21 years after Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars movies and TV shows, he has only become more of a fan favorite. Few may know how brilliant one Darth Maul return really was, though.
A video posted to TikTok by guy_who_loves_star_wars reveals how The Clone Wars brought Ray Park back as Darth Maul using motion capture during season 7. As Dave Filoni himself says in the video, this meant it was "really Maul fighting."
This decision certainly paid off, as the fight scenes between Ahsoka Tano and Darth Maul in The Clone Wars season 7 ending are truly stunning.
Clone Wars Season 7 Had Some Of The Best Fight Choreography In Star Wars
Ahsoka Tano And Darth Maul's Battle Is Specifically Among The Best
While some may be surprised, The Clone Wars had some of the best lightsaber duels in all of Star Wars. Among Star Wars' best lightsaber duels are Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi's battle on Mustafar in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Darth Maul's duel in The Phantom Menace (making this Clone Wars decision truly the perfect way to honor Ray Park's legacy in Star Wars). Impressively, Ahsoka and Maul's fight on Mandalore gives these iconic duels a run for their money.
Clearly, bringing Ray Park back as Darth Maul for this finale had a major hand in that. With this approach, The Clone Wars was able to recreate everything that made Darth Maul's Phantom Menace fight so captivating, from his swift lightsaber moves to his incredible flips and spins. The Clone Wars had depicted many thrilling lightsaber duels successfully already, but the fight between Ahsoka and Maul was head and shoulders above the rest.
Darth Maul Explained: Dathomiri Origin, Sith Apprenticeship, & Revenge On Darth Sidious
Though Maul's legacy was seemingly cut short in The Phantom Menace, the former Sith apprentice has had a massive impact on Star Wars' story.
Our Take On Ray Park's Return
This Was The Perfect Way To Honor Ray Park
Knowing that it was really Ray Park behind those moves in The Clone Wars makes what would have already been brilliant scenes so much better. Park is clearly talented, which is just one aspect of what made this decision such a good one. Another equally important aspect is the fact that it brought Park back in the way he deserved. Although Park was not often the target of the intense backlash to the prequels, those movies were not as celebrated as they should have been at the time.
Having Park return in this way, and making it clear that his talent and legacy in the franchise matter, was a wonderful way for Star Wars to honor the actor. This is just one example of a series of decisions Star Wars has made in recent years to ameliorate some of the damage done by the scathing criticism of the prequels (Hayden Christensen's return as Anakin Skywalker and Ahmed Best's role as Kelleran Beq also among them). It's truly delightful to see the role Ray Park played in the return of Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Source: guy_who_loves_star_wars
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- Release Date
- 2008 - 2020-00-00
- Network
- Cartoon Network, Netflix, Disney+
- Showrunner
- Dave Filoni
Cast
Tom KaneNarrator / Yoda / Medical Droid / Yularen / Kraken (voice)
Anakin Skywalker (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Brian Kalin O'Connell, Steward Lee, Giancarlo Volpe, Bosco Ng, Danny Keller, Rob Coleman, Justin Ridge, Nathaniel Villanueva, Saul Ruiz, Jesse Yeh, Duwayne Dunham, Atsushi Takeuchi, Robert Dalva, Walter Murch
- Writers
- Katie Lucas, Christian Taylor, Brent V. Friedman, Matt Michnovetz, Drew Z. Greenberg, Steven Melching, Chris Collins, Charles Murray, Eoghan Mahony, Bonnie Mark, Craig W. Van Sickle, Daniel Arkin, Jose Molina, Steven Long Mitchell, Cameron Litvack, George Krstic, Carl Ellsworth, Craig Titley, Julie Siege, Jonathan W. Rinzler, Ben Edlund, Douglas Petrie, Kevin D. Campbell, Kevin Rubio
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
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