Originally posted by ILS
@NovaWhen I was referring to "histories" I was just mentioning that Maul had enough access to be able to talk competently about Bane, Kun, Ulic, Revan and Malak, and he had enough access to build his saberstaff based on Kun's design. But, if you want to keep clinging onto the point, which isn't critical to my argument, on you go.
I still haven't seen the quote. Knowing about Revan/Malak/Kun etc. means nothing because it's common galactic history. The saberstaff is a fair point, though, but I'll need to see more before I subscribe to the notion that he learnt anything significant.
You're still missing my point regarding the intent behind Maul's feat. I'll give you another example; producing or deflecting Force lightning, or lifting an X-wing, or throwing senate pods, in movie/canon terms, is hailed as being something worthy of only the highest tier Force users. Maul's survival is along the same lines. That's how Canon works.
I'm not missing any point. I've already admitted that it's a great feat in Canon. In Legends, which is the only area I'm debating in, it's not that great.
You then muddy the waters by adding in Legends, where yes, plenty of characters not necessarily revered for being uber powerful have managed those aforementioned feats and then some.
Well, Sion's supposed to be pretty powerful, but I'm referring more to this forum's perception of who is or isn't powerful.
That's why I'm saying sure, the feat in and of itself might not be as impressive as in Legends due to the fact someone let a Bioware writer loose with a script, which provoked him to creating a Sith who pretty illogically holds his body together constantly, passively, with his mind, meanwhile it's established in the primary canon that just surviving a simple bisection is hailed as extremely impressive.
Sounds like an ad hominem here. First of all, Sion wasn't written by BioWare. Secondly, there's nothing "illogical" about it - given that a host of sources outside of KotOR II (with different authors) have maintained the exact same thing about Sion. They obviously didn't find it illogical enough for a retcon.
That aside, Sion was hardly the first one to do something like this. Maw replicated Maul's feat prior to 2000 - prior to Sion's existence. Maul's resurrection feat was made well after both of these instances, so in actuality, Maul's feat is the one ignorantly defying canonical history (canonical up to then, at least). But up to that point, these feats of sheer survival (and I don't mean just Maw & Sion - Vader/Revan willing themselves back from the dead, etc.) were all feats of sheer willpower. Not knowledge. As I said, it's great in Canon, but with respect to Legends, Maul's survival is the one written in a context entirely removed from continuity. I mean, TCW tends to depict Jedi/Sith Force powers in a very rudimentary and restrained way relative to virtually every EU work, not to mention how ignorant TCW is of EU continuity anyway. Of course Maul's feat would be amazing/a feat of knowledge there. But once you apply it to the context of Legends continuity, then it isn't, and by virtue of more than just BioWare's antics. There's nothing that can change that.
But, the intent, or accolade, however you want to put it - that Maul has great power and knowledge of the Dark Side - remains. Meanwhile, Sion didn't receive the same praise, to my knowledge. I can't explain it any better than that.
"Great power and knowledge of the dark side"? Sure, Sion's had that - and better.