Ki-Adi Mundi: “Impossible. The Sith have been extinct for a millennium.”
―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ki-Adi Mundi during Kenobi's report to the Jedi High Council
The Duel on Tatooine was a brief duel on Tatooine during the Invasion of Utapau between Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul, a man who was believed by Kenobi and some members of the Trade Federation to be a Sith Lord, that resulted in the escape of Utapau Queen Sabé Arcadia from the planet. After discovering the possibility that Annikin Skywalker was the Chosen One and his subsequent swoop race victory resulting in his release from a sharecropping contract, he and Obi-Wan Kenobi were making their way to the Utapauan royal starship when they were attacked by Maul. Skywalker escaped to the ship, although Kenobi and Maul engaged in a brief lightsaber duel. The two fought on the desert floor before dueling on the ramp of the royal starship, although Kenobi was able to knock Maul back to the ground. After Kenobi also escaped onto the ship, he believed that Maul's combat abilities indicated that he was a Sith Lord, making it the first possible documented encounter between a member of the Jedi Order and a Sith Lord in nearly one thousand years.
History[]
Prelude[]
During the Invasion of Utapau, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Master Jard Dooku were sent to Utapau as ambassadors for Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum to resolve the situation.[1] However, due to perceived Trade Federation aggression against them and Queen Sabé Arcadia, the two Jedi escaped with Arcadia onto the Queen's royal starship, hoping to set a course for Coruscant. However, damage caused by the Federation blockade vessels caused them to set a course for Tatooine for repairs, where they were followed by Federation overseer Darth Maul, and a person some members of the Trade Federation believed to be a Sith Lord,[2] where they ended up crashing due to a sandstorm around Anchorhead, causing further damage to the hyperdrive systems.[3]
Shortly thereafter, they met Annikin Skywalker, a young local man who offered to help repair the ship.[4] The next day, they came into contact with Sarus, the leader of the Ophuchi Clan in the Dune Sea,[5] who relayed to them his belief that Skywalker was destined to fulfill the Prophecy of the Chosen One, which spoke of the coming of a savior who would bring balance to the Force.[6] Kenobi agreed to take Skywalker with him to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, although they first had to secure Skywalker's release from a sharecropping contract with Jabba the Hutt in a swoop race against Skywalker's rival, Sebulba.[7] After Skywalker won the race, he and Kenobi began making their way back to the royal starship.[8]
The duel[]
Kenobi and Maul during their brief duel.
As Kenobi and Skywalker were arriving at the ship, they were attacked by Maul, who initiated the surprise attack after jumping off of his speeder bike, nearly killing Skywalker. At Kenobi's demand, Skywalker retreated to the ship where he informed the crew of what was happening, causing them to take off yet fly low towards the duel in order to give Kenobi an opportunity to escape onto the ship. Maul and Kenobi fought across the desert floor, each one keeping the other at bay rather than making any leads against their respective opponents. Flying low over the fight with the boarding ramp lowered, the ship distracted Maul long enough to allow Kenobi to leap onboard. However, Maul followed him onto the ramp, though was knocked back to the ground by Kenobi just as Kenobi was entering the ship. Once the hatch was closed, the ship left Maul behind as it traveled back into orbit.[8]
Aftermath[]
As the vessel was leaving Tatooine's orbit, Kenobi was recovering from the duel. Skywalker and Dooku questioned him as to who it was that he fought, although he did not have an answer for them other than knowing that the assailant was well trained in the "Jedi arts".[8] When they arrived on Coruscant and went to the Jedi Temple, having meditated on what happened during the duel, Kenobi told the Jedi High Council that he believed the assailant was a Sith Lord, despite the belief that the Sith had been extinct for nearly one thousand years. The Council was skeptical about Kenobi's claim, though they agreed to investigate it and uncover the identity of the assailant.[9]
After leaving Tatooine, Maul returned to Utapau where he found Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray and his assistant in an underground factory that had been converted into a battle droid foundry. Maul was angered that they only had two thousand additional units completed, despite his order for five thousand, and, although Gunray attempted to explain the situation, Maul informed him that they would be in grave danger if Kenobi and additional Jedi returned to Utapau and the Federation did not have five thousand additional units.[10]
Behind the scenes[]
The original inspiration for the duel between Kenobi and Maul..
As was George Lucas's intent in his film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the Duel on Tatooine in Brandon Rhea's Star Wars: Episode I - The Chosen One was written to be "fast" and "intense", allowing it to be a teaser for what was to come later in the novel. The duel itself was based on a promotional image from The Phantom Menace that depicted Obi-Wan Kenobi dueling Darth Maul on Tatooine, whereas in reality the duel was between Maul and Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn.
Despite being almost completely based off of the canon Duel on Tatooine, the segment was well received by readers. Atarumaster88, a frequent reviewer of The Chosen One, stated that the "frenzied emotion of the race's winning [in the beginning of the chapter] contrasted well with the sentimental departure". He continued by saying that "having the Maul action segment...provided some escape from [the emotions of the race and the depature], and it all worked well together". This relieved some stress from Rhea, as he said he was mostly worried about the duel because he "wasn't sure if [it] would be good enough".[11]
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: Episode I - The Chosen One (First appearance)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ The Chosen One: Chapter One - Elusive Feelings
- ↑ The Chosen One: Chapter Six - Escape
- ↑ The Chosen One: Chapter Seven - Tatooine
- ↑ The Chosen One: Chapter Eight - Annikin
- ↑ The Chosen One: Chapter Nine - The Hermits
- ↑ The Chosen One: Chapter Twelve - Prophecy
- ↑ The Chosen One: Chapter Thirteen - Bargain
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 The Chosen One: Chapter Fifteen - Destiny
- ↑ The Chosen One: Chapter Seventeen - Doubts and Fears
- ↑ The Chosen One: Chapter Eighteen - Shatterpoints
- ↑ Chapter Fifteen talk page