Twilight of the Twin Suns

March 23, 2017Randy Guiles blog, Star Wars, Uncategorized, What is New Comments Off on Twilight of the Twin Suns

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Twilight of the Twin Suns
By Randy Guiles (@giggityguiles)

Through the current season of Star Wars Rebels we have seen many nods to the movies that have filled us with nostalgia. From being introduced to Wedge Antilles to the crew of the Ghost having to transport Mon Mothma. This season has done a lot of fan service while bringing these characters into the series with a purpose behind them. The biggest character brought back, next to Ahsoka, has to be the A New Hope version of Obi Wan Kenobi. The publicity train for Rebels built up the penultimate face off between Obi Wan and Maul. This brings me to the real question behind this. Did Star Wars Rebels do Obi Wan and Maul’s final confrontation correctly?

RELATED: Star Wars Rebels Edition: ‘Twin Suns’ – Episode Breakdown

Before I go any further I want to preface this that there will be spoilers for Star Wars Rebels episode entitled “Twin Suns”. If you haven’t watched it yet, you have been warned. This particular episode was for all intents and purpose an Ezra-centric episode to establish some form of growth in the character. They managed to carve out around 5 minutes total for Maul and Kenobi while giving us a bunch of A New Hope nostalgic feels.

The final confrontation between the 2 old enemies was short but very poetic. It showcased how much the characters have grown and not grown. Obi Wan’s demeanor was calm and peaceful. It is the Obi Wan we first met when we watched A New Hope for the first time. The years that he has spent on Tatooine during his self imposed exile may not have been kind, but he has a knowledge of the Force now that Maul could never understand. Maul on the other hand has his mind stuck on one thing and the only thing that it has ever been stuck on since The Clone Wars, Revenge. For Maul it is Kenobi 24/7 and shows us why he would ultimately lose. What Maul failed to realize is that Obi Wan let go of any animosity he held towards him years ago, which allowed him to focus on what was important. Once Maul realized why Obi Wan was on Tatooine and called him out on it, to protect someone, was when Kenobi prepared himself for battle. There was no anger in Kenobi’s eyes only resolve as he prepared to do what was needed to protect a very young Luke Skywalker at any cost. With one stroke, after a couple of parries, Obi Wan takes down Maul for the final time. I had to rewind the moment a couple times as I was unsure of what the killing blow truly was. I came to the realization that Kenobi’s downward strike went through Maul’s chest. Disney XD would definitely not show that wound. As Maul fell Obi Wan catches him and closes his eyes after death, not before asking him if he was protecting the Chosen One. Kenobi verifies that he is, which is going to create quite the stir amongst die hard fans, then Maul leaves us with, “He will avenge us.” Maul’s final words are poignant and haunting.

Overall I felt that the reason this lasted only 5 minutes was first off the name of the show is Star Wars Rebels and the 2 enemies are not lead focuses on the show. Secondly it was short because it didn’t further the plot along. Obi Wan encounters Ezra and sets him back on the proper path. Ezra doesn’t even witness the duel. Lastly it ties up one of the loose ends we had all wondered since The Clone Wars ended, how did Maul die before A New Hope? So taking all this in…let’s get back to the question. Did Rebels do Obi Wan and Maul correctly? Ultimately yes they did exactly what was needed. They close that chapter of Maul’s and Obi Wan’s life without hurting Obi Wan’s character overall from the Original Trilogy. It also shows he will do whatever it takes to protect Luke. This explains why he attacked Dr. Evazan at the Mos Eisely spaceport. It has nothing to do with keeping the peace and everything to do with insuring Luke’s safety. Some of you may agree with this assessment, others you may not. Either way keep the dialogue going. Do you think Obi Wan vs Maul was done right? What would you have done different if you had the control to do so? Should the duel have been a few minutes longer just to give us that Phantom Menace nostalgic feel or was the New Hope easter eggs good enough? It has been a hell of a ride for Maul and his character will be missed, and we all knew it was his time. Until next time, may the Force be with you All.

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