Darth Maul is at the peak of his Dark Side powers when he makes his Star Wars debut in 1999’s Episode I: The Phantom Menace. But just how old is Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace?
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Darth Maul’s Age in The Phantom Menace, Explained
Darth Maul is 22 in Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Don’t feel bad if you didn’t divine this information from repeated Phantom Menace viewings; the Sith Lord’s age is never uttered in the film itself. Instead, you’ll need to turn to the Star Wars franchise’s wider library of licensed reference material, which confirms Darth Maul’s birth year as 54 BBY – or 54 years before Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope. As The Phantom Menace takes place in 32 BBY, you don’t need to be an astromech droid to work out that Darth Maul is 22 years old in the movie. Incidentally, this means he’s 26 years younger than Qui-Gon Jinn and three years younger than Obi-Wan Kenobi during The Phantom Menace‘s climactic duel.
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If that seems improbably young for such a formidable fighter, it’s worth noting that Darth Maul actor Ray Park was the same age during principal photography. When The Phantom Menace shoot kicked off in June 1997, Park was 22; he turned 23 before filming wrapped in September that year. Park was also very close to Maul’s in-universe age when he reprised the role for 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. In that film, the fan-favorite baddie is supposed to be 44, and Park was either 42 or 43 when he shot his Solo cameo (depending on when in the production’s 2017 shoot filming took place). This is reflected on screen, with Maul looking visibly older than he did in The Phantom Menace.
How Old Is Darth Maul in Other Star Wars Media?
That’s Darth Maul’s age in The Phantom Menace and Solo covered – but what about his appearances in other Star Wars media? Here’s how old the ex-Sith apprentice is every time he shows up in a canonical Star Wars movie or TV show:
- Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace – 22
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars Seasons 3-5, 7 – 34-35
- Solo: A Star Wars Story – 44
- Star Wars Rebels Season 2-3 – 51-52
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At this point, astute readers may be wondering why Darth Maul’s apparent death in The Phantom Menace didn’t affect his biological age. If he died in that flick – and the severity of his injuries strongly suggests he did – then surely he briefly stopped aging between then and his return in Clone Wars? It’s a sensible line of logic, however, Clone Wars makes it clear that Maul didn’t actually die after Obi-Wan sliced him in half. Instead, the Dark Side kept him alive (and aging) the whole time.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is currently streaming on Disney+, as part of the platform’s Star Wars collection.
Published: May 28, 2024 08:52 am