Jedi Master Mace Windu made his Star Wars debut in 1999's Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menacebut the character almost had a significant role in the original trilogy. Mace was notably played by Samuel L. Jackson in George Lucas' prequel trilogy, but Lucas originally envisioned a much greater role for Mace, which was changed in the early stages of development.

Mace was a member of the Jedi High Council during the few final years of the Galactic Republic. The powerful Jedi, known for his purple-hued lightsaber, was not initially on board with the training of young Anakin Skywalker. In Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Mace personally saved Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padmé Amidala from Count Dooku's execution orders, and he noticed the corruption within the Galactic Senate as the Clone Wars began. Mace made one last live-action appearance in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the SithAnakin informed Mace that Palpatine was really Sith Lord Darth Sidious, the mastermind behind the war, and Mace tried to take down Palpatine but was stopped by Anakin, giving the Sith Lord a chance at a counterattack. Palpatine then killed Mace and set his sights on murdering the rest of the Jedi.

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Before Mace was included in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Lucas had plans for him before the very first film. The filmmaker began writing Star Wars in 1973, and as part of the early drafts, a character named Mace Windu was set to be the film's narrator. He would have provided backstories while also tying the subplots together in the original trilogy had Lucas kept the character in his original plan. There was also the idea that Mace would be the driving force behind the narrative since one of Lucas' first drafts started with "The Story of Mace Windu." Of course, Lucas' story went through an enormous number of adjustments so Mace's role kept changing.

Yoda and Mace Windu in Star Wars The Phantom Menace

After the idea of Mace becoming the narrator was scrapped, the central character was transformed into Luke Starkiller, who eventually became the iconic Luke Skywalker. Even with that vast change, there were additional ways that Mace almost remained in the original trilogy. Some drafts developed Mace as Princess Leia's brother while others specified that he was Luke's close friend. As the original story started to take shape, Lucas decided that Mace's role wasn't necessary at that point, so he was omitted from the plot.

When the time felt right, Lucas decided to incorporate a new version of Mace in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. He clearly spent a lot of time trying to make Mace fit into the story, and it worked out with the Jedi Master's presence before the rise of the Empire. He never had a chance to interact with Luke and Leia, but he knew their parents very well, even though he wasn't able to stop Anakin's pull to the dark side. Jackson later reprised his role by voicing the character in the 2008 animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars as well as Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Next: Clone Wars Ending Closes The Book On The Star Wars Prequels