Mace Windu

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

Mace Windu
Star Wars character
Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu
First appearance	The Phantom Menace
Created by	George Lucas
Portrayed by	Samuel L. Jackson
Voiced by	Samuel L. Jackson  Terrence C. Carson  Donald Glover  Adrian Holmes  Kevin Michael Richardson
In-universe information
Occupation	Jedi Master Jedi General
Affiliation	Jedi Order Galactic Republic
Masters	Cyslin Myr Yoda Others in Legends
Apprentice	Depa Billaba
Homeworld	Haruun 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

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. The character was ultimately removed from the original film trilogy, but 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. 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. According to Jackson, the lightsaber's hilt was engraved with "bad motherfucker", a reference to his role in Pulp Fiction. The engraving is not visible in the films.

Appearances

Prequel trilogy

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.

Windu returns in Attack of the Clones (2002), which is set ten years after the previous film. 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.

Revenge of the Sith (2005) takes place three years after the beginning of the Clone Wars. 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.

The Clone Wars (2008)

Windu plays a supporting role in the 2008 animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars, set shortly after the beginning of the Clone Wars. He is depicted as a General in the Grand Army of the Republic, like all other Jedi Masters. Samuel L. Jackson reprised his role from the prequel film trilogy.

The Rise of Skywalker

Jackson makes a vocal cameo as Windu in The Rise of Skywalker (2019), the final installment of the sequel trilogy. During the battle between Rey and the resurrected Palpatine, Windu's voice is heard by the former, encouraging Rey to fight back and finally destroy the Sith.

Television

The Clone Wars (2008–2014; 2020)

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

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. 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.

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

Legends

Windu appears extensively in prequel-era Expanded Universe material. In April 2014, most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film were rebranded by Lucasfilm as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise.

Clone Wars (2003–2005)

Mace Windu is a supporting character in Genndy Tartakovsky's micro-series Star Wars: 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

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.

Novels

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

Shatterpoint

Author	Matthew Stover
Language	English
Series	Canon C
Subject	Star Wars
Genre	Science fiction
Publisher	Del Rey & Random House Audio
Publication date	Hardcover: June 3, 2003 Paperback: April 23, 2004
Publication place	United States
Pages	Hardcover: 464 Paperback: 432 Audiobook: 3h 45m 17s
ISBN	0-345-45573-8
Preceded by	Boba Fett: Hunted
Followed by	The Cestus Deception

Mace Windu is the central character of Matthew Stover's 2004 novel Shatterpoint, taking 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. George Lucas wrote the prologue to the novel, and Jonathan Davis reads the audiobook version.

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.

Merchandising

An action figure was released following the prequel films' release. A Mace Windu action figure was added to the Star Wars Transformers toy line in 2006. It was a remold of the toy first used for Obi-Wan Kenobi. He becomes an Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor starfighter with Astromech droid R4-M6. He also received his own legacy Lightsaber at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, before being discontinued around April–June 2021.

Legacy

At the 2017 Star Wars Celebration, Jackson called for Windu's return. He said, "We all know Jedi can fall from incredible heights and survive ... Yes, I have two appendages right now, but we know the long and rich history of Star Wars characters reappearing with new appendages".

External links

• Mace Windu in the StarWars.com Databank