Star Wars: End Game

by James Luceno

"End Game" is a short story written by James Luceno. It was published in the new edition of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace from Del Rey on January 31, 2012.

Taking place after Darth Maul's first lightsaber duel with Qui-Gon Jinn on Tatooine, the story begins as Maul contemplates the mistakes he made because of the actions he took on the planet, since he failed his mission to kill Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi and he failed to capture Queen Padmé Amidala as a result. But in spite of his failure, Maul's Sith Master, Darth Sidious, assigns him to overlook the rest of the Trade Federation's occupation of Naboo.

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Short Stories

Unknown Binding

First published January 31, 2012

About the author

James Luceno is a New York Times bestselling author, best known for his novels and reference books connected with the Star Wars franchise and the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and novelisations of the Robotech animated television series. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland with his wife and youngest child.

He has co-written many books with Brian Daley as Jack McKinney.

Reviews

[Lexu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before reading this, one should have read "Darth Plagueis", "Restraint", the comic "Darth Maul", and his Episode 1 Journal...and obviously the Episode 1 novel. Good luck remembering all those details.
It's always a pleasure to look into the mind of Maul especially during the most important time of his life.

[Josiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice look into what exactly Darth Maul did while he was offscreen while also providing s clue as to his true fate at the end of the film.

[B.A.G. Studios · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look, this might’ve gotten a 3/5 if I’d read it in sequence with the other short stories, but after the novels, I’m rounding up this time. This and “Saboteur” are both probably 3.5/5s, but I’ll round this one up and that one down, how’s that?

Normally I’d probably critique this and say something like “Boring. Nothing new, snooze fest, this didn’t need written because we have a novelization of that movie. Objection: Irrelevant, moving on.” I think I probably said something similar when I read this the first time back circa 2015.

It’s one of my favorite SW short stories I think. This is a rumination on a tragic pawn. This is the first and only time I feel legitimately sorry for Darth Maul up to this point, because he slowly realizes he’s been little more than a Dejarik piece all along. His discovery of Plagueis is really intriguing… I almost wish he never contacted Sidious after learning that, or at least I wish we were given more detail on what the conversation was actually like. That’s probably my biggest negative at the moment, it says he contacts him, but we don’t get much more than that about it, and I wish it had tipped further one direction or the other. Second worst thing is that the ending paragraphs are extremely rushed. I remember the YA book I read in middle school had a longer and more detailed description of Maul’s fall down the chute, this one just dips out.

It really is a shame Luceno never wrote a Maul novel. I think I’d kill for that… Ya know, something small, like a womp rat, or something.

Maul slaughters a gaggle of Gungans, how could someone not like this story??

[Kelvin Hawkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is Part of a series. a series i didnt read. it ties into the first Episode of Star wars so its not impossible to understand. i just needed something bland to kill time and something more science fiction to contrast all of the fantasy i read recently.

instead i found a real gem. i think the depth they show for a character that has 1 line in the movie was the whole Basis for what they later did with the character in comics and shows and i hope they use it for the new show. also holy shit i uncovered a Billion different memories. i really missed lightsaber fights. oh my god. the fighting between two force sensitive beings is always so poetic its insane. its what a book fight is supposed to feel like.

i am so glad i read this. tho i dont know if i will continue this this series, throw myself into another series or if i will just take a break from books as a whole. ive read more in the last months than i have in years and i need a break i think. i need to sort out...Just all of it in my head. what a weird little book

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 32BBY

This one I really liked. It's Maul and his thoughts, during Episode I right until the bitter end. A solid short story.

“These were invaders? These were the leaders of an army? So easily cowed, so easily deceived, and covetous to the point that they had allowed themselves to be manipulated into instigating a war for a chance at increased profits.” - Darth Maul

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ever wonder what Darth Maul was up to in the time between his two actions scenes in Phantom Menace? Turns out, nothing too interesting. He goes on a couple of errands for Palpatine and slaughters some Gungans, setting up them fleeing the underwater cities. Just because there are gaps in a character's story doesn't mean those gaps need to be filled, as this story shows us.

[James Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet

[Matthew Juffs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fills in the gaps and provides more background and thoughts on Maul.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best of the Luceno/Maul short stories