Originally posted by Enyalus
Wha? Where is this said? I have all of the Republic comics.Maul wins. Not even a close match.
I might be getting mixed up, but wasn't he called (the) 'most skilled in the order'? The order includes Yoda. I don't have the source material so I may be mistaken.
Also: Maul has only one saber- he is handicapped. Maul at full strength > Bulq. But not by much. I'd say that in pure lightsaber ability, Bulq would win, but in a fight, Maul would take the majority.
Originally posted by Red Nemesis
I might be getting mixed up, but wasn't he called (the) 'most skilled in the order'? The order includes Yoda. I don't have the source material so I may be mistaken.
I...seriously do not recall such praise. And I highly doubt it.
Originally posted by Red Nemesis
Also: Maul has only one saber- he is handicapped. Maul at full strength > Bulq. But not by much. I'd say that in pure lightsaber ability, Bulq would win, but in a fight, Maul would take the majority.
Yeah, but Maul should be just fine with a lightsaber. Just like Bulq, Maul has mastered all saber forms (New Essential Guide to Characters says that Maul had 'mastered the lightsaber'😉, and dominates him in the MA department. Not to mention that Bulq's Vaapad is different from Mace and Depa's. His is a one-handed style, meaning less power behind his strikes. Maul should certainly be stronger, him being in his prime and pushing his physical and Force-assisted abilities to 'the utmost.' Bondara was more than likely superior to Bulq in saber skills, and Maul got the better of him pretty easily. He also outclassed Darth Effing Vader with a blade. Two saber blades in each of those battles, but from TPM we know he can handle one just fine.
Originally posted by Red Nemesis
Were there extenuating circumstances?
Bondara was the first Jedi that Maul kills.
From the POTJ Sourcebook, taken from the narrator's and Darsha's perspective:
“Jedi Master Anoon Bondara, a Twi'lek Jedi renowned for his skill with the lightsaber. To Padawan Darsha, of course, Master Bondara's prowess was unmatched.”
From Cloak of Decception, taken from the narrator's perspective:
“A Twi'lek, with slender head-tails and a heavily muscled upper body, his name was Anoon Bondara, a duelist of unparalleled skill. Qui-Gon engaged him in matches at every opportunity. For a match with Bondara, no matter how brief, was more instructive than twenty contests against lesser opponents.”
And taken from Shadow Hunter, also from the narrator's perspective:
“The Twi'lek Jedi Master lived in the Force. Always still and complacent as a pool of unknown depth, he was nevertheless one of the best fighters in the order. His skill with a lightsaber was second to none.”
From the start of Maul's fight with Anoon, we understand how hopelessly outclassed Bondara is:
“He pressed the attack viciously, blocking and thrusting, the twin radiant blades spinning a web of light about him.
The Jedi was obviously a master of the teras kasi fighting arts, as well, judging by the smooth way he parried and counterattacked. Still, within the first few moments of the engagement, Darth Maul knew that he himself was the superior fighter. He could tell that the Jedi knew it, too, but Maul also knew that it didn't matter. The Jedi was committed to stopping the Sith, or at the very least slowing him down enough to let the others get away, even if it meant giving his own life to do so.
Darth Maul had seen the grim realization in the eyes of his foe: the knowledge that the Twi'lek could not defeat his adversary. Once defeat was conceded in the mind, its reality was inevitable. It was only a matter of time.
He pressed his attack to an even higher intensity, driving the Jedi back toward his speeder bike, intending to pin him between the dual-bladed lightsaber and the bike. With his movements thus constricted, it would be mere moments before the Twi'lek's tentacled head was separated from his neck.”