One of the most iconic villains of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Darth Maul is noted for his distinctive double-bladed lightsaber - and it has a surprising origin. Darth Maul was one of the most visually impressive characters in the prequel trilogy, a Sith apprentice with a stunning make-up design that made him look like a demon brought to life. He was sadly underused, though, swiftly killed in battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Even George Lucas seems to have realized this was a mistake, because he brought Darth Maul back in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Darth Maul's highly distinctive lightsaber design made him a formidable threat to the Jedi. It was a double-bladed weapon with an extra long hilt, apparently incorporating multiple kyber crystals - likely taken from the corpses of Jedi who had been killed by Darth Maul prior to Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. According to Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection, Darth Maul came up with the idea of fashioning this unique lightsaber by poring over ancient Sith records.
The double-bladed lightsaber was actually created by the late Tom Veitch as he worked on the Tales of the Jedi comics. As he explained in an interview with Star Wars Underground in 2016, he came up with the idea and drew a brief sketch for artist Chris Gossett, who swiftly drew it for the comics. "Like many Star Wars ideas, it is one of those things that are 'inevitable,'" he explained. "As soon as you tell somebody about it, they say, 'Oh great - I could have thought of that!'" George Lucas evidently liked the idea, and incorporated it into the prequels.
How Do Double-Bladed Lightsabers Work?
In the old Expanded Universe, the double-bladed lightsaber was devised by the Dark Lords of the Sith Empire. Sometimes called a doublesaber, these early blades were powered by a single kyber crystal and possessed two emitter units. They allowed for a faster switch from attack to defense, because a Sith could use only blade to block an attack before responding in kind with the other. The twin blades were hard to master, but the Sith who perfected them were a force to be reckoned with.
Darth Maul chose to use a surprising lightsaber combat form for his double-bladed lightsaber. He subverted Form VI, Niman, one that traditionally emphasized balance in the Force. It's possible Darth Sidious deliberately chose to train his apprentice Darth Maul in this lightsaber technique simply because he enjoyed the irony of seeing a Jedi defeated using one of their own preferred combat techniques, which would certainly be a fitting approach for Star Wars' villainous Sith.
Source: Star Wars Underground