Star Wars has made Mace Windu's rarest Jedi Force power canon again. Played by Samuel L. Jackson, Mace Windu was one of the most formidable Jedi of the prequel trilogy. He fought on the front lines of the Clone Wars, and in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, he was the Jedi who seemed to come within a hair's breadth of defeating Palpatine - reflecting the Sith Lord's Force lightning back at him.

Mace Windu was heavily developed in the old Star Wars Expanded Universe, with author Matt Stover giving him a rare Force power known as "Shatterpoint." This allowed Mace Windu to perceive the weak spot in an opponent or circumstance, making him a shrewd tactician in battle and a devastatingly effective lightsaber duelist. The power's canonicity has been debatable ever since Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, with the old EU now branded as "Legends." Mace's Shatterpoint power is mentioned in Stover's novelization of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, but even the canonicity of this novelization is still uncertain. Shatterpoints were again mentioned in Chuck Wendig's Disney canon "Aftermath" trilogy, but they were oddly defined, leaving contemporary readers unsure what to make of them.

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Mike Chen's new Star Wars novel Brotherhood finally addresses the issue head-on, confirming Mace Windu does indeed possess the Shatterpoint power in the Disney canon. During one conversation with Anakin Skywalker, Palpatine gently mocked Mace's trademark power; "Master Windu can go on for hours about Shatterpoints, but perhaps that lack of empathy is his very own Shatterpoint," the secret Sith Lord quipped. It's only a throwaway comment, but it's sure to delight Expanded Universe exponents nonetheless.

Star Wars Mace Windu

 

As a result, the more interesting question is whether or not two specific details from the Expanded Universe should be considered potentially canon alongside the power. Stover's books integrated Shatterpoints into two specific moments in the sequel trilogy, adding fascinating depth to them. Stover revealed Mace sensed the Separatist leader Count Dooku was the Shatterpoint of the Clone Wars when he confronted him on Geonosis, but Mace chose to rescue Anakin and Obi-Wan from the arena rather than kill Dooku, but he never forgave himself for this decision because he felt he doomed the galaxy to the Clone Wars as a result. Stover's novelization further developed the fateful battle between Mace Windu and Palpatine in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, with the Jedi Master surprised to realize Anakin Skywalker was Palpatine's Shatterpoint. He could not understand what he was seeing and so failed to take advantage of this insight.

It's difficult to say whether these two ideas should be considered canon; the Dooku reference is certainly part of a book that isn't, but the idea still works rather well. Hopefully, Chen's shatterpoint reference will be capitalized on by future Star Wars writers, allowing readers to get a more direct insight into how this rare Star Wars Force power works in the Disney era. The Shatterpoint power undoubtedly made Mace Windu a much more interesting character, and it would be exciting to see it developed further.

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