Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Darth Maul: Black, White & Red #3

Star Wars has revealed Darth Maul’s critical role in keeping his master’s greatest secret. Sheev Palpatine had long maintained a double life as an influential politician and a Dark Lord of the Sith. However, it was nearly undone were it not for his first dark apprentice before the events of The Phantom Menace.

As seen in Darth Maul: Black, White & Red #3, Darth Sidious tasks his apprentice with the elimination of a single criminal named Coir Cion. However, he refuses to enlighten his apprentice about why he wants this thug dead. However, it’s eventually revealed that Cion has been blackmailing Sidious, having discovered his more illicit dealings in Coruscant’s lower levels as Senator Palpatine:

Although Cion seemingly doesn’t know the full picture about who Palpatine truly is, the mere fact that he was threatening to expose Palpatine poses a serious risk to all the Sith Lord’s plans, hence Darth Maul’s new mission ahead of the Skywalker saga.

Palpatine Sent Maul To Kill A Blackmailer

Coir Cion Could Have Exposed Palpatine’s Darker Operations

Despite none of his questions being answered by his master, Maul heads off to track down Coir Cion, eventually finding his territory where the criminal had holed himself up while waiting for Palpatine to grant him a pardon. Brutally murdering all of Cion’s men, Maul proves him as already an incredibly capable and lethal Sith Lord, his years of training in the lower levels of Coruscant having paid off. However, Maul hesitates before killing Cion.

Rather than immediately killing Cion as ordered, Maul demands an explanation from the criminal. Coming clean, Maul learns that Cion posed a great risk to his master, while representing the inherent fragility of all of Palpatine’s carefully laid plans and schemes. That said, Maul does end up murdering Cion before heading back to his dark master.

Any Exposure Could Have Unraveled All Of Darth Sidious’ Plans

Darth Maul Ensured Palpatine’s Web Remained Intact

Having understood the truth of his mission, Maul naturally asks how someone as insignificant as Coir Cion could ever be a genuine threat to the Sith. While Palpatine again disregards Maul’s questioning, the exchange highlights the primary vulnerability of the Sith during this era: their greatest strength was their anonymity and existence only in the shadows. One wrong word too close to the ears of the Jedi Order could have undone everything.

The last thing Palpatine would have needed was for people to start looking into his affairs. This is especially true before his eventual election as the Republic’s Supreme Chancellor. As such, this new issue certainly proves just how important Darth Maul was to keep his master’s secrets hidden and intact in the Star Wars canon.

Darth Maul: Black, White & Red #3 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.