Mainly because it shows the clear difference between the two, and how Maul was always going to win. After a quick exchange of sabers at the beginning, Vizsla realized he couldn’t take Maul in a straight up duel, so he used every underhanded trick in his arsenal to win. His jetpack, blasters, flamethrower, razor blades, etc. Meanwhile Maul was surprisingly very composed in this duel because he wasn’t just fighting to kill his opponent, but earn the respect of his men. To that end, he NEVER used the force a single time and instead used his wits and quick thinking to counter Vizsla’s gadgets.
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This duel is pretty fantastic and I never get tired of watching it and the episode Shades of Reason. Their partnership was fragile from the very beginning and as we all know Maul was never interested in sharing his criminal underworld with Vizsla. What I love about this duel is it’s not about saving anyone, it’s not about standing up for the greater good. This is a literal power grab between a Sith and a Mandalorian. The future of Obi Wan Kenobi and Mandalore will forever be changed by the outcome of this duel.
When I see this duel with a whole mandalorian arsenal (notably the shuriken-like blades) against a lightsaber I always thinking about a possible parallel between Jedi/Sith vs Mandalorian and Samurai vs Ninja: a warrior armed with a sword against another who is full of tricks.
I love it too. Whenever I watch it, I always sense what the on-looking Mandalorians are feeling which is shock and uneasiness as they see their longtime leader molly-whopped by someone who joined their ranks not too long ago. Also love your little analysis Jaffinator! I never realized how Maul never used the force and how he was doing that to ensure respect and thereby loyalty.
Great post! I wish I saw more of these type posts around the forum!
What do you think?