Mace Windu

Mace Windu
Star Wars character
Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu.
First appearance The Phantom Menace (1999)
Last appearance The Clone Wars: Legacy
– "Dark Disciple" (2016, novel)
Created by George Lucas
Portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson
Voiced by Terrence C. Carson (most media)
Samuel L. Jackson (The Clone Wars film)
Kevin Michael Richardson (Jedi Power Battles, Obi-Wan and Jedi Starfighter)
Donald Glover (Robot Chicken)
Adrian Holmes (The Yoda Chronicles and Droid Tales)
Information
Species Human
Gender Male
Occupation Jedi Padawan (former)
Jedi Master
Jedi General in the Grand Army of the Republic
Affiliation Jedi Order
Galactic Republic
Homeworld Haruun Kal

Mace Windu is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise, portrayed by actor Samuel L. Jackson in the prequel films and voiced by Terrence C. Carson in other projects. He appears as a human male, Master of the Jedi High Council and one of the last members of the order's upper echelons before the Galactic Republic's fall. He is the Council's primary liaison, although the Clone Wars caused him to question his most firmly held beliefs.[1]

Character conception and overview

Several early incarnations of the character who would become Mace Windu were developed in the original Star Wars drafts as the narrator,[2] Princess Leia's brother and Luke Skywalker's friend.[3] Through the process of redrafting and copyediting, his character was removed from the original trilogy (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi) but was reintroduced in 1994 when series creator George Lucas began writing the prequel trilogy.

According to an interview on the Late Show with David Letterman on May 13, 2005, the character'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.[4]

Appearances

Film

Mace Windu's Jedi robes from Episode III

Introduced in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Windu appears as the Master of the Jedi High Council.[1] The maverick Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn comes before the Council and offers to train Anakin Skywalker, believing that the boy is the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy. Windu and the other Council members refuse, deeming Anakin too old and dangerously full of fear and anger. After the corrupt Trade Federation is defeated and Obi-Wan Kenobi apparently defeats Darth Maul, who also kills Qui-Gon Jinn, Windu realizes that the Sith have returned, and he and the Council reluctantly allow Obi-Wan to train Anakin in Qui-Gon's stead.[5]

In Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Windu initially refuses to believe that the assassination attempt on Padmé Amidala on Coruscant was authorized by former Jedi master Count Dooku. Having learned of Obi-Wan's whereabouts on Geonosis, Windu arrives to save Obi-Wan, Padmé and Anakin from their death sentence in the stadium. At the Battle of Geonosis, Windu kills the bounty hunter Jango Fett. With his fellow Jedi and the clone army for the Galactic Republic attacking the planet, Dooku flees. At the end of the film, Windu resolves to keep a closer eye on the increasingly corrupt Galactic Senate.[6]

In Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Windu and the other members of the Jedi Council are concerned that Palpatine may not relinquish his emergency powers when the Clone Wars end. Their suspicions only grow when the Senate grants Palpatine a vote on the Jedi Council by appointing Anakin a personal representative. The Council grants Anakin a seat, but denies him the rank of Jedi Master and orders him to spy on Palpatine, causing Anakin's faith in the Jedi to diminish significantly. After Obi-Wan kills General Grievous, Anakin informs Windu of Palpatine's true identity as the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. Acting swiftly on this revelation, Windu and three other Jedi Masters attempt to arrest him, but Palpatine mercilessly kills Windu's companions and fights the Jedi Master. Windu subdues Palpatine by knocking away his lightsaber and deflecting the Sith Lord's Force lightning back into his face just as Anakin arrives, causing Palpatine's face to become disfigured as it was in the original trilogy. Ignoring Anakin's objections not to kill Palpatine, Windu counters that Palpatine has control of both the Senate and the courts, and is therefore too dangerous to be left alive. However, Anakin intervenes on Palpatine's behalf, severing Windu's lightsaber hand and leaving him helpless. Palpatine then uses his Force lightning to send Windu plummeting out a large window to his death.[7][8]

In his fourth film appearance; in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Mace Windu has a supporting role.

During the early development of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Jackson expressed interest to reprise his role as Windu as a Force ghost, due the fact that Windu was killed half-way through the last film.[9]

Animated series

The Clone Wars (2008)

In Star Wars: The Clone Wars (set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith), Mace Windu has a supporting role.

Comics

In 2017, Marvel released Star Wars: Jedi of the Republic—Mace Windu, a 5-issue series centered around Mace Windu during the early days of the Clone Wars. He leads a small team of Jedi on a mission to the planet Hissrich, to find out what the Separatists are doing there. During the mission, Windu's faith in the Jedi path is tested by his interactions with two new characters: AD-W4, a mercenary droid with a thirst for murdering Jedi; and Prosset Dibs, a literally blind Jedi Master who becomes disillusioned with the Jedi Order and turns on Windu. Ultimately, Windu ends up besting both adversaries in single combat, respectively, and his faith in the Jedi way is strengthened by the experience.

Legends

In April 2014, most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film Star Wars were rebranded by Lucasfilm as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise.[10][11][12] Windu appears extensively in the Star Wars Legends of novels and comic books.

Clone Wars (2003)

Mace Windu is a supporting character in Genndy Tartakovsky's Star Wars: Clone Wars micro-series, which is set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The character's likeness in the series is based on that in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. In the first chapters, he defends the grasslands planet Dantooine against a large hovering "fortress", and over the course, he loses his lightsaber, forcing him to instead use a lethal form of unarmed combat powered by the Force. In final chapters, he and fellow Jedi Master Yoda help defend the planet Coruscant from an attack by General Grievous. In the midst of the battle, he realizes that the attack is a ruse to distract the Jedi from Grievous's true objective: to "kidnap" Palpatine. Despite being too late to save the Supreme Chancellor, the Jedi Master uses the Force to crush Grievous's chest, inflicting upon the cyborg general a wheezing, asthmatic cough, setting the stage for Revenge of the Sith.

Novels and comics

Windu is the central character of Matthew Stover's novel Shatterpoint, in which he is called to his home planet of Haruun Kal to defeat his former apprentice Depa Billaba who has turned to the dark side of the Force. The novel establishes that Windu has the unique talent of seeing "shatterpoints", or faultlines in the Force that could affect the destinies of certain individuals and indeed the galaxy itself. Mace's "shatterpoint" ability also enables him to see people's weaknesses, allowing him to exploit their flaws and defeat them. It also explains that Windu is the creator and sole master of a style of lightsaber combat called Vaapad (Form VII), in which the user skirts dangerously close to the dark side — without giving into it — by actually enjoying the fight and the thrill of victory. All others who attempted to master the form either gave in to the dark side or were unable to properly master the technique. Stover also referenced these abilities in his Revenge of the Sith novelization. It was said that without his unique style only Yoda and Dooku could match him. However, with the use of Vaapad he was the greatest swordsman of his time, able to defeat Darth Sidious in lightsaber combat which even Yoda could not achieve. He was also able to overwhelm Dooku in lightsaber combat during the battle of Boz Pity which took place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

Besides Shatterpoint, Windu has appeared in other 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.

Merchandising

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.

Reception

IGN reported Mace Windu as the 27th top Star Wars character, stating that he is an important component of the series.[13]

Further reading

  • 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 (novel), 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

References

  1. 1 2 The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.
  2. ↑ James Whitlark, Ph.D. "Stage Eight in The Star Wars and Harry Potter Series?". whitlarks.com. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
  3. ↑ The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film
  4. ↑ "Samuel L. Jackson". IMDb.
  5. ↑ Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (DVD, 20th Century Fox, 1999), disc 1.
  6. ↑ Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (DVD, 20th Century Fox, 2002), disc 1.
  7. ↑ "Mace Windu". StarWars.com. LucasFilm. Retrieved 2012-04-29.
  8. ↑ Star Wars Episode III: Attack of the Clones (DVD, 20th Century Fox, 2005), disc 1.
  9. ↑ "Samuel L. Jackson Wants To Play Mace Windu For Star Wars: Episode VII". 11 December 2012.
  10. ↑ "Disney and Random House announce relaunch of Star Wars Adult Fiction line". StarWars.com. April 25, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  11. ↑ McMilian, Graeme (April 25, 2014). "Lucasfilm Unveils New Plans for Star Wars Expanded Universe". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  12. ↑ "The Legendary Star Wars Expanded Universe Turns a New Page". StarWars.com. April 25, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  13. ↑
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