Star Wars' Darth Maul originally had another design deemed too 'terrifying' by George Lucas

If you’ve always found Darth Maul unnerving, it turns out that George Lucas’ original design was too "terrifying” to include.

Star Wars, while touching on some heavy and rather dark themes, is still considered family friendly entertainment.

Although some creatures or characters may make you feel uncomfortable, they’re never so scary you can’t stand to watch anymore.

Oh, how different The Phantom Menace could have been...

However, that might not have been the case if the original Darth Maul design had been allowed to stay.

It’s fair to say that Darth Maul’s appearance in the film is already a striking one, and is by far the most menacing of any other villain in the series.

That being said, it could have struck an even deeper chord with the fandom.

According to Iain McCaig, the concept artist for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Maul was meant to look like “a vision from your worst nightmare”.

That description was what led McCaig to come up with an appearance so haunting it terrified George Lucas.

“I drew my worst nightmare, which was that face that’s peering in the window at you late at night, and it’s barely alive. Like a cross between a ghost and a serial killer staring in at you,” McCaig explained on StarWars.com.

StarWars.com

And my goodness, what an awful sight the original design is to behold.

McCaig claims that when Lucas took a look at the design, he “slammed it shut” and said, “Give me your second worst nightmare.”

Sometimes, you can dare to go too big with your creations.

If the first option had been chosen, we have no doubt it would have stuck with audiences in a similar way that the final character did, however, it would have been for markedly different reasons.

Star Wars isn’t a horror, yet that Darth Maul design would have given it horrific elements indicative of the genre.