Although Darth Maul's lightsaber was originally unique to his status as a Dark Lord of the Sith, the double-bladed concept has become far more common.
Darth Maul's original lightsaber in Star Wars used to be a lot more special. Serving as the first-ever appearance of a double-bladed lightsaber in the established canon, Maul's weapon drew plenty of excitement and surprise when The Phantom Menace first hit theaters in 1999.
However, the double-bladed lightsaber has become far too common in the years since. Darth Maul igniting his double-bladed lightsaber on Naboo is still cited as one of the Star Wars galaxy's most epic scenes, in part thanks to the iconic "Duel of the Fates" score from composer John Williams that accompanied the weapon's debut. A lightsaber with two blades had never been seen before, a brand-new concept that captured viewers' attention as the Sith apprentice dueled both Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi simultaneously. However, the double-bladed lightsaber used to be more unique in the Star Wars galaxy. SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Related: Star Wars Introduces A New Double-Bladed Lightsaber That Makes Darth Maul's Look Boring Darth Maul's Double-Bladed Lightsaber Was Supposed To Be A Rare Sith Weapon Even by the standards of the Sith, the doubled-bladed lightsaber was a rare construction before the new canon established by Lucasfilm in 2014. Likewise, it was believed that Maul took inspiration from a Zabrak quarterstaff, a traditional weapon from his homeworld. However, it would later be revealed that the rare double-bladed lightsaber design came from the most ancient Sith Lords, dating back thousands of years but had faded into obscurity thanks to their near extinction and Darth Bane's Rule of Two. In a similar vein, Maul's decision to forge his own double-bladed lightsaber had nothing to do with his master. After all, Palpatine preferred to use the dark side of the Force as his chief weapon. That being said, Palpatine did offer ancient schematics for Maul to refine his lightsaber once his master learned of its construction. As such, it was seemingly a dark turn of destiny that Darth Maul was inspired to create such a rare Sith weapon. Why Double-Bladed Lightsabers Were Originally Sith, Not Jedi Along with the origins surrounding Darth Maul's construction of his personal double-bladed lightsaber, the ancient lore behind the weapon's design was fleshed out in what is now considered non-canon Legends. Just like Maul, the double-bladed lightsaber first came into prominence by the corrupted Jedi-turned-Sith Lord Exar Kun, who found the schematics on an old Sith holocron. Remarkably, Kun and his connection to the double-bladed lightsaber are confirmed to still be a part of the current canon . In Legends, it seems as though the early intention was that double-bladed lightsabers were meant to be far more aggressive weapons, making them perfect for wielders of the dark side and forged exclusively by the ancient Sith Lords. As such, they were avoided by most Jedi, with their use being discouraged by the Jedi Order as a whole. However, things have very much changed in the current Star Wars canon. Double-Bladed Lightsabers Are Now Too Common - And Used By Jedi In the established Star Wars canon, the double-bladed lightsaber's origins are still tied to Exar Kun and the ancient SIth prior to Darth Maul's use in The Phantom Menace. However, the Jedi Order became far more lenient in the new canon, the inherently aggressive nature of the weapon largely being abandoned. Valued for its greater defensive capabilities, there are now plenty of Jedi adept at wielding double-bladed lightsabers in the Star Wars galaxy, such as Orla Jareni, Keeve Trennis, Pong Krell, Jaro Tapal, and most notably Cal Kestis . There are now multiple Jedi from both the High Republic and prequel eras who had double-bladed lightsabers, and this ironically includes the entire Jedi Temple Guard, with the once-rare Star Wars weapon having become the traditional lightsaber wielded by the defenders of the Order itself. Likewise, both Asajj Ventress and Maul's own brother Savage Opress wielded double-bladed lightsabers during The Clone Wars. Whether this is a good change or not can be left for debate, but it can't be disputed that Maul's double-bladed lightsaber has become far less special, despite still being the first to have ever been seen in the Star Wars canon.
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