Duel at the Lars homestead

This article is non-canon within the Star Wars Legends continuity. This article covers a Star Wars Legends subject that was published under the Infinities label or that Lucasfilm otherwise declared non-canon within the Legends continuity.

The title of this article is conjectural. Although this article is based on official information from the Star Wars Legends continuity, the actual name of this subject is pure conjecture.

A duel took place in 16 BBY on the Lars homestead on the planet Tatooine between the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and the cyborg former Sith apprentice Darth Maul. Kenobi had previously bisected Maul on the planet Naboo in 32 BBY, however the apprentice survived his injuries and spent the intervening years tracking down the Jedi across the galaxy for revenge.

Maul eventually found Kenobi at the Lars homestead, where the Jedi was secretly watching over the child Luke Skywalker. Maul attacked Skywalker's uncle, Owen Lars, which drew Kenobi out from his hiding place underground, watched by Skywalker and his aunt, Beru Lars. The combatants dueled with their lightsabers, with Kenobi knocking off several of Maul's horns and Maul knocking Kenobi onto a landspeeder. The Jedi ultimately had his lightsaber ready to deliver the killing blow to Maul, but found himself unable to do so. Instead, Owen shot Maul in the head with his rifle. The moisture farmer then forbade Kenobi from returning to his home, and the Jedi took Maul's corpse to burn it in the Dune Sea.

Prelude

Quest for revenge

In 32 BBY,^[3] the Zabrak Sith apprentice Darth Maul was sent by his master, Darth Sidious, to kill the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi in the city Theed on the planet Naboo. In the ensuing battle, Maul fatally impaled Jinn, but was bisected by Kenobi and fell into an energy shaft.^[4] Kenobi and Sidious believed Maul to be dead,^[5] but the apprentice survived^[1] and painstakingly rebuilt his lower half^[6] with a set of cybernetic legs. Maul spent years tracking down Kenobi^[1] across the galaxy^[6] in pursuit of revenge.^[1] In 22 BBY,^[7] Maul followed the Jedi to Tipoca City on^[1] the Wild Space planet^[8] Kamino two days after the Jedi had been there, and also missed him by a day after the Battle of Geonosis shortly afterward.^[1]

Three years later, in 19 BBY,^[9] Sidious, partly through his guise as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine of the Galactic Republic, achieved his long held plans by seducing Kenobi's former Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, to the dark side of the Force, initiating the Great Jedi Purge, and transforming the Republic into the Galactic Empire. Jedi Master Kenobi survived the initial purge and defeated Skywalker, rechristened as Darth Vader, in a duel on the Outer Rim Territories planet Mustafar.^[10] After Kenobi left his former Padawan burning alive next to a lava river, Maul arrived on Mustafar and found Vader shortly before^[1] he was rescued by Sidious.^[10] The Zabrak initially feared that Vader was Kenobi and was relieved to discover otherwise.^[1]

Hiding on Tatooine

Kenobi subsequently took Vader's pregnant wife, Padmé Amidala, to the asteroid^[8] Polis Massa,^[1] where she gave birth to Vader's twin children, Luke and Leia, and then died from losing the will to live. Kenobi then arranged to take Luke to^[10] the Outer Rim^[8] desert planet Tatooine, where he would be raised by^[10] Vader's step-brother, Owen Lars, and his wife, Beru Whitesun Lars. The Jedi Master stayed on Tatooine in exile to hide from the purge and watch over the boy in the hope that he could grow to help restore the Jedi.^[11] Maul eventually followed Kenobi's trail to Polis Massa, where he murdered several members^[1] of the Kallidahin species,^[12] which he found unsatisfying, and accessed their medical logs.^[1]

Maul ultimately arrived on Tatooine and wrought destruction across its countryside.^[6] When he arrived in^[1] the city^[4] Mos Espa, he extracted a name from^[1] Watto,^[13] a junk dealer^[1] who had previously enslaved Anakin Skywalker in his youth.^[4] Maul discovered that Vader's son lived with the Lars family at their homestead, and reasoned that by endangering Luke, he would draw Kenobi out.^[1] In 16 BBY,^[2] the former Sith journeyed to the Lars moisture farm and arrived on foot as Tatooine's twin suns were setting, observed by Owen and Luke. Owen heard Maul approaching in the distance and spotted him with his electrobinoculars. Unsure of Maul's identity or intentions, the moisture farmer asked Beru to bring him his rifle. She asked him if a Tusken Raider was approaching, which Owen doubted, and he ordered Beru to take Luke inside.^[1]

The duel

Owen pointed his weapon at Maul and ordered him to stop. Maul kept running, and as the farmer fired, the former Sith leapt in the air, grabbed Owen's blaster rifle, and used it to knock him down. Beru, still holding Luke, pleaded for Maul not to hurt them. Maul expressed surprise that he had found the son of Anakin Skywalker, and sensed Kenobi's heart quickening through the Force, realizing he was near. The Zabrak recounted his journey for revenge across the years and explained purpose in finding Luke. Kenobi telepathically asked if Palpatine was aware of his presence. Maul denied it, stating that neither his former master, the Empire, the Jedi, the light or the dark side of the Force mattered; only him and Kenobi. The Jedi burst from beneath the ground, and recalled that he had been merely a Padawan when he and Maul had last fought, and that the Zabrak would not heal cleanly from their upcoming duel.^[1]

Maul removed his hood and both combatants unsheathed their lightsabers. The Zabrak lunged first, grabbing Kenobi by the throat with his right cybernetic leg. As the Jedi blocked Maul's lightsaber, the cyborg spoke about his fall on Naboo, and how he had surpassed his status then and worked toward his goal of killing Kenobi. The Jedi Master escaped Maul's grip and they both locked sabers before Kenobi punched Maul in the head, dislodging several of his horns. The Jedi changed his grip and leapt toward his opponent while Beru crawled toward her husband to check on him.^[1]

As Kenobi landed, his lightsaber severed Maul's left arm and cut his lightsaber in half. The Zabrak kicked Kenobi backwards onto an X-34 landspeeder and used the Force to pull half of his weapon back. Kenobi climbed off the landspeeder and, as Maul strode forwards, the Jedi held his deactivated lightsaber at his head. Kenobi found himself unable to deliver the killing blow, experiencing a vision of those that he had lost from his life, including Jinn, Amidala, Skywalker, and Jedi Master Mace Windu. His indecision was interrupted, however, by a blaster shot from Owen directly at Maul's head, killing the former Sith apprentice.^[1]

Aftermath

Kenobi told Owen that he would take Maul's body out to the Dune Sea to burn it, to which the moisture farmer assented. The Jedi then asked if Skywalker was okay, and Owen responded that he had vowed to keep his nephew safe, even if it meant from Kenobi. He then forbade the Jedi from returning to the homestead. As the Jedi Master carried Maul's corpse away, he telepathically communicated with Skywalker, assuring him that he would always be nearby, even if the boy could not see him.^[1] Kenobi and Skywalker would later reunite in 0 BBY.^[8]

Behind the scenes

The duel at the Lars homestead was created for the comic story "Old Wounds," written and illustrated by Aaron McBride and published in the graphic novel anthology Star Wars: Visionaries^[1] on April 2, 2005. The duel was first alluded to in a preview for Visionaries published on StarWars.com on March 15 of that year.^[15] Shortly before its release, the events of "Old Wounds" were stated to be considered non-canon within Legends media by Holocron continuity database keeper Leland Chee.^[14] The plot of the comic follows^[1] on from events of the 1999 prequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace,^[4] in which Maul was presumed to have been killed.^[5] The rifle that Owen Lars wields during the duel resembles^[1] a GRS-1 snare rifle,^[16] although it has a larger stock and functions as a blaster rifle.^[1]

Star Wars creator George Lucas later decided to canonically reveal that Maul had survived Naboo in the third season of the animated televeision series Star Wars: The Clone Wars,^[17] a decision that author Stephen J. Sansweet attributed to the popularity of "Old Wounds."^[18] Maul's design in the series was inspired by his "Old Wounds" appearance.^[19] A rematch between Maul and Kenobi, motivated by the former's desire for revenge, first occurred above the planet Raydonia in^[20] the season four episode "Revenge," which aired on March 14, 2012.^[21] The two would continue to clash throughout the fifth season^[22][23] on the planets^[24][8] Florrum^[22] and Mandalore.^[23] Their storyline was ultimately resolved in the third season of the canon animated television series Star Wars Rebels,^[25] beginning with "The Holocrons of Fate,"^[26] the season's third episode which aired on October 1, 2016.^[27] During the Imperial Era, Maul discovered that Kenobi was still alive and on Tatooine^[28] and tracked him down, where the former Sith challenged him to a duel and was killed. Kenobi also referred to Maul as an "old wound" before the duel.^[25]

Appearances

• "Old Wounds" — Star Wars: Visionaries (First appearance)

Sources

• Inside Star Wars: Visionaries on StarWars.com (original site is defunct) (First mentioned)
• "Drawn by the Force" — Star Wars Insider 82
• "Ask the Master" — Star Wars Insider 85
• Star Wars: The Comics Companion
• "Morbid Visions" — Star Wars Insider 88
• "A Long Time Ago.... 2005" — Star Wars Insider 103
• "A Long Time Ago...." — Star Wars Insider Special Edition 2010
• Star Wars: Legacy Collection (Star Wars Comic Pack: Darth Maul & Owen Lars (Star Wars: Visionaries)) (backup link)

Notes and references