Summary
- Darth Maul took control of the criminal underworld, including five major crime syndicates, in his plan to establish himself as a rival to Palpatine.
- Maul used his criminal empire to seek out Sith and Jedi relics, with the goal of finding weapons to use against the Emperor.
- The true power of the Sith could only be defeated through the light side of the Force, which is why Maul and Qi'ra ultimately failed in their mission to overthrow Palpatine.
Star Wars has finally revealed the full scale of Darth Maul's plan to destroy Palpatine. Even George Lucas knew he'd made a mistake killing Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The Sith Apprentice cut an imposing figure, and his stunning design left viewers electrified. There was a sense in which Darth Maul's return in Star Wars: The Clone Wars was inevitable, given the character's popularity.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars revealed that Darth Maul attempted to become a third galactic power during the Clone Wars, establishing the Shadow Collective to bring together rival criminal factions. His plans were ruined, however, in large part because of Ahsoka Tano; she led Republic forces in the Siege of Mandalore, where Maul had based himself. Still, to the surprise of many viewers, Solo: A Star Wars Story revealed Maul somehow re-established himself in the underworld during the Dark Times of the Empire's reign. The movie's final scenes revealed Darth Maul was the secret ruler of Crimson Dawn, a powerful new criminal group. But it's only now, five years later, that Star Wars has revealed the full scale of Maul's plan.
Your browser does not support the video tag. Darth Maul Took Control Of The Criminal Underworld 
E.K. Johnston's novel Crimson Climb charts the rise of Qi'ra, Han Solo's first love, through the ranks of Crimson Dawn. The book reveals Crimson Dawn is older than viewers realized, although it had never before been a galactic force; it had largely grown because it had accepted a new overseer, one who found it useful. That overseer, of course, was Darth Maul himself. Dryden Vos was one of the few members of Crimson Dawn to know the identity of their master, although Qi'ra was given access to Maul too after acquiring an ancient Jedi superweapon he desired.
