Instead of a conflict of the lightsaber kind taking place between Count Dooku and Obi-Wan and Anakin at the end of Episode II, it’s now Darth Maul that takes on the two Jedi. Anakin is slightly conflicted about it, but at this point in the series he still stands on the light side of the Force, so any faltering in attacking Maul would be noticed by his master and be cause for suspicion of his close relationship with the Sith.
After a hard-fought battle, Darth Maul bests Obi-Wan and renders him unconscious. Anakin seizes the opportunity to tell Maul about the inner turmoil he’s struggling with over choosing a path between Jedi and Sith. Maul decides that the best thing to do in order to really see where Anakin stands is to test him right then and there, and he confidently tells him,
‘Either you strike me down now or you kill your master Obi-Wan.’
Anakin turns to a state of total inaction. He doesn’t know what he wants. Maul disappointingly proceeds to move towards Obi-Wan with the intention of completing the task of ending the Jedi master’s life himself. Anakin snaps out of it and deflects Maul’s lightsaber’s would-be death blow to Obi-Wan.
This puts Darth Maul in an aggravating situation: he could easily kill Anakin in a one-on-one duel (Anakin may be the Chosen One, but he’s still very young and unskilled compared to Maul), but can’t. Maul’s goal is converting Anakin to darkness, not executing him. Maul can’t just leave though. That would make Anakin feel like he’s won the fight, which would build his confidence as a Jedi and possibly even instill him with the feeling that he has power over the Sith. So what does Darth Maul do?
He chops off Anakin’s hand.
Anakin begins to wail, but still halfheartedly continues to stand defensively between Maul and Obi-Wan. By taking his hand but sparing his life, Maul has now caused Anakin to feel like he’s being punished for his failure to do what he was told to do; like a child being disciplined by his father. Maul then tells Anakin ‘you’re not ready’, belittling him and pressuring him just a little further into thinking he’d be on the superior side if he joined the Sith. He knows now that ‘Sith’ is a title you must earn. Darth Maul turns and makes his quick getaway and Anakin collapses on the ground next to his master.
As Attack of the Clones winds down, the main characters’ mental states are as follows: Obi-Wan still knows nothing about the fact that Anakin is coming close to pursuing a life as a Sith (in fact, he thinks the opposite and is proud of him for fending off Darth Maul alone in battle), Padmé knows Anakin has something dark inside him, but doesn’t yet know he’s been in frequent contact with Darth Maul, and Anakin is firmly on the fence between darkness and light. Come Episode III, though, Maul will give him the final manipulative push needed to send him falling fast to the side of the Sith…
(Part I: http://theodysseyonline.com/arkansas-state/feel-bad-for-darth-maul-part/190503)
(Part II: http://theodysseyonline.com/arkansas-state/feel-bad-darth-maul-part-ii/196723)
(Part III: http://theodysseyonline.com/arkansas-state/feel-bad-for-darth-maul/203753)
