Duel on Tatooine ( Naboo crisis ) A lightsaber duel on Tatooine between Jedi Master Qui - Gon Jinn and Sith apprentice Darth Maul took place on Tatooine in 32 BBY . Maul was sent by his master , Darth Sidious , to retrieve Queen Amidala of Naboo , who managed to escape the Trade Federation ' s Sith sponsored blockade of her home planet and take temporary refuge on Tatooine under Jinn ' s protection . By backtracing transmissions from the Queen ' s royal starship , Maul successfully tracked the starship and its crew to Tatooine , where he dispatched probe droids to confirm their presence . Maul ambushed Jinn as he prepared to load his new unofficial apprentice , Anakin Skywalker , onto the Queen ' s starship , which was due to depart for the galactic capital . Jinn managed to hold off Maul long enough for the ship to take off . The sudden appearance of Maul enlightened the Jedi Order to the reemergence of the Sith Order , who were thought destroyed for almost a thousand years . Prelude . After the Boonta Eve podrace and the acquisition of the hyperdrive parts for the Queen ' s starship , Jedi Master Qui - Gon Jinn and young Anakin Skywalker were making their way to the ship . Along the way , they encountered one of Darth Maul ' s probe droids , which Qui - Gon destroyed . Inspecting it , Qui - Gon realized they were being followed , and they began to hurry for the ship . During their run , they were attacked by three more probe droids , which were equipped with small laser guns , but Qui - Gon quickly destroyed them . Meanwhile , another of the surviving probes notified Maul of the Jedi ' s presence , and the Sith Lord hurried to intercept . What occurred next was the first recorded encounter between the Jedi Order and the Order of the Sith Lords in over a thousand years . The duel . As Anakin and Qui - Gon ran for the ship , mere yards away , Jinn sensed Darth Maul ' s approach . Turning around to encourage Anakin to pick up the pace , he saw Maul bearing down on them on his speeder bike . Anakin quickly obeyed Qui - Gon ' s command to drop , just in time to avoid being skewered by Maul ' s speeder . As the speeder closed in on Qui - Gon , Maul leapt off the bike at the Jedi , attacking before his feet had even touched the ground . Surprised by the Sith ' s speed and ferocity , Jinn barely managed to block the attack . As Maul landed , he quickly followed up with an overhand , which Jinn deflected before attacking himself . As Maul blocked Qui - Gon ' s blow , Jinn ordered Anakin to get onboard the ship and tell them to take off . As Anakin did so , Qui - Gon attempted to launch his own offensive , but Maul easily brushed off his overhand and unleashed his own frenzy of attacks . Jinn was viciously driven back , barely able to protect himself , as his own style possessed a weak defense , especially against Maul ' s furious lightsaber technique . Despite his own valiant efforts , Qui - Gon simply could not find an opening . When Anakin boarded the ship and informed the crew of the situation , they attempted a rescue , flying low towards the fight with the boarding ramp lowered . As Qui - Gon blocked a leaping slash from Maul and countered , he saw the ship approaching . Disengaging from the Sith , Qui - Gon quickly leapt aboard , getting inside just as the hatch closed and the ship accelerated . As the Nubian streaked for the heavens , Maul was left fuming on the desert floor . Aftermath . Later , Qui - Gon told his apprentice , Obi - Wan Kenobi , that the mysterious stranger was definitely after the Queen . He also mentioned that the attacker was well trained in the Jedi arts , leading the Jedi Master to believe he was a Sith Lord . Qui - Gon later reported the incident to the Jedi Council , and after the Blockade of Naboo was over they realized that this warrior was no doubt a Sith . The seeds for the revenge of the Sith were finally laid that day . Darth Maul later avenged his loss at the Duel on Tatooine when he murdered Qui - Gon Jinn in a lightsaber duel on Naboo , which took place during the retaking of Theed Royal Palace . Maul was later defeated by Kenobi and believed to have died in the process , having been sliced in half and falling down a seemingly endless chasm . However , it was his hatred of Kenobi that kept him alive and he somehow escaped Naboo , ending up on Lotho Minor for twelve years until he was found by his brother , the Nightbrother Savage Opress . Behind the scenes . This is the first lightsaber duel in the prequel trilogy . This lightsaber duel was also the first fight showing both the Jedi and Sith in their prime . One of George Lucas ' s major objectives for the prequel trilogy was to make the lightsaber fights " faster and more intense . " This duel was shown early and was made short to give the viewer a small taste of what was to come . Qui - Gon Jinn ' s encounter with the probe droid was originally filmed , but it ended up cut for time , which resulted in a slightly disjointed transition showing Anakin and Qui - Gon running back to the ship when they had earlier been seen walking calmly to their destination . This scene was , however , retained in the novelization , as well as included in the DVD version under the name " Farewell to Jira " .