KMC Forums - Lumiya v Maul (theed palace)

A very thought provoking thread.

On the one hand, Darth Maul was the legitimate apprentice of Darth Sidious, indoctrinated in the ways of the dark side of the Force and Sith techniques, teachings, and philosophy for a little over twenty years. His training regimen is seemingly the greatest and most difficult of any we've ever seen, to the point that it pushed the Zabrak -- a species, according to the Ultimate Visual Guide, with great resistance for mental and physical discipline -- to his "very limits". Likewise, he is an undisputedly proficient master in Juyo, a lightsaber form which requires the master to be a "high end" master of "multiple forms." So, his unparalleled combat training notwithstanding, he also has demonstrated a stamina and resilience that is also largely without peer -- able to "tank" Force lightning, as ACstyles would say, from a highly skilled Nightsister. Moreover, he a profound disciple in Teras Kasi, the greatest of all martial arts in the mythos.

On the other hand, Lumiya's career as a practitioner of the dark side of the Force largely surpasses Maul's in length and duration. She was trained as an Emperor's Hand, the greatest order of assassins in galactic history, in a role similar to Maul's own, relying more on stealth, subterfuge, deception, and trickery as opposed to Anakin Skywalker's patented tactic of charging in and blowing everything up; that is not, in any way, to suggest that either Lumiya or Maul are weak fighters. Despite the fact that the majority of her body is composed of cybernetic parts, she was able to contend with Luke Skywalker in a fight, though she used the Force to direct dozens of innocent bystanders to practically throw themselves at Skywalker while she fought him. But she also pit herself against Mara Jade Skywalker, another Emperor's Hand, and performed spectacularly -- though the duel ended in a draw and Lumiya's retreat (this is the same Mara Jade Skywalker who defeated Jacen Solo in combat).

So, these two opponents are a great deal alike. Both are highly trained, though Maul's regimen clearly outclasses even Lumiya's own. Both are deeply cunning, though Lumiya's cunning has demonstrated itself to be very superior to Maul's. Both are deep in Sith lore, with Maul serving as an official and legitimate Sith apprentice to Darth Sidious for twenty years and Lumiya not enjoying such a status, but also having a career as a Force user for far longer than Maul's own limited lifespan.

I'm certain, skill-to-skill, Maul's probably better. But Lumiya's strength is considerable, being partially robotic. And she's certainly cleverer than Maul...