| At the height of the power of the Federation, a phantom menace emerges. Under the leadership of Darth Sidious, Sith Lord Darth Maul confronts Obi Wan Kenobi and Qui Gon Jinn on Tattoine, and then once again on Naboo. He is unlike anything the Jedi have faced in centuries. But who is this tattooed man?
Darth Maul is a Zabrak, a species which originates on the planet Iridonia. His former name and when he began his training is unknown, although it is rumored that he was formerly Khameir Sarin until he abandoned all traces of his former identity and embraced his training as a Sith apprentice. He was trained by Darth Sidious, and given a full education of the Jedi histories, as well as mastering all of the combat forms of Teras Kasi.
Darth Maul developed a hatred for the Jedi Knights, through his learnings. It became his overwhelming goal to force a confrontation with them. Make them realize that the Sith were ready for them. Make them fear. However, his obedience to his master kept him from pursuing this goal, and instead he performed many assassinations from the shadows. These were always done to further the goals of the Sith, which, under Darth Sidious' machinations, were continually growing more involved and intricate. The most notable of these killings was when he infiltrated the criminal organization of the Black Sun, and slew their leader Alexi Garyn.
Darth Maul has the ten horns upon his head like all members of his race, the Zabrak. His red and black tattoos which cover his entire body, were received (with great physical pain) to increase his fearsome appearance, and to cause fear in his opponents. He wears a black cloak, and uses a dual-bladed light saber. This difficult weapon was invented by a past Sith Lord, and is as potentially dangerous to an untrained wielder as to the enemy. Maul uses his with ease and grace, like he was born to it. His light saber allows him to modify the length of both blades, and extend either one or both.
Darth Maul has a number of devices that he uses in his missions. He has the probe droids which can track down or record targets for him. He has also used a protocol droid in the past, named C-3PX, which has been modified with hidden weapons for murderous purposes. He uses two vehicles frequently. First, his Sith Speeder, a speeder which he had specifically stripped down of anything unnecessary, making it ultra-fast and maneuverable. Then there is his Sith Infiltrator ship, a modified Star Courier starship. It carries a cloaking device, and the modifications make it reminiscent of, or rather foreshadowing Darth Vader's modified Tie Fighter.
Darth Maul was brought to life in The Phantom Menace by stunt man Ray Park. The menace, viciousness, and raw enmity that Park was able to bring to this role brought him from stunt man to character actor. His voice was dubbed for Darth Maul, using the voice of British comedy actor Peter Serafinowicz (thanks ConfusionTheWaitress!). Darth Maul receives far less screen time than most would have preferred, and is one of most fans' favorite villains of the entire series. | 
