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Mace Windu

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Mace Windu (72 BBY - 19 BBY) is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He was 53 years old in Episode III. He was portrayed by actor Samuel L. Jackson throughout the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

Windu is a Jedi Master of legendary status and one of the last members of the Jedi Council before the Great Jedi Purge. He possesses extensive knowledge of Jedi history and philosophy. A diplomat by nature, Master Windu is the Council's primary liaison to the Chancellor, although the Clone Wars caused him to question his firmest held beliefs, and engage more in combat.

Considered a respected Jedi like the venerable Master Yoda, though eight centuries his junior, Windu is a senior member of the Jedi Council, second only to Yoda himself in authority. His wisdom and power are legendary, as is the weight of his words. If Yoda is said to be the compassionate heart of the order, then Windu is its chivalrous mailed fist.

Mace Windu is the Grand Master of all major forms of Swordsmanship in the Galaxy, as well as martial arts such as Teräs Käsi. Windu is also an excellent chief mentor and considered a wise and powerful Jedi Guardian Master of the Jedi Order.

History

Template:Spoiler Mace Windu is originally from the planet Haruun Kal as revealed in Matthew Stover's novel Shatterpoint. After the death of his parents when he was a mere six months old, he was turned over to the Jedi Order. He was appointed to the Jedi Council at the age of 28, at the time the youngest Jedi ever to be promoted to the Council (Although, years later, the unorthodox promotion of Anakin Skywalker, then about 23, broke the record.) Throughout his Jedi career, Windu trained Jedi-Purge survivor Echuu Shen-Jon, fellow Council member Depa Billaba, and many more, though the aforementioned two were the most notable of his padawans.

In 32 BBY, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi appear before the Council with Anakin Skywalker, a young slave from Tatooine, whom they claim is the Chosen One, foretold of in Jedi prophecy, who will bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith. Along with Yoda, Windu has grave misgivings, sensing a dark cloud around the boy's future, and reject Qui-Gon's request that the boy be trained. They relent, however, when Jinn is killed by Darth Maul during the Battle of Naboo, and Kenobi says that he would train the boy with or without the Council's permission. Yoda and Windu are greatly disturbed by the resurgence of a Sith Lord, an enemy who had not troubled the galaxy in a millennium.

During the 10-year period in between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, Windu constructs a special electrum lightsaber, which only a senior member of the High Council could possess, with a rare amethyst-colored crystal.

In the events leading up to the Battle of Geonosis, Windu discovers, to his great dismay, that his former mentor and friend, Count Dooku, has turned against the Jedi and kidnapped Kenobi, the now-grown Anakin Skywalker, and Padmé Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo turned senator. Windu leads about 200 Jedi coming to rescue them from a Geonosian style execution administered by Count Dooku. Windu confronts Dooku on a balcony overlooking the arena, but is driven off by his bodyguard, the bounty hunter Jango Fett. During the ensuing battle however, Windu decapitates Fett, who had already killed several Jedi, including Coleman Trebor. Windu goes on to lead the Clone army in the Battle of Geonosis.

With the Clone Wars in full swing, Master Windu returns to his homeworld of Haruun Kal to track down his missing former Padawan, Depa Billaba. There, he experiences firsthand the horrors of war, and is pitted against the deadly Kar Vastor. His experiences open his eyes to the true reality of war and the Jedi's place in it. Although Windu survives the jungles of his homeworld, the memories of his return to Haruun Kal haunt him for a long time afterward. The loss of Depa Billeba to the dark side also troubled Windu during the three long years of the war.

During the early months of the war, a small dissident Jedi group, led by Sora Bulq, asks Windu to talk with them alone on the planet Ruul. Members of this group think that acting as generals in the war is against the Jedi Code. However, both Windu and the renegade Jedi are betrayed by Bulq, who has joined Count Dooku already. Windu confronts both Bulq and Asajj Ventress on Ruul, but fails to destroy or stop either of them. Several schismatic Jedi agree to return to the Order afterwards.

File:Clonewars3GF.jpg
Mace Windu during the Clone Wars (in Star Wars: Clone Wars)

As a Jedi General in charge of clone forces of the Grand Army of the Republic, he also fights against and defeated many Separatist incursions, including a powerful seismic tank during the Battle of Dantooine, and foiled the Dark Reaper Project of Count Dooku alongside Skywalker and Kenobi.

Another event which haunted Windu during the war was the loss of Quinlan Vos to the dark side and to the Confederacy. Windu approved Vos for an undercover mission proposed by Master Tholme. When Vos became a Dark Jedi, Windu again doubted his decision and judgement. Eventually, Master T'Ra Saa helped Windu to overcome those doubts.

A year and a half into the war, Crimson Nova of the Bounty Hunters' Guild accepted Bounties on Jedi. Windu led Masters Saesee Tiin, Agen Kolar and Kit Fisto to storm The Rig and halt the contract after a show of force.

A year later, Windu was part of the Republic forces fighting on Boz Pity. After General Grievous killed Adi Gallia, he lifted a STAP with the Force to crush the cyborg general, harming Grievous badly. Afterwards he engaged Count Dooku blade-to-blade. The two grand duelists fought briefly to no advantage until two IG-100 MagnaGuards interrupted and dragged Windu over a cliff into a large crater.

In the closing months of the Clone Wars, the Jedi begin investigating the mysterious and elusive Sith Lord Darth Sidious. This investigation leads Windu to believe that the Sith Lord is in fact a member of Chancelor Palpatine's inner circle.

Eventually, Windu engaged General Grievous again during the Battle of Coruscant. In Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil, Windu battled Grievous blade-to-blade on top of a train, a duel that ends in a stalemate; Windu then briefly encountered Grievous in the second season of Star Wars: Clone Wars (The George Lucas/Cartoon Network animated series) when the general and his forces overpower the Jedi and capture Palpatine. Windu crushes Grievous' chest with a powerful Force push, leaving the general with the asthmatic cough that plagues him for the rest of his life.

In the novelization Labyrinth of Evil, wherein events also take place just prior to Revenge of the Sith, Windu leads a squad of Jedi, Republic Intelligence and Clone Troopers to storm Sidious' lair in The Works, finding intelligence on the Sith Lord that the squad traces back to 500 Republica, residence of the most powerful people in the galaxy. Windu left the search team when the Battle of Coruscant began. Had he not, he might have confronted Darth Sidious in the underground of 500 Republica, who revealed himself and killed the hunting squad. It is also possible that if he had won he might have been able to save his comrades as well.

Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

At Palpatine's insistence, Anakin Skywalker is placed on the Jedi Council as his representative. The Council orders Skywalker to spy on Palpatine and denied him the rank of Master, which greatly angers and embitters the young Jedi. This perceived snub makes him more susceptible to Palpatine's denunciations of the Jedi philosophy.

Palpatine also manipulates Skywalker's fear for Senator Padmé Amidala, who is now his wife and pregnant, by hinting that embracing the dark side is the only way to cheat death; Anakin was having prophetic nightmares about Padmé dying in childbirth. When Skywalker returns to the Council and reveals that Palpatine and Sidious are one and the same, Windu decides to take action and arrest the Chancellor along with Masters Kit Fisto, Saesee Tiin, and Agen Kolar.

File:Ouchthatsgottahurtmace.jpeg
Mace Windu being struck by Force lightning in Revenge of the Sith

Resisting arrest, Palpatine ignites his red lightsaber and engages the Jedi in battle, and quickly kills all but Windu. As their battle progresses, Windu disarms him with a kick to the chin forcing Palpatine to drop his lightsaber.

Just at his moment of victory, Anakin Skywalker arrives and insists that Windu not destroy the defeated Sith Lord. Using this distraction as an opportunity, Palpatine blasts Windu with a torrent of Force lightning. Windu deflects the bolts with his lightsaber, and redirects the energy back at Palpatine, weakening him and twisting and contorting his features into a mask of grayed, wrinkled skin. Realizing that Palpatine is too dangerous to be kept alive, Windu decides to kill him and destroy the Sith once and for all. However, before he can deal the killing blow, Skywalker cuts off the Jedi Master's lightsaber hand. With Windu howling in pain, Palpatine regains his energy and, using a full blast of Force Lightning, defenestrates Windu, hurtling the Jedi Master out the window, surviving however(maybe), but never returning to the Jedi Temple.

Windu's controversial death

Mace Windu vs. Palpatine

There has also been much debate in the Star Wars fan community about whether Mace Windu or Palpatine was winning the duel in Revenge of the Sith before Anakin Skywalker intervened. The issue was addressed in the Star Wars official website article Homing Beacon #139. The debate is about whether Windu had in fact gained the upper hand against Palpatine before Skywalker arrived, or whether Palpatine counted on Skywalker showing up at a crucial moment in time to witness the Sith Lord begging for mercy, and therefore allowed Windu to subdue him.

In the DVD commentaries of Revenge of the Sith, George Lucas indicates that Palpatine's claim of weakness during the Force Lightning struggle was indeed a facade, in order to gain Skywalker's sympathy. Regarding the duel itself, there is contradictory evidence on both sides of the debate. The official character descriptions for Windu and Palpatine on the official Star Wars website describe Windu as gaining the upper hand and make no mention of Palpatine throwing the fight. The profile for Palpatine's alter ego Darth Sidious simply states that Palpatine was able to ultimately defeat Windu through Anakin's help and makes no mention of a thrown fight either. On the other hand, the Episode III novelization suggests that Windu's Vaapad swordfighting skills alone may not have been enough to outfight Palpatine, and so Windu needed to try to use his ability to read an opponent's shatterpoint to even have a chance in gaining some sort of advantage on Palpatine. Fight coordinator Nick Gillard's description of Palpatine's combat style was that "his style is one in which you'll never get the better of him. It is ambiguous --- he'll fight less than you and draw you in; you're a sucker if you think you're going to better him." Lucasfilm officials are not aware of the correct answer to the debate. In Homing Beacon #139, writer Pablo Hidalgo examines how the duel was filmed, coming to the conclusion that only George Lucas has the answer.

Lightsaber combat style

Windu is responsible for creating Vaapad, the seventh form of lightsaber combat used by the Jedi Order in Yoda's time. Named after the predator animal Vaapad on one of the moons of Sarapin, Windu's personal variation of Form VII can enable the user to move so fast that they become invisible to the naked eye, if properly trained. Vaapad requires the user to enjoy the thrill of combat, which may be considered the path to darkness. A Jedi who masters Vaapad can channel this near-darkness into an effective offense.

In order to harness Vaapad without falling to the dark side, the user must have a pure mind and act as selflessly as possible. This is the reason this style is so difficult to master for even experienced Jedi. Only Windu and Yoda have mastered this form. Windu's padawan, Depa Bilaba can use this form with some skill. The legendary lightsaber instructor Sora Bulq claimed to have mastered it, though his fall to darkness challenges this claim. There is speculation by some, however, that Windu may have been outsparred as a teenager by his older and more experienced fellow Jedi [citation needed], like Ki-Adi-Mundi, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Plo Koon. Windu considered Kenobi the absolute master of Soresu.

His combat style makes him one of the deadliest warriors in the galaxy only behind Yoda and Dooku in combat (it is stated that only Dooku and Yoda ever outsparred him in a duel). Behind him are Anakin Skywalker, Qui Gon Jinn, Obi Wan Kenobi, Depa Bilaba (Star Wars novel Shatterpoint). Although it is noted that Qui Gon Jinn was as good or even better than Mace Windu, his age prevented him from his fighting with his full potential. Mace Windu defeated numerous enemies including, but not limited to: armed gunships, huge tanks and General Grievous.

Trivia

  • According to an interview on The Late Show with David Letterman on May 13 2005 (as well as other interviews dating back to the promotion of Episode I) Windu's purple lightsaber was a personal request from Jackson to Lucas as a quid pro quo for appearing in the films, as well as a way of making the character unique and easily distinguishable. Jackson, a huge Star Wars fan, especially wanted his own color so that his character could be easily spotted and recognizable in the final battle scene of Attack of the Clones amidst all of the other Jedi. Another condition, found by several fans freeze-framing the lightsaber scenes, was to have "BMF" (For "Bad MotherF----r", a reference to Jackson's role in Pulp Fiction) stamped on the bottom of the lightsaber.--Source.
  • According to the commentary on the DVD Release of Revenge of the Sith, Jackson also wanted to have a rather spectacular death, rather than be killed off like "some sucker."
  • According to the Star Wars Galaxy Guide #7: Mos Eisley (published by West End Games, 1993), Windu is also the name of the Squib who works at Jawa Traders, a second hand droid shop located in the town of Mos Eisley on Tatooine around the era of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Known for occasionally striking convoluted bargains in lieu of credits, he is something of a headache to the Jawa proprietress, Aguilae. The name was reportedly borrowed by the author of the Guide from an early draft of the original Star Wars script by Lucas.
  • James Whitlark, Ph.D., has suggested that the name "Windu" appears to come from the word "Window"; An early draft of the original Star Wars script had Mace Windu serving as narrator, and thus the "window" through which the action was viewed.--Source.
  • In the prequel films, Mace Windu is never referred to by his full name except in the closing credits. In The Phantom Menace his name is not mentioned at all by any character, and in Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith he is referred to as "Master Windu."
  • Rapper Mr. Eon refers to Mace in a collaboration track entitled "B-Boy Document" on Rawkus Records' Soundbombing II. He raps: "I'm Jedi Master, Mace Windu, what you been through?"

Memorable quotes

  • "You refer to the prophecy about the One who'll bring balance to The Force. You believe it's this... boy?" (Windu to Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace)
  • "We're keepers of the peace, not soldiers." (Windu to Palpatine in Attack Of The Clones)
  • "This party's over." (Windu to Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones)
  • "Anakin Skywalker, we have approved your appointment to the Jedi Council as the Chancellor's personal representative. You are on this Council, but we do not grant you the rank of Master." (Windu to Skywalker, in Revenge of the Sith)
  • "It's very dangerous, putting them [Anakin and Palpatine] together. I don't think the boy can handle it. I don't trust him" (Revenge of the Sith)
  • "In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, you're under arrest, Chancellor." (Windu to Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith)
  • "The Senate will decide your fate." (Windu to Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith)
  • "You are under arrest, my lord." (Windu's sarcasm towards Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith)
  • "The oppression of the Sith will never return. Your plot to gain control of the Republic has failed. You have LOST." (Windu to Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith)
  • "He has control of the Senate and the courts! He's too dangerous to be left alive!" (Windu to Anakin, referring to Palpatine, in Revenge of the Sith)
  • "Whether or not he is the Chosen One is still to be determined." (Windu to Jedi Council about Skywalker, in reply to Ki-Adi-Mundi's "In this time of need, why do we hold back the chosen one?" in Star Wars: Clone Wars: Micro-series)
  • "Jedi do not fight for peace; that is a slogan and is misleading as slogans naturally are. Jedi fight for civilization, as civilization creates peace." (Windu in diary in Shatterpoint)

References

  • Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Novelization - Novelization, 1st edition hardcover, 2005. Matthew Woodring Stover, George Lucas, ISBN 0-7126-8427-1
  • Shatterpoint, 1st edition, 2003. Matthew Woodring Stover, ISBN 0-345-45573-8
  • The New Essential Guide to Characters, 1st edition, 2002. Daniel Wallace, Michael Sutfin, ISBN 0-345-44900-2
  • Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 1999. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-7894-4701-0
  • Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 2002. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-7894-8588-5
  • Revised Core Rulebook (Star Wars Roleplaying Game), 1st edition, 2002. Bill Slavicsek, Andy Collins, J.D. Wiker, Steve Sansweet, ISBN 0-7869-2876-X
  • Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Power of the Jedi Sourcebook, hardcover, 2002. Michael Mikaelian, Jeff Grubb, Owen K.C. Stephens, James Maliszewski, ISBN 0-7869-2781-X
  • Star Wars Galaxy Guide 7: Mos Eisley, softcover, 1993. Martin Wixted, ISBN 0-87431-187-X
  • Star Wars Novel: Shatterpoint

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