Darth Maleval

"I don't know what frightened me more&mdash;the different ways he found to kill&hellip;or the joy they gave him."

- Anson Trask

Darth Maleval was a male Quarren Sith Lord of the One Sith, serving under Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Krayt and his Empire, after Krayt deposed Galactic Emperor Roan Fel. By 137 ABY, many units, such as the 908th Stormtrooper Division, had defected to Emperor-in-exile Fel during the Second Imperial Civil War. To ensure the loyalty of Krayt's troops, Maleval was given command of the 407th Stormtrooper Division, which was based on the planet Yinchorr, as they attempted to recapture the base of the 908th on Borosk.

When the Battle of Borosk broke out, Maleval led the 407th division in recapturing the base and ensuring the complete destruction of the 908th down to the last man. After the battle, Maleval ordered Lieutenant Gil Cassel of the 407th to kill his brother, Captain Jared Cassel of the 908th, who had defected to Fel. Maleval killed both Cassel brothers when Gil refused, causing trooper Hondo Karr, of the 407th's Joker Squad, to attack Maleval. Before he could execute Karr, Maleval was shot and killed from behind by another trooper, Anson Trask. The surviving members of Joker Squad covered up the event in the report to their superiors, stating that Maleval had been killed in battle, and that Karr was vaporized in an explosion, allowing Karr to leave the Empire and later join the unified fragments of the Galactic Alliance military, the Galactic Alliance Remnant.

Commanding the 407th
"See to his disciplining. Or I shall."

- Darth Maleval warns Sergeant Ran Harkas to punish Anson Trask

The Quarren Sith Lord Darth Maleval was a member of the One Sith, serving Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Krayt and his Galactic Empire, after Krayt overthrew Emperor Roan Fel at the end of the Sith-Imperial War. In 137 ABY, during the time of the Second Imperial Civil War, Maleval was chosen to command the 407th Stormtrooper Division. Stationed on Yinchorr, the 407th Division was charged with recapturing the base of the 908th Stormtrooper Division on Borosk and destroying the division itself, which had defected to Fel's Empire-in-exile. Given the defections, Krayt was uncertain of the 407th's loyalty to his Empire, and he sent Maleval to ensure that they did their duty.

After arriving on Yinchorr, Maleval was talking with the leaders of the 407th when he was approached by trooper Anson Trask, who was looking for his new unit, Joker Squad. When Maleval turned around, Trask&mdash;shocked by the Quarren's appearance&mdash;angered the Sith Lord by uttering the expletive, "Sith me." Just ten days out of training, Trask was saved from Maleval's wrath by Sergeant Ran Harkas of Joker Squad, who excused Trask, explaining that he was a "noob" and that no disrespect was intended. Maleval warned Harkas to make sure the trooper was disciplined, or he would do it himself.

Battle of Borosk
"There will be no truce. There will be no surrender. I don't care how many die. An example will be made of the deserters. The 908th are traitors, and will be killed&mdash;every last one."

- Darth Maleval, during the Battle of Borosk

To begin the attack on Borosk, Maleval led a vanguard, which included Joker Squad, in capturing and securing gun and shield placements along the perimeter wall of the 908th's headquarters. During the battle, he wielded his lightsaber in one hand and his shock whip in the other, cutting down stormtroopers without caring whether they were of the 908th or his own. He found many different ways to kill his enemies, and took great joy in their deaths.

After the 407th had succeeded in capturing the base's gun and shield platforms and had stood down for the night, Lieutenant Gil Cassel of the 407th suggested that a truce be made with the 908th to give them a chance to surrender. Hearing of this, Maleval approached him about his decision. Maleval had learned that Cassel had a brother in the 908th; however, Cassel assured the Sith Lord that his brother was not the reason he had suggested the truce, and that it was to prevent needless loss of lives and matériel. Maleval told the lieutenant that he did not care how many died&mdash;there would be no truce or surrender, an example would be made of the 908th, and they would all be killed.

He informed Joker Squad that they would be the ones to lead the attack on the 908th, warning them that he would be watching and that if they faltered in the slightest he would kill them himself. In response to this, Joker Squad member Hondo Karr threatened the Sith Lord. Karr held his knife up at Maleval, who simply Force-pushed him into a nearby wall. The encounter with Maleval brought about a debate among the members of Joker Squad. That night, options such as defecting, or permitting the 908th to escape, were discussed among the Jokers. Cassel was undecided when asked what they should do; however, Sergeant Harkas convinced them all to do their duty and complete the mission.

The next day, Maleval oversaw the attack on the base, with Joker Squad breaching the main fortress at about midday. After the battle was over, Maleval spared the life of Gil Cassel's captured brother, Captain Jared Cassel, and brought him before Gil. To prove his loyalty, Maleval ordered Gil to kill his own brother or stand condemned himself. Jared told Gil to do it as they should not both die, but Gil refused, saying that there were some things more important than duty or life. For Gil's refusal, Maleval killed both of the brothers with his lightsaber, condemning them as traitors. Angered by the act, Hondo Karr once again attacked the Sith Lord, but Maleval stopped him with a backhand. Maleval then gripped Karr with his shock whip and began to electrocute him. Before he could execute Karr, however, Maleval was shot from behind by Anson Trask, ending the Sith Lord's life.

The surviving members of Joker Squad covered up the Maleval incident in a report to their superiors, stating that Maleval had been killed in battle, and that Hondo Karr was vaporized in a blast that took out fellow Joker Squad trooper Jes Gistang, allowing Karr to leave the Empire and later join the unified fragments of the Galactic Alliance military, the Galactic Alliance Remnant.

Personality and traits
"I will be watching. If you falter in the slightest, I will kill you all myself."

- Darth Maleval, to Joker Squad

Darth Maleval was a ruthless member of the One Sith, chosen by Darth Krayt to ensure the loyalty of the Empire's stormtroopers. Like many other members of the Order, Maleval's face and visible parts of his body were covered in red and black Sith tattoos. Maleval was aggressive and cared little for those who served under him, willingly killing both enemies and allies in battle. He had no compassion for his foes, wanting them dead to the last man rather than offering them the chance to surrender. In battle he was merciless,he enjoyed finding different and even more painful ways to kill his enemies. He loved to torture his enemies for long periods of time with his shock whip before finally killing them. Maleval had even been known to leave his adversaries alive but severely maimed, to serve as a warning to those who would oppose the Empire. He was also cruel to those under his command, ordering Lieutenant Gil Cassel to kill his own brother to prove his loyalty, and killing both when he refused.

Powers and abilities
"Do you think a Lord of the Sith dies so easily?"

- Darth Maleval, in response to Hondo Karr's attack

Maleval was a skilled wielder of both the lightsaber and shock whip, often using both in battle to devastating effect&mdash;he was able to cut his way through the stormtroopers of the 908th with ease. He would use his shock whip to grip his opponents and electrocute them, taking immense pleasure in seeing the excruciating pain it caused them before they died. Apart from his skill with melee weapons, Maleval was strong in the dark side of the the Force, capable of using telekinesis to push enemies with a powerful wave of Force energy. He could also sense incoming attacks and use that knowledge to react accordingly, as seen when Hondo Karr attacked the Sith Lord. Despite his ability with the Force, Maleval was unable to sense the impending attack by stormtrooper Anson Trask until it was too late, leading to the Sith Lord's death.

Behind the scenes
The character of Darth Maleval was created by writer John Ostrander and first appeared in the stand-alone fourth issue of the Star Wars: Legacy series, Noob.

On the cover of Noob, Maleval has five suction-tipped fingers on each hand, while in the comic he has three clawed fingers on each hand instead. Maleval is the second of three Quarren Sith Lords portrayed in Star Wars: Legacy, following an unidentified Quarren Sith and preceding Darth Azard.

An Entertainment Earth exclusive action figure of Darth Maleval was unveiled at Comic Con International 2008 as part of Hasbro's Star Wars: The Legacy Collection Joker Squad six-pack.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Legacy 4: Noob