senator in the Galactic Senate at this point, and whose face is remarkably normal, poses a threat in the background, but Darth Maul is this story’s spooky villain.
In an epic lightsaber battle on Naboo with Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Maul proves himself to be a worthy opponent, taking on both Jedi at the same time. And then he kills Qui-Gon, which is a shocking moment because Qui-Gon was unlike any Star Wars character we had encountered before and seemed to be both wise and powerful, and this dark force just snuffed him out in an instant. The battle continues, however, with Obi-Wan, driven by rage and a need to avenge his master, which, of course, are not the Jedi way. But Obi-Wan prevails, and in a startling image, Darth Maul is sliced in two and falls to his death (until his return in the animated series The Clone Wars).