Mace Windu/Legends

"A very, very wise Jedi once said to me, we don't have to win. All we have to do is fight."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mace Windu

Mace Windu was a prominent Jedi Master during the final years of the Republic. A Korunnai Human from Haruun Kal, Windu served as one of the last members of the Jedi High Council before the Great Jedi Purge. On the Council Windu was often regarded as second only to Grand Master Yoda, though the Human was eight centuries Yoda's junior. Windu's wisdom and power were legendary, as were the weight of his words. Widely considered one of the best swordsmen in the Jedi Order, Windu created Vaapad, the modern seventh form of lightsaber combat. It is said that only Grand Master Yoda and Windu's old friend Dooku had defeated Mace Windu in combat.

Mace Windu served the Jedi Order his entire life, training numerous Jedi, including Echuu Shen-Jon and Depa Billaba. It was Master Windu who led 212 Jedi into combat at the Battle of Geonosis and defeated the deadly bounty hunter Jango Fett. He continued to serve the Republic throughout the Clone Wars, often on the frontlines of fierce fighting. In the final years of the war, Windu confronted Darth Sidious, but was betrayed by Anakin Skywalker and subsequently killed by Sidious. Windu's death marked the beginning of the Great Jedi Purge.

Early life


"I knew I would succeed. After all, I had my wits, and the Force, and my feet."

- Mace Windu on Hurikane

Mace Windu was originally from the planet Haruun Kal, where he was born into the Ghôsh Windu. Following the death of his parents, he was turned over to the Jedi Order when he was six standard months old. Like all in the Order, Mace was taught by Master Yoda when he was a learner, and eventually went on to become a Padawan to another Jedi.

At a very early age, Mace learned of his unusual ability to see shatterpoints in the Force and how they would affect all of his future actions as well as the vulnerabilities of his opponents. With these unique abilities, he had glimpses of parts of his future, such as the lightsaber he would eventually build.

By age fourteen, the Jedi Council was concerned with Mace, for even though he was at the top of his class, he still could not construct the lightsaber that came to him in visions multiple times. He informed the Council that he wanted a true challenge in order to find the best pieces for his lightsaber. After considering this, the Council sent Mace on his own to the world of Hurikane. While on this mission, Mace was at first chased away by the natives that resided there, but was easily able to resist them using the Force. When he caused one of the fragile natives to shatter, he sobered, and painstakingly restored it using the Force. Learning a valuable lesson about being a Jedi, the natives rewarded him with an violet-colored special crystal. He used this crystal to construct the lightsaber he had seen in his visions and it produced its distinctive violet blade. He would alternate between this weapon and two blue blades - one he created himself, and Eeth Koth's lightsaber, obtained when the two Jedi Masters exchanged their sabers during the sacred Concordance of Fealty.



Over the next decade and a half, Mace went on many notable missions that included his first visit to his homeworld, Haruun Kal (during which he learned his native Korun language), and one where he tracked down and defeated the killer Uda-Khalid. During his career, Windu trained many to be Jedi, including Echuu Shen-Jon (who ultimately survived the Great Jedi Purge), and fellow Council member Depa Billaba.

Jedi Master
"I created Vaapad to answer my weakness: it channels my own darkness into a weapon of the light."

- Mace Windu to Obi-Wan Kenobi

Prodigiously talented in the Force, Mace passed the trials early, and continued to progress through the ranks of the order by achieving the title of Jedi Master and, at the remarkably young age of twenty-eight, was appointed to the Jedi Council. The Council's invitation came after Windu's exploits during the Arkanian Revolution where he fought the cyborg Gorm the Dissolver. As a senior member of the Council, his lightsaber hilt would be uniquely decorated with electrum, a precious metal.

As well as his incredible combat abilities, Windu also possessed a rare gift. He had a unique form of Force perception which allowed him to see the shatterpoint in situations, beings and circumstances. These shatterpoints revealed points upon which other things were reliant. Shatterpoints could form links between beings, creatures, planets, or other vessels, and if destroyed or utilized, these shatterpoints could hold the key to averting disaster, sealing fate, winning battles and fulfilling the very will of the Force itself.

In addition to being a legendary warrior and remarkably Force-sensitive, Windu possessed extensive knowledge of Jedi history and philosophy, and was known for his diplomatic abilities. Windu was the Council's primary liaison to the Chancellor, although the Clone Wars caused him to question his firmest beliefs.

As a Jedi Master and member of the Council, Windu stayed active, spearheading many diplomatic and peace-keeping missions, including ones to Yinchorr and Malastare. He would also assist in the mediation of the Stark Conflict. Another such mission was to Nar Shaddaa, where Windu, accompanied by his former padawan Depa Billaba, was investigating an animal-smuggling ring. As he was surrounded by a large number of thugs, his former Padawan Depa Billaba arrived to help him, and they made short work of their assailants. They eventually located the source of the smuggling, but only after fighting a number of deranged akk dogs originally from Haruun Kal. Windu and Billaba would eventually end up together on Haruun Kal, with tragic results.

Battle of Geonosis
"This party's over."

- Mace Windu to Dooku.



In 22 BBY, it became apparent that a full-fledged military conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems would occur. Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi was captured by the Confederacy on Geonosis and prepared to be executed. Having learned of this, Mace Windu, without waiting for the Clone Army to be put at the Republic's disposal, led a Jedi strike force to Geonosis. Mace, along with Luminara Unduli, destroyed Geonosian gun emplacements blocking the way to the arena in his TX-130s fighter tank. When Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padmé Amidala were brought to the Geonosis arena, Windu and his Jedi revealed themselves to Count Dooku, the leader of the Confederacy, who was personally overseeing the planned execution. A heated but short battle followed, during which Mace Windu beheaded bounty hunter Jango Fett, the progenitor of the clone troopers, an act that was predicted millennia ago by Darth Traya in the times of the Old Sith Wars.

Eventually, the Jedi were outnumbered by Separatist battle droids, but Master Yoda and the clone troopers rescued the Jedi. After that, Windu and the other surviving Jedi joined the battle as military commanders. Mace again took the controls of his tank and was moving to intercept Count Dooku when three of Dooku's Dark Acolytes confronted him in their own vehicles. Mace was able to defeat all three of them, but the delay prevented him from reaching Dooku.

Jedi High General


During the Clone Wars, Mace commanded Systems Army Alpha as a High General on many fronts, and won a widely publicized victory at the Battle of Dantooine. He was rumored to have single-handedly defeated an army of B2 super battle droids and a massive seismic tank, without his lightsaber for much of the battle. Drawings made by a young boy at the scene would later be used as anti-Imperial proganda during the Galactic Civil War.

Six months after the Battle of Geonosis, Mace returned to his homeworld of Haruun Kal to track down his missing former Padawan, Depa Billaba. He was attacked twice in the capital city of Pelek Baw, but met up with a team sent by Depa to bring him to her. While trekking through the jungle toward Billaba, he managed to defeat three Sienar Turbostorm gunships, destroying two and crippling the third, in a masterful display of the versatility and lethality of Vaapad. Mace, along with his companions Chalk, Lesh, Besh, and Nick Rostu, were frequently in danger from the numerous hazards of the jungle and militia attacks. Throughout his stay on Haruun Kal, Mace was often attacked, beaten, and injured by a variety of opponents. After meeting up with Depa, Mace resolved to bring her back to the Jedi Temple. He also had to deal with the powerful lor pelek Kar Vastor. After the militia launched an all-out attack on the Korunnai that Depa had been leading, he then devised a plan to capture the world for the Republic and battled Kar Vastor, spiritually facing the dark side. Mace would also duel his former Padawan after she succumbed to pelekotan, and won without actually defeating her. Though Windu survived this trial and his strategy was successful, the memories of his return to Haruun Kal would continue to haunt him. Depa later attempted suicide upon realizing her fall to the dark side, and would remain in a coma for an unknown period afterwards.

At some point, Mace would go on a successful mission to disable a Separatist weapon known as the Planet Killer, which prompted Dooku to carry on work with his own 'Planet Killer'.

Mace Windu, in Force-assisted dreams on Haruun Kal, accurately predicted the fall of the Jedi and the destruction of the Temple, in addition to the Yuuzhan Vong terraforming of Coruscant.

Mace Windu along with Jedi Kit Fisto, Saesee Tiin, and Agen Kolar stopped the Crimson Nova chapter from carrying out any more Jedi bounties.

At some point during the war, Master Windu took Iguni as an apprentice. He would eventually go on to be a combatant during the Second Battle of Coruscant.

Near the end of the Clone Wars, when General Grievous kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine and attempted to transfer him to Grievous' ship, the Invisible Hand, Mace Windu went to rescue Palpatine, attacked the General, and used Force Crush on the plates covering Grievous' organ sac. This crushing of Grievous' organs (lungs in particular) mostly accounted to the coughing fits the droid general would face during the end of his life (though Grievous did have coughing problems in the past, it was never as severe), and weakened Grievous's armor enough so Obi-Wan could later defeat the General. The Force Crush is one of the darkest Force maneuvers known to the Sith or Jedi, and Mace Windu's ability to use it without turning to the dark side is most unusual.

Revelation
Toward the end of the Clone Wars, Master Windu came to question Chancellor Palpatine's motives. The war was ending, yet Palpatine was taking more and more emergency control, even the Senate itself was becoming little more than an advisory board. As Windu prepared for a meeting with the Senate chair to bring him news of the elimination of General Grievous, a distraught Anakin Skywalker arrived and confirmed the Jedi Council's greatest fear: the elected leader of the Galactic Republic was in fact the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. Master Windu ordered Anakin to wait in the Jedi Council Chamber for his return and boarded a gunship along with the Nautolan Jedi Master Kit Fisto, the Iktotchi Jedi Master Saesee Tiin, and the Zabrak Jedi Master Agen Kolar. They departed to confront the Chancellor.

The final battle
"In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, you're under arrest, Chancellor."

- Mace Windu declaring the arrest of Palpatine

"The oppression of the Sith will never return. Your plot to gain control of the Republic has failed. You have LOST." "No. No! NO!! YOU WILL DIE!!!"

- Mace Windu and Darth Sidious

Windu marched into the Chancellor's office and coldly announced that he was under arrest. He reported the end of the Clone Wars and demanded the Chancellor step down and face a trial in the Senate. "I am the Senate," Palpatine snarled. Windu retorted with strong words&mdash;"Not yet." Now the elected ruler of the Galactic Republic revealed his true colors; "It's treason, then," the Chancellor said. He ignited his crimson lightsaber and, with a battle cry more animal than Human, flew through the air and stabbed Agen Kolar. Before he could react, Saesee Tiin was also struck down. Masters Windu and Fisto managed to defend against the initial assaults, but even Fisto's mastery of Shii-Cho was overwhelmed by the intensity of Palpatine's swordplay. The Nautolan died when he was cut across his waist. This left Windu to fight Palpatine alone. His mastery of Vaapad served him well in countering Palpatine's dark side mastery.

When the fight moved to the window, Windu shattered it with one strike of his lightsaber. He and Palpatine fought at the edge of the ledge, when Palpatine's lightsaber was knocked away by an accurate kick by Master Windu.

Windu seemed to have won the lightsaber duel. But the fight was not over, indeed the true nature of the duel is still unknown, as at one point in the duel, it seems as though Palpatine passes up a golden opportunity to stab Windu in the chest. A grueling battle ensued, and Anakin Skywalker appeared just as Windu cornered Palpatine and again stated that he was under arrest. With a flash of his unique insight Windu sensed Palpatine's shatterpoint: Anakin Skywalker. As the Jedi realized the depth of the Sith Lord's trust in Anakin, Palpatine unleashed his full power. The Sith used Force lightning against Windu, driving him back. Grunting with exertion, Windu redirected the lightning back with his lightsaber, melting away the Chancellor's features in a display of the "superconducting loop" of Vaapad. Horrified, Skywalker watched the Jedi Master seemingly cause agonizing pain to the apparently helpless Palpatine.

During this stand-off, Palpatine and Windu each tried to convince Anakin that the other was a traitor to the Republic. Palpatine claimed he could no longer maintain his attack against Windu, exclaiming that he had become too weak. Anakin knew, or thought he knew, that if Palpatine died, any chance of saving Padmé from certain death would be lost. Anakin told Windu that the Sith Lord should stand trial and that killing him was not the Jedi way, but Windu determined that Palpatine was too dangerous to be kept alive because he had control of the Galactic Senate and the Courts. Perhaps he saw a shatterpoint in Palpatine, a hinge of fate that would alter history. Palpatine pleaded for Anakin's help, and Windu moved to strike the Dark Lord.



With Windu's attention focused entirely on Palpatine, he failed to foresee Anakin's intervention. Anakin ignited his own lightsaber and severed the Jedi Master's lightsaber hand, leaving him defenseless against the full power of Palpatine's Force lightning, no longer masked under a veil of weakness. Shocked, Mace realized he had been too busy focusing on Palpatine. He had failed to sense Anakin's shatterpoint. As the Chancellor ranted, he once again unleashed his rage, sending raw dark side energy through Windu's body and hurtling him out the window into the cityscape far below, where he would presumably be killed upon hitting the surface miles below.

With this action, Anakin had secured his place as the new Sith apprentice and Sidious had defeated one of the few Jedi that could be a threat to him.

With fifty-three years of age and decades serving the Jedi Council, Master Windu was dead. The Great Jedi Purge had begun.

Aftermath
In 18 BBY, a Duros sold a broken lightsaber to Senator Sano Sauro claiming it once belonged to Mace Windu. The Duros said he had found it on a street in the lower levels of Coruscant. Sano would later display the lightsaber in his office.

Abilities


"Vaapad is as aggressive and powerful as its namesake, but its power comes at great risk: immersion in Vaapad opens the gates that restrain one's inner darkness. To use Vaapad, a Jedi must allow himself to enjoy the fight; he must give himself over to the thrill of battle. The rush of winning. Vaapad is a path that leads through the penumbra of the dark side...This was Vaapad's ultimate test."

- Mace Windu on Vaapad

Mace Windu was a formidable warrior, and one of the greatest swordsmen ever produced by the Jedi Order. He began his development of the deadly form of combat known as Vaapad, the seventh form of combat which developed the incomplete Juyo Form. Vaapad was named after a predator native to the moons of Sarapin.

Mace Windu was the only Jedi to master Vaapad. Permeated with the essence of the dark side, Sora Bulq and Depa Billaba were not able to master it - instead, it mastered them. With his eclectic fighting style, it is said that only his one time friend, Dooku, and Grand Master Yoda could outspar him. A factor that played into Windu's fighting style was his admission that his biggest character flaw was that he enjoyed fighting, and given the nature of the dark side, this was a very dangerous trait for a Jedi to possess. Windu, like Plo Koon, was known to practice powers close to the dark side, even using Force crush and Force grip at times. In fact, Mace intentionally created Vaapad to help channel his inner darkness into something more positive.



Windu went toe-to-toe with Kar Vastor on Haruun Kal, and demonstrated blinding speed by landing six blows to the man's body before he could blink. On Dantooine, having lost his lightsaber, Mace took to tearing super battle droids apart with his bare hands, showing incredible strength and resilience as he crushed armor and tore out circuitry with his fingers.

His mastery of the Force was also extensive, augmented by his considerable power. Mace was able to perform incredible feats, such as levitating and "riding" a landslide of rock and earth weighing hundreds of tons. The Jedi Master also possessed an impressive resistance to the lures of the dark side, channeling his inner darkness into his attacks to help him serve the light. This allowed him to utilize some of the darkest powers known to either Jedi or Sith without succumbing to his aggression, such as the terrible Force Crush. His Vaapad also proved his devotion of the light side, as the only two other advanced users, Depa Billaba and Sora Bulq, fell to the dark side. Aiding him was also his shatterpoint ability, a power that he had always had a natural affinity for.

Mace Windu was also extremely well-known for his diplomacy, with his use of words and legendary reputation settling many conflicts without incident. This, coupled with his courage, integrity, and skill, garnered him the position as a highly-respected Senior Jedi High Council member.

Behind the scenes
"Who fights with a purple lightsaber anyway?"

- General Grievous, non-canon quote from 2 playmode in the Revenge of the Sith game

Portrayal
Mace Windu was portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson in all three films of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. He was voiced in Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (video game), the Clone Wars animated series and in the Revenge of the Sith videogame by Terrence Carson.

Samuel L. Jackson is bald in real life, though when starring in movies favors odd wigs. He did not assume a wig while acting in Star Wars I-III, adding even more to the originality of his character. Windu is one of the only bald Human Jedi, the only Jedi in the films to carry a violet lightsaber, one of the only dark-skinned Human Jedi, and a Jedi with a darkly creative signature fighting style, Vaapad. These facts have made Mace Windu one of the most popular and famous characters from the Star Wars prequels.

George Lucas permitted Windu's signature amethyst-bladed lightsaber at the request of Jackson, making Windu the only character in any Star Wars film to have a lightsaber that is not red, green, or blue. In addition, the prop department replaced the activation plate stud with a plate reading "BMF" (Bad Mother Fucker) in reference to Jackson's character in Pulp Fiction, Jules, who has the phrase on his wallet.

Before production of Revenge of the Sith began, George Lucas was approached by Samuel L. Jackson who, knowing that Mace Windu was to die in the movie, informed George that he would not work on the movie if Mace Windu died "like some punk".

Character Concept
The name "Mace Windu" actually dates back to the earliest incarnation of Star Wars, a 13-page treatment written by George Lucas in 1973. A similar name, Mace Towani, appeared in the made-for-television Ewok movies. An alien mentioned in Star Wars Adventure Journal 11 (c. 1994) and Galaxy Guide 7: Mos Eisley (1993) also went by the name of Mace Windu, an abbreviation of his full name Macemillian-winduarté. The name Mace Windu was re-introduced as canon for Episode I. There was no retcon for Mace Towani, but a HoloNet article mentioning Mace Windu's participation in the Battle of Skor II explains Macemillian-winduarté's name.

Continuity
In Children of the Force, Mace Windu is seen in a flashback being taken from his parents by another Jedi. While not a canon event (Shatterpoint claims he was already an orphan when the Jedi took him to Coruscant and the culture of Haruun Kal would seem to preclude the type of dwelling seen in the image), it does show Mace's parents and himself as a baby and non-contradicting elements, such as the Nautolan Jedi taking Windu, may be reintegrated into canon.

Non-canon appearances

 * Tag & Bink: Revenge of the Clone Menace
 * Force Fiction
 * LEGO Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * Tag & Bink Are Dead
 * Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy