Summary
- Emperor Palpatine's duel with Darth Maul showcases his true power in the dark side, surpassing anything seen in the Star Wars films.
- Palpatine effortlessly disposes of Maul's Mandalorian soldiers before defeating both Maul and his brother, displaying his mastery of the Force and skill with a lightsaber which highlights the massive power disparity between Darth Sidious and his former apprentice.
- Palpatine also hides his presence from Maul until the opportune moment, demonstrating his skill in masking his true intentions though the Force.
Emperor Palpatine's duel with Darth Maul demonstrated his true power in the dark side more than any of the Star Wars movies ever have. Taking place during the Clone Wars era, Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious) eventually took notice of his former apprentice's activities on the world of Mandalore. Although the future Emperor saw Maul as a potential new rival, that didn't mean Palpatine was worried about Maul ever usurping him.
As seen in the animated Clone Wars series, Darth Maul was revealed to have survived his duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace. Rescued by his brother Savage Oppress and given new mechanical legs by the Nightsisters of Dathomir, Maul and Savage began a revenge quest against Kenobi while also assembling various crime syndicates and the Death Watch as a powerful Shadow Collective they used to take over Mandalore. However, Maul's plans were disrupted when his old master took notice. To that end, Palpatine's power over the dark side was on full display when he went to confront Maul.
Your browser does not support the video tag. Palpatine Uses Darth Vader's Force Choke 
When Palpatine first arrives on Mandalore in The Clone Wars season 5, episode 16, he's quickly met by two of Maul's new Mandalorian soldiers who came from the Death Watch, the small force of Mandalorians who still adhered to the planet's warrior ways despite the world's pacifist and neutral stance during the Clone Wars. Regardless, Palpatine effortlessly disposes of them both, barely lifting his hand to choke them both out using the Force. While the Force choke is one of the most classic dark side Force powers most frequently used by Darth Vader in the Star Wars canon, the move looks even simpler when performed by Palpatine in this opening sequence.
It's also worth noting that Mandalorians were supposed to be a threat to the Jedi as the two groups were once at war with one another during the Old Republic. Especially with members of the Death Watch who'd clung to the old ways as warriors, one would think they could have put up more of a fight. Had they been facing a Jedi, perhaps they would have. Instead, they were both killed by Darth Sidious and bypassed as if they were nothing.
Palpatine Hides His Presence From Maul Until The Time Is Right 
It's also quite remarkable that Maul only senses Palpatine's presence until Darth Sidious wants him to. As seen in the Clone Wars episode, Maul felt the familiar presence of his old master only until Palpatine was about to enter the Duchess of Mandalore's throne room. This means that Palpatine was able to mask his presence from the moment of his arrival on Mandalore, ensuring that Maul wouldn't be able to sense him coming to either flee or prepare defenses.
Caught completely off-guard by his old master standing before him, Maul attempted to be subservient with the claim that everything he'd built was for Palpatine himself. However, Sidious saw the truth for what it was, knowing full well that Maul's ambition had surpassed becoming Palpatine's apprentice once more (had he even wanted Maul by his side to begin with). Regardless, Sidious' ability to hide his presence from Maul using the Force makes perfect sense considering the decades he'd been masking his true self from the Jedi Order as the Republic's Supreme Chancellor.
