Is Disney planning a Star Wars return for Samuel L. Jackson's Mace Windu? Fans are buzzing with that question (as they long have been) with renewed interest. That's because the official Star Wars Instagram recently posted a cryptic tease that could certainly be interpreted that way. The post showed Sam Jackson in character as Mace Windu, in what was presumably one of the many promo shoots for George Lucas' Star Wars Prequels. The photo came with the caption, 'The party isn’t over, it’s just beginning! Sending a very happy birthday to Samuel L. Jackson.' So was that perspective on so much life left to live? Or something more?
It's no secret that Star Wars is making big investments in revisiting the franchise's past, right now. The Mandalorian season 2 just ended, and it was a testament to the idea of Star Wars giving new perspective on old characters. Boba Fett, Bo-Katan Kryze, Ahsoka Tano and Luke Skywalker all made an appearance in The Mandalorian season 2, and some of them (Ahsoka, Boba Fett) even got launched into new series of their own. In revisiting those familiar names, Star Wars has also not been shy of bringing back characters that were supposedly lost and gone.
Mace Windu takes Anakin as his padawan and helps him to learn what it truly means to be a Jedi. Obi-wan finds Dooku, eventually, and gets trained in the ways of the Sith. At first he was reluctant to embrace the ways of the Sith but he soon accepted himself for who he was and allowed himself to become a powerful warrior. 'You Are On This Council, But We Do Not Grant You The Rank Of Master.' Mace Windu's long-held.
Boba Fett escaped the Sarlacc Pit and is now on his way to taking over a part of the Star Wars underworld; The Mandalorian season 2 also revealed that Grand Admiral Thrawn is back, after being lost to deep space. So if they can make a comeback, why can't Mace Windu? The Jedi Master was last seen being defeated by Anakin Skywalker and Darth Sidious in the pivotal turning moment of Revenge of the Sith - but we never actually saw him die. Windu's arm was severed by Anakin, and he was electrocuted by Sidious' Force lightning, which sent him flying out a high-rise window on Coruscant. He's been listed as dead in the canon, but as stated, death hasn't really been a popular trend in Star Wars, lately. If Emperor Palpatine can survive being thrown down a shaft of the Death Star II (and hit with his own Force lightning), then Windu (one of the strongest Jedi Masters of his time) could to.
Of course, if the Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series can explore moments in the life of a now-dead Jedi Master, the same could be done for Mace Windu. There so much of the character's backstory that Star Wars fans have yet to see onscreen - and an easy opportunity for a project featuring a character of color could get mainstream interest.
0commentsCould Mace Windu show up in other upcoming Star Wars projects like Obi-Wan Kenobi? It's probably the most likely way to get Jackson back into the franchise, at this point.
The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy is now streaming on Disney+.
The Star Wars Deep Dive is a StarWars.com feature that explores themes, motifs, and characters from across the saga.
Mace Windu and Anakin Skywalker were two Jedi always at odds with each other. From the moment they met in The Phantom Menace, they viewed each other with suspicion, distrust, and skepticism. Mace Windu had no interest in training Anakin when he first arrived, and regarded him with distrust through his entire career. Anakin respected Windu’s power, but his trust in the Jedi was slowly shaken, in part due to Palpatine’s machinations. It was never seen more acutely than when Anakin was appointed by Palpatine to the Jedi Council and practically threw a tantrum when Windu denied him the rank of master. As Master Yoda departs to Kashyyyk, Windu confides in the ancient Grand Master of the Jedi order that he doesn’t trust Anakin at all, particularly when it comes to Palpatine.
As their stories bridge together at their respective ends — Anakin in his last moments before succumbing to the Vader identity and Mace before his inevitable death — it’s interesting to see how Palpatine has manipulated them to think they’re both willing to do right and wrong for reasons that are both good and bad.
In order for us to see it, let’s walk through that fateful scene through the eyes of both Mace Windu and Anakin Skywalker.
First, imagine the scene from Mace Windu’s perspective:
Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who has clung to power far longer than he ought to have been able to, turns out to be the Sith Lord under the noses of the Jedi. The person bringing you this information is none other than Anakin Skywalker and something doesn’t feel right about any of it. But if he’s right, it means dire things for the galaxy. You’re one of the most powerful Jedi ever, and you go to arrest the Chancellor for his treachery in manufacturing both sides of the war. Palpatine proceeds to murder the team you brought with you. In a prolonged lightsaber fight, you’re finally able to disarm the Sith Lord and are ready to pounce. With the Senate and the courts in his control as well as public opinion, he’s too dangerous to be left alive. He’s a Sith. This is what they do.
Palpatine had led the Jedi so far from their own ideals, one step at a time, that you can hardly recognize yourself by the end of the war.
As you’re about to strike the killing blow against the Chancellor, that same distrustful Jedi comes in the room, the same one you ordered to stay at the Jedi Temple. Anakin Skywalker. And he’s conflicted. Killing Palpatine like this isn’t the Jedi way. And he’s right. It’s not. But what else can you do? As a master on the Jedi council, one would hope that the Jedi Knight would listen to your superior wisdom about the Sith and allow you to end this once and for all.
It makes perfect sense.
Now imagine the scene from Anakin’s perspective:
Mace Windu Vs Anakin Skywalker
You’ve done what you were supposed to do. Despite your misgivings about the Jedi, about how they drove your apprentice from the order, about how they’ve asked you to do things against the Jedi Code, you still report to them the information they need. Your friend Palpatine, who has always seemed to care about you in a way the Jedi didn’t, is the Sith Lord everyone has been looking for. You’re one of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, the chosen one said to bring balance to the Force, and you want a chance to prove yourself by helping bring the Sith to justice. And you’re told no. You’re told that if the information is correct then maybe the other Jedi will trust you. When you sense something brewing and arrive on the scene, you walk into what looks to be an execution. An unarmed Palpatine is cowering in a corner and Mace Windu is threatening to murder him.
Mace’s excuse? “He has control of the senate and the courts. He’s too dangerous to be left alive.”
There is no system in the galaxy on which this is the Jedi way. And you remind your master of that. Palpatine should stand trial for two reasons. First, that’s the way the system works. Second, if he’s dead, he can’t help you save your wife.
So, you remind Mace Windu that it’s not the Jedi way. And you’re right.
Mace Windu Dark Side
When he raises his saber hand to strike, what other option do you have but to react?
Obi Wan Vs Mace Windu
If you want to erode trust in an organization, you need to be careful in your manipulations and Palpatine preyed on Anakin in all of the right ways. But his plan also eroded the Jedi in the same way he eroded Anakin’s trust in them.
This is why you have Anakin and Mace both believing, absolutely, that they’re doing the right thing. But Anakin goes about it the wrong way. Cutting Mace Windu’s arm off isn’t any more the Jedi way than killing Palpatine would be. Mace knows the corruption brought by the Sith. Eliminating Palpatine is absolutely the right thing to do. But he’s also going about it the wrong way based on his personal philosophy and dogma as a Jedi. Killing an unarmed opponent who has asked for mercy isn’t the Jedi way.
Mace Windu is doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. Anakin is doing the wrong thing for the right reasons.
There are heroes on both sides and evil is everywhere, indeed.
The conflict between Mace and Anakin in this moment is really the brilliance of Palpatine. He manipulates good people to do the worst things or act in the worst ways. His power in the dark side is to corrupt absolutely. He didn’t just bring about the downfall of the Jedi because of Order 66. He disintegrated everything they stood for and got them to betray their own ways while thinking they were all doing the right thing.
Bryan Young is an author, a filmmaker, journalist, and the editor in chief of BigShinyRobot.com. He’s also the co-host of the Star Wars podcast, Full of Sith. You can also follow him on Twitter.