Darth Maul 1 represents the inaugural edition within the Star Wars: Darth Maul comic book series. Dark Horse Comics released it to the public on September 6, 2000.
The Sith, having remained hidden for countless generations, are poised to reveal their existence to the entire galaxy at the most opportune moment. Lord Sidious, along with his lethal apprentice Darth Maul, has meticulously planned and patiently awaited the perfect moment to strike, hoping to surprise the Jedi Order. However, in the days leading up to the Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo, Lord Sidious discovers a potential threat to his carefully laid plans. This threat originates from Black Sun, a dangerous galactic crime syndicate. Sidious, unwilling to tolerate any opposition, dispatches Darth Maul to confront and eliminate Black Sun, utilizing the full extent of his dark side mastery!
Within the LiMerge Building situated on Coruscant, Darth Maul endures a challenging trial. This trial involves him battling and eliminating numerous droids programmed to attack with deadly force. Upon successfully completing this ordeal, Darth Sidious immediately presents him with a new mission. With the plans for the invasion of Naboo firmly in place, Sidious expresses concern about his reliance on both the Neimoidians and the Trade Federation. Despite these concerns, Sidious is determined to prevent any external interference and commands his apprentice to launch an assault on the core of the criminal organization known as Black Sun. To assist Maul in this undertaking, Sidious provides him with an armed Star Courier, which has been rebranded as a "Sith Infiltrator" for his apprentice's exclusive use. This advanced starship is equipped with a cloaking generator for achieving invisibility, as well as a speeder bike and three Dark Eye probe droids. As Maul departs Coruscant, Qui-Gon Jinn detects his sinister presence through a disruption in the Force, although he cannot precisely identify the source of this disturbance. Jinn informs his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, that even though Force-sensitive individuals may not always immediately comprehend the information they receive through the Force, he remains confident that its true meaning will eventually become clear.