Mace Windu

Mace Windu, a Force-sensitive human male, was a revered Jedi Master and member of the Jedi High Council during the last years of the Galactic Republic. During his time in the Jedi Order, he once served as elected leader of the Jedi Order and, during the Clone Wars, as a Jedi General in the Grand Army of the Republic. He was the greatest champion of the Jedi Order and promoted its ancient traditions amidst the growing influence of the dark side of the Force in the corrupt, declining days of the Republic.
==History==
===Clone Wars===
When the Separatist Crisis spawned the birth of the Confederacy of Independent Systems and sparked the Clone Wars, Windu and the Jedi rallied to the defense of the Republic and became the leaders of the Grand Army of the Republic. Throughout the war, Windu served the Jedi and the Republic in various capacities—on the battlefield in command of the clone army, on Coruscant as an overseer of the war effort and an advisor to Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, and even as a diplomat to contested worlds, despite his disdain of politics. His exploits on the frontline served as a reminder of his reputation as a renowned Jedi warrior.
====Duel with Darth Sidious====
As the war drew to a close, Windu became increasingly suspicious of the Chancellor's motives, as Palpatine had amassed near-dictatorial control over the Galactic Senate, and sensed the rising power of the dark side in the galaxy. His suspicions were confirmed when Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight and the Chosen One of ancient prophecy, discovered that Palpatine was Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith who manipulated the Republic and the Confederacy into war. Windu, along with Jedi Masters Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin, confronted Palpatine with the intention of arresting him. Instead, the Dark Lord attacked and struck them down one by one until only Windu was left. Windu bested Palpatine in the confrontation and — deciding the Chancellor was too dangerous to be left alive due to his influence over the government — prepared to strike him down, but the intervention of Anakin Skywalker, who saved the Chancellor's life, led to Windu's apparent death. As a result, Skywalker fell to the temptation of the dark side and was renamed Darth Vader.
===Age of the Empire===
Windu's failed move against Palpatine at the end of the Clone Wars led the Chancellor to brand the Jedi as traitors to the Republic. The Chancellor executed Order 66 and clone troopers across the galaxy turned against and killed their Jedi leaders, marking the fall of the Jedi Order. Palpatine transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire and the Emperor's new regime promoted anti-Jedi sentiment across the galaxy. Through propaganda, the Empire portrayed Windu as the leader of a criminal gang of Jedi who caused the outbreak of the Clone Wars. In spite of the propaganda, some of Windu's actions were remembered with fondness; General Cham Syndulla, who served alongside Windu during the Battle of Ryloth, remembered Windu with great respect and told the tale of how Windu helped him liberate Ryloth during the war.
====Final stand against the Sith====
It was learned much later, however, that Windu had in fact survived his duel against Palpatine, and had been plotting a way to destroy the Sith for some time. In 2 BBY, Windu sent out a message to other surviving members of the Jedi High Council, including Jedi Master Shaak Ti, calling them to rally with him on Naboo for a deadly blow against the Sith. However, this message was intercepted by Jedi Knight Jarik Shan and also the Emperor himself, the latter of whom dispatched Darth Vader to kill him before subsequently traveling there as well. Shan also journeyed to Naboo in order to find Windu and the other Jedi, during which Windu and Shan both expressed bitter frustrations with each other over their differing perspectives regarding the dark side and Anakin's fall, though they were interrupted by Vader's arrival. Windu, despite engaging and even defeating the Sith Lord in battle, eventually died along with two of the other Council members, with Windu facing off against both Vader and Sidious in order to ensure that Shan escaped with a wounded Shaak Ti.
===Legacy===
Windu's sacrifice enabled Shan to escape from Naboo with a badly wounded Shaak Ti and save her life, though with an irreparable injury. He was also confident that Shan would bring about a return of the Jedi Order, which was his final wish. Windu was remembered by Shan and other survivors of the Great Jedi Purge; much of Shan's feelings about the Jedi Master were negative, but he did honor Windu's sacrifice and what he stood for as a true defender of the Republic and a champion of the Jedi Order.
The name of Mace Windu was later reviled by those who believed the lies of the Galactic Empire. The Empire taught in their history books that Windu was the leader of a "criminal gang" that interfered with a legal execution taking place on Geonosis, thus sparking the Clone Wars. However, Windu's reputation was not completely tarnished by Imperial propaganda. During the Imperial Era, the people of Ryloth still remembered his exploits and heroic deeds in the Battle of Lessu, and ultimately immortalized his name along with Cham Syndulla's through songs dedicated to their victory.
==Appearances==
===Non-canon appearances===
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Category:Characters
Category:Star Wars Characters
Category:Jedi
Category:Survivors of the Purge
Category:Jedi High Council Members
Category:Humans
Category:Jedi Order
Category:Exiled