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Mace Windu

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"Windu" redirects here. For the cycle of 8 lunar years, see Javanese calendar.

Mace Windu
Star Wars character
Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu [a]
First appearanceThe Phantom Menace
Created byGeorge Lucas
Portrayed bySamuel L. Jackson
Voiced by
In-universe information
OccupationJedi Master
Jedi General
AffiliationJedi Order
Galactic Republic
Masters
  • Cyslin Myr
  • Yoda
  • Others in Legends [g]
ApprenticeDepa Billaba
HomeworldHaruun Kal

Mace Windu is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. He was introduced in the prequel trilogyas a Jedi Master who sits on the Jedi High Council during the final years of the Galactic Republic. He is portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson in all three prequel films. Windu also appears in the 2008 animated film The Clone Wars, the television series of the same name, and in novels, comics, and video games.

Windu wields a unique purple-bladed lightsaber, and is regarded as one of the most powerful Jedi of his time, second only to Yoda. During the Clone Wars, Windu becomes a Jedi General. He initially believes that Anakin Skywalker should not be trained as a Jedi, which leads to an antagonistic relationship between the two. Windu later participates in denying Anakin the rank of Jedi Master. Anakin eventually kills Windu to protect the Sith Lord Darth Sidious.

Creation and development[edit]

Several early incarnations of the character who would become Mace Windu were developed in George Lucas's original Star Wars drafts. These incarnations included a narrator, Princess Leia's brother and Luke Skywalker's friend.[1] The character was ultimately removed from the original film trilogy, but he resurfaced in 1994 when Lucas began writing the prequel trilogy.

Although his weapon was not seen onscreen until Attack of the Clones, action figures released for The Phantom Menace paired Windu with a blue lightsaber.[2] During the production of Attack of the Clones, Jackson asked Lucas if his character could wield a purple lightsaber to make him easily distinguishable in large battle scenes.[3] According to Jackson, the lightsaber's hilt was engraved with the phrase "bad motherfucker", which is a reference to his role in Pulp Fiction. The engraving is not visible in the films.[4] Even though Windu dies in Revenge of the Sith, Jackson has called for the character's return in future Star Wars media.[5]

Appearances[edit]

Prequel trilogy[edit]

Main article: Star Wars prequel trilogy

Windu first appeared in The Phantom Menace (1999), the first film of the prequel trilogy. He is portrayed by Jackson in all three prequel films. In The Phantom Menace, the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn comes before the Jedi High Council and requests that Anakin Skywalker be trained, believing he is the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy. Windu and the other Council members deny the request, believing Anakin is too old and full of fear. When the Council realizes that the Sith have returned, they reluctantly allow Obi-Wan Kenobi to train Anakin.[6]

Windu returns in Attack of the Clones (2002), which is set ten years after the previous film.[7] He initially refuses to believe that the assassination attempt on Senator Padmé Amidala was authorized by the former Jedi Master Count Dooku, who is now the leader of a Separatist movement. After Obi-Wan is captured on Geonosis while investigating the Separatists, Windu leads a cadre of Jedi to rescue him. In the ensuing battle, Windu kills the bounty hunter Jango Fett and leads a clone army to victory against Dooku's forces. As the Clone Wars begin, Windu resolves to keep an eye on the increasingly corrupt Galactic Senate.[8]

Revenge of the Sith (2005) takes place three years after the beginning of the Clone Wars.[7] Windu and the other members of the Jedi Council are concerned that the Republic's Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine, may not relinquish his emergency powers when the Wars end. Their suspicions grow when the Senate grants Palpatine a vote on the Council by appointing Anakin as his personal representative. Although Anakin is granted Council membership, Windu notifies him that he will not be granted the rank of Jedi Master. This infuriates Anakin and diminishes his trust in the Council.

After Obi-Wan kills the Separatist leader General Grievous, Palpatine reveals to Anakin that he is the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. When Anakin informs Windu of Palpatine's identity, Windu and three other Jedi Masters attempt to arrest Sidious. The Sith Lord easily cuts down Windu's companions and then duels with him. With Windu's victory imminent, Anakin pleads with him to spare Sidious. Windu responds that Sidious is too dangerous to be kept alive, and prepares to execute him. Anakin intervenes on Sidious's behalf, disarming Windu by severing his hand. Sidious then blasts Windu with Force lightning, which sends him falling out a window to his death.[9]

The Clone Wars[edit]

Windu appears in the 2008 animated film The Clone Wars, which is set shortly after the beginning of the Wars.[7] Like all other Jedi Masters, he is a General in the Grand Army of the Republic. Jackson voices Windu in the film.[10]

The Rise of Skywalker[edit]

Jackson makes a vocal cameo as Windu in The Rise of Skywalker (2019), the final installment of the sequel trilogy. During Rey's battle against the resurrected Palpatine, she hears the voices of various deceased Jedi, including Windu.

Television[edit]

The Clone Wars (2008–2014; 2020)[edit]

Mace Windu has a supporting role in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, set between the 2008 animated film and Revenge of the Sith. He is voiced by Terrence "T.C." Carson. Windu is a lead character in several story arcs, including taking part in the liberation of Ryloth, having to deal with Boba Fett's attempts to avenge the death of Jango, trying to recover a Jedi Holocron stolen by Cad Bane, and working with Jar Jar Binks to rescue the captured Queen of Bardotta from a cult led by Mother Talzin.

In the seventh season, released on Disney+ in 2020, Windu and Obi-Wan lead the Republic's ground forces in the Anaxes campaign, and the former manages to deactivate a bomb hidden by Admiral Trench as a contingency plan once he is defeated. During a meeting with the Jedi Council, Windu orders Ahsoka Tano to deliver Maul to Coruscant, and declines to discuss sensitive information as Ahsoka is no longer part of the Jedi Order. Ahsoka later senses Anakin turning to the dark side and helping Palpatine kill Windu; archive recordings of Samuel L. Jackson were used for this scene.

Literature[edit]

In 2017, Marvel released Star Wars: Jedi of the Republic – Mace Windu, a five-issue comic series centered around Windu during the early days of the Clone Wars. The series received negative reviews for both its art and story.[11] It follows Windu leading a small team of Jedi to a remote planet to investigate a Separatist presence. Windu battles a mercenary droid hired by General Grievous, and one of the Jedi turns on Windu after becoming disillusioned with the Order's involvement in war.

Windu also appears in flashbacks in the comic miniseries Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order – Dark Temple.[12]

The 2022 novel Brotherhood (focused on Obi-Wan and Anakin) acknowledges Windu's ability to sense "shatterpoints", established in the Legends continuity.[13]

Star Wars Legends[edit]

See also: Star Wars in other media

Following the acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company in 2012, most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced between 1977 and 2014 were rebranded as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise. The Legends works comprise a separate narrative universe.[h]

Clone Wars (2003–2005)[edit]

Windu appears in Genndy Tartakovsky's micro-series Clone Wars, which is set and aired between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. In the first chapters, he defends the grasslands planet Dantooine against a large Separatist hovering "fortress", and over the course of the battle, he loses his lightsaber, forcing him to instead use a lethal form of unarmed combat powered by the Force. In the final chapters, Windu and Yoda help defend Coruscant from an attack by General Grievous, though the latter is successful in kidnapping Palpatine, thus initiating the events of Revenge of the Sith.

Comics[edit]

The 1999 "Emissaries to Malastare" arc of the Dark Horse Comics' self-titled Star Wars series, set shortly after The Phantom Menace, mentions a Jedi exercise in which Windu had swapped his lightsaber with Eeth Koth. However, the lightsaber returned to him is blue, so this does not explain why his saber color changed to purple, as is sometimes claimed.[18]

Novels[edit]

Windu has appeared as a supporting character in Legends/Expanded Universe novels, such as Cloak of Deception, Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, Rogue Planet, Outbound Flight, The Cestus Deception, Jedi Trial, Yoda: Dark Rendezvous and Labyrinth of Evil.

Shatterpoint[edit]
Shatterpoint
AuthorMatthew Stover
PublisherDel Rey & Random House Audio
Publication date
Hardcover: June 3, 2003
Paperback: April 23, 2004
ISBN0-345-45573-8
Preceded byBoba Fett: Hunted 
Followed byThe Cestus Deception 

Mace Windu is featured in Matthew Stover's 2004 novel Shatterpoint, which takes place six months after Attack of the Clones. Stover based the novel on both Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness, and its 1979 film adaptation Apocalypse Now.

Windu's former Padawan and fellow Jedi Master Depa Billaba has been sent to Windu's homeworld, Haruun Kal, to start a revolution against the Separatist-allied government. Evidence is discovered that Billaba has fallen to the dark side of the Force. Since Windu taught her a special lightsaber combat form, he is sent by the Jedi Council to find her.

After a fight, he puts Billaba under arrest, and calls a Republic cruiser. It is attacked by vulture droids and deploys gunships, which battle the droid starfighters with the assistance of clone troopers. Some of the landing craft make it to the surface, and the cruiser defeats the Separatists. Windu uses the gunships to destroy the droid fighters that followed them, then orders the clones to take out a nearby droid control station. The Separatists are forced to surrender to the Republic, and Billaba falls into a vegetative coma. A Republic force stays on the planet to police the unrestful local tribes.

The novel explores Windu's unique talent of sensing "shatterpoints", faultlines in the Force which allow him to exploit his enemies' weaknesses. It also explains that Windu is the creator and sole master of a style of lightsaber combat called Vaapad, in which the user skirts dangerously close to the dark side by enjoying the thrill of the fight. All others who attempted to master the form either gave in to the dark side or were unable to properly master the technique. Stover later referenced Windu's unique lightsaber-fighting abilities in his novelization of Revenge of the Sith. Vaapad was also acknowledged in the 2010 reference book The Jedi Path.[19]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Promotional image for Attack of the Clones (2002)
  2. ^ The Clone Wars film, Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars and Episode IX
  3. ^ Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2002 video game), Star Wars: Clone Wars, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (video game), Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005 video game), The Clone Wars TV series, Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron, Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Republic Heroes, Kinect Star Wars and Disney Infinity 3.0
  4. ^ Robot Chicken
  5. ^ Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles and Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales
  6. ^ Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles, Star Wars: Obi-Wan and Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter
  7. ^ Windu's master in the Star Wars Legends narrative universe is T'ra Saa.
  8. ^ Attributed to multiple references:
    [14][15][16][17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Rinzler, J.W. (2007). The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film. London, England: Del Rey Books. ISBN 978-0345494764.
  2. ^ Veekhoven, Tim (June 30, 2014). "The Beginning: Hasbro's Phantom Menace Toys". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  3. ^ Giles, Jeff (July 1, 2013). "Samuel L. Jackson On The Hilarious Origins Of His Purple Lightsaber in 'Star Wars'". ScreenCrush. Greenwich, Connecticut: Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  4. ^ Miller, Prairie (May 18, 2005). "Celebrity Spotlight: Samuel L. Jackson". LongIslandPress.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2005. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
  5. ^ Cavanaugh, Patrick (June 13, 2019). "Star Wars: Samuel L. Jackson Wants "One More Run" at Mace Windu". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  6. ^ Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (DVD). Los Angeles, California: 20th Century Fox. 1999. Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Travis, Ben (June 12, 2024). "Star Wars Timeline: Every Movie, Series And More". Empire. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  8. ^ Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (DVD). Los Angeles, California: 20th Century Fox. 2002. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  9. ^ Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (DVD). Los Angeles, California: 20th Century Fox. 2005. Archived from the original on December 7, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  10. ^ Star Wars: The Clone Wars (DVD). 20th Century Fox. 2008. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  11. ^ "Review: Star Wars- Mace Windu: Jedi of the Republic". ComicBookWire. February 6, 2019. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  12. ^ Celestino, Mike (September 5, 2019). "Comic Review - "Star Wars: Jedi - Fallen Order: Dark Temple" #1". LaughingPlace.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  13. ^ Bacon, Thomas (May 11, 2022). "Star Wars Makes Mace Windu's Rarest Jedi Power Canon Again". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  14. ^ McMilian, Graeme (April 25, 2014). "Lucasfilm Unveils New Plans for Star Wars Expanded Universe". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  15. ^ "The Legendary Star Wars Expanded Universe Turns a New Page". StarWars.com. April 25, 2014. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  16. ^ "Disney and Random House announce relaunch of Star Wars Adult Fiction line". StarWars.com. April 25, 2014. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  17. ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (May 4, 2023). "The Star Wars Canon: The Definitive Guide". IGN. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  18. ^ Dela Cruz, Judith Anne (March 18, 2019). "Mace Windu's Original Lightsaber Color Revealed". Epicstream. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  19. ^ Wallace, Daniel (2017) [2010]. The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force. San Francisco, California: Chronicle Books. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-4521-0227-6. OCLC 752590192.

External links[edit]

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