Darth Maul

[Fist and Faith]

Here's my two statues. I told dlb about them, so figured I'd show everybody. I'll post the excellent passages from the PM book another day, when I have the book with me.

[aTOMiC]

Those are awesome. Envious I am.

[Mortice Root]

Nice. I gotta say, for all the problems that Phantom Menace had, Darth Maul was damn cool.

[Cagliostro]

I still think Darth Maul looks really stupid. Just a step away from a member of Kiss. But I must say, the actor who played him kicked ass. Too bad he wasn't in the second X-Men movie, but he was wise to get out before #3.

[dlbpharmd]

I thought Maul was the best thing about the prequels. It's a shame GL saw fit to kill him off at the end of TPM.

Really dig the statues, Fist!

[Fist and Faith]

There we are.

And thank you TOM. I strive to be the envy of all. Not working out so well, because you're only the first. But it's a start.

[Avatar]

Funny enough, the pub where I last worked in London was the actor's father's local. IIRC, in real life his son is a world champion martial artist. And lets be honest...that last fight scene in PM rocked. (Didn't know he was in X-men.)

--A

[matrixman]

As a kid who never got to play with Star Wars action figures, I curse you, Fist. Er, I mean, may the Force be with you. Or some such thing.

[Fist and Faith]

Hey, mm, I don't remember seeing you in a while. Good to see you. And remember, since PM came out when I was in my 30s, I'm living proof that you can still buy these toys as an adult.

[Fist and Faith]

OK, here's the first fight, when Qui-Gon is taking Anakin to the ship to leave Tatooine.

Glancing over his shoulder to give his response and offer encouragement, he caught sight of the speeder and its dark-cloaked rider bearing down on them.

"Drop, Anakin!" he shouted, wheeling about.

The boy threw himself facedown, flattening against the sand as the speeder whipped overhead, barely missing him as it bore down on Qui-Gon. The Jedi Master already has his lightsaber out, the blade activated, the weapon held before him in two hands. The speeder came at him, a saddle-shaped vehicle with no weapons in evidence, made to rely on quickness and maneuverability rather than firepower. It was like nothing the Jedi had ever seen, but vaguely reminiscent of something dead and gone.

Its rider rode out of the glare of the suns and was revealed. Bold markings of red and black covered a demonic face in strange, jagged patterns beneath a crown of stunted horns encircling its head. Man-shaped and humanoid, his slitted eyes and hooked teeth were nevertheless feral and predatory, and his howl was a hunter's challenge to his prey.

The primal scream had barely sounded before he was on top of Qui-Gon, wheeling the speeder aside deftly at the last moment, closing off its thruster, and leaping from the seat, all in one swift movement. He carried a lightsaber of another make, and the weapon was cutting at the Jedi Master even before the attacker's feet had touched the ground. Qui-Gon, surprised by the other's quickness and ferocity, barely blocked the blow with his own weapon, the blades sliding apart with a harsh rasp. The attacker spun away in a whirl of dark clothing, then attacked anew, lightsaber slashing at his intended prey, face alight with a killing frenzy that promised no quarter.

Anakin was back on his feet, staring at them, clearly unable to decide what he should do. Fighting to hold his ground, Qui-Gon caught sight of him out of the corner of his eye.

"Annie! Get out of here!" he cried out.

His attacker closed with him again, forcing him back, striking at him from every angle. Even without knowing anything else, Qui-Gon knew this man was trained in the fighting arts of a Jedi, a skilled and dangerous adversary. Worse, he was younger, quicker, and stronger than Qui-Gon, and he was gaining ground rapidly. The Jedi Master blocked him again and again, but could not find an opening that would provide any chance of escape.

"Annie!" he screamed again, seeing the boy immobilized. "Get to the ship! Tell them to take off! Go, go!"

Hammering at the demonic-faced attacker with renewed determination, Qui-Gon Jinn saw the boy at last begin to run.

Annie gets to the ship, tells them Qui-Gon is in trouble, they start up the ship and go looking for the fight, yadda yadda...

"There," the Jedi (Obi) breathed, pointing.

They could see Qui-Gon Jinn now, engaged in a battle with the dark-garbed, demonic figure. The combatants surged back and forth across the flats, lightsabers flashing brightly with each blow struck, sand and grit swirling in all directions. Qui-Gon's long hair streamed out behind him in sharp contrast to the smooth horned head of his adversary. The pilot Ric took the spacecraft toward them quickly, skimming the ground barely higher than a speeder bike, coming in from behind the attacker. Anakin held his breath as they closed on the fighters. Ric's hand slid over the control that would lower the ramp, easing it forward carefully.

"Stand by," he ordered, freezing them all in place as he swung the ship about.

The combatants disappeared in a fresh swirl of sand and the glare of Tatooine's twin suns. All eyes shifted quickly to the viewscreens, searching desperately.

Then Qui-Gon appeared, leaping onto the lowered rampway of the transport, gaining purchase, one hand grasping a strut for support. Ric hissed in approval and fought to hold the spacecraft steady. But the horned attacker was already in pursuit, racing out of the haze and leaping onto the ramp as the ship began to rise. Balanced precariously against the sway of the ship, eyes flaring in rage, he fought to keep his footing.

Qui-Gon attacked at once, rushing the other man, closing with him at the edge of the ramp. They were twenty meters into the air by now, the pilot holding the spacecraft steady as he saw the combatants come to grips yet again, afraid to go higher while Qui-Gon was exposed. The Jedi Master and his adversary filled the viewscreen commanding the rampway entrance, faces tight with determination and streaked with sweat.

"Qui-Gon," Anakin heard the second Jedi say quietly, desperately, watching the battle for just a moment more, then tearing his eyes away from the viewscreen and racing down the open corridor.

On the screen, Anakin watched Qui-Gon Jinn step back, level his lightsaber, and swing a powerful, two-handed blow at his attacker. The horned man blocked it, but only barely, and in the process lost his balance completely. The blow's force swept him away, clear of the ramp and off into space. He dropped back toward the desert floor, landed in a crouch, and rose instantly to his feet. But the chase was over. He stood watching in frustration, yellow eyes aflame, as the ramp to the Queen's transport closed and the spacecraft rocketed away.

Qui-Gon had barely managed to scramble up the rampway and into the interior of the ship before the hatch sealed and the Nubian began to accelerate. He lay on the cool metal floor of the entry, his clothing dusty and damp with his sweat, his body bruised and battered. He breathed deeply, waiting for his pounding heart to quiet. He had barely escaped with his life, and the thought was worrisome. His opponent was strong and had tested him severely. He was getting old, he decided, and he did not like the feeling.

[matrixman]

That is an exciting passage indeed. I still have not picked up the book, but that will be rectified.

Have you had a chance to read Matthew Stover's novelization of Revenge of the Sith? I remember posting some thoughts on it, but that was a long time ago in a thread far, far away. Stover did a great job describing the lightsaber fights - the duel between Palpatine and Mace Windu particularly stood out in my mind, but they were all good.

[Fist and Faith]

Oh lordy, I'm a big fan of Stover's RotS!!! dlb, duchess, and I had many good things to say about it, although I can't seem to find the thread. I thought the book was amazing!! Grievous was incredible in the book, not the clown I saw in the movie. Which made Obi-Wan's defeat of him so much more stunning than on film. And hearing Yoda's thoughts as he fought Palpatine, giving us a much better idea of why it all happened the way it did. And yeah, Mace vs Palpatine was so cool!! I also thought Palpatine's orchestration of EVERYTHING was revealed better in the book, showing him to be a genius like nobody's business.

Truly, I don't like the movie. I've watched it twice, hoping to like it better, but I just don't. The visuals were as good as ever, but too much depth gone from the book. Not nearly as much the case with the Ep 1 & 2 books, I guess, because I don't mind those movies so much.

[matrixman]

Geez, you might have been the one who started that thread...

And if I were going to buy some Star Wars toy today, probably nothing less than a model of the Falcon or a Star Destroyer would make up for what I didn't have in my childhood. A conspicuously large model at that.

[Avatar]

Star Destroyer for me!

--A

[matrixman]

Deal! Kessel Run, here we come.

[Fist and Faith]

Bet you can't do it in less than twelve parsecs.

[matrixman]

Well, then, I guess I'll have to make some "special" modifications to my Falcon.

[Cagliostro]

Funny enough, the pub where I last worked in London was the actor's father's local. IIRC, in real life his son is a world champion martial artist. And lets be honest...that last fight scene in PM rocked. (Didn't know he was in X-men.)

--A

He played Toad.