As soon as Disney acquired Lucasfilm, Samuel L. Jackson announced his interest in reprising his Star Wars role as Jedi Master Mace Windu. Since The Mandalorian has brought the returns of Ahsoka Tano, Boba Fett, and Luke Skywalker and Ewan McGregor is reprising his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi for a standalone miniseries, it’s looking more and more likely that Jackson will return to the role and Windu’s story will continue.
Some fans are thrilled at the possibility of Windu coming back, but others have reservations about resurrecting yet another iconic character. There are plenty of valid arguments for and against Windu’s return.
Should: Samuel L. Jackson Is Game
Samuel L. Jackson has been saying that he’s eager to return to the role of Mace Windu since Disney bought Lucasfilm and started pumping out new Star Wars content every few months. Despite the generally negative response to the prequels, Windu has always been one of Star Wars’ most popular characters, so, if Jackson is game to reprise the role, then everybody wins.
Shouldn’t: Star Wars Needs To Take Some Character Deaths Seriously
There’s a running joke in the Star Wars fan base that dead characters never stay dead. It’s like superhero deaths in a post-Death of Superman world; it’s hard to take death seriously in these stories because it’s hardly ever permanent. All the Jedi come back as ghosts, for starters, and Han Solo came back without being Force-sensitive.
Plus, Force-healing is suddenly a thing. Of course, dead characters like Darth Maul, Emperor Palpatine, and Boba Fett keep getting resurrected. Star Wars needs to at least take some deaths seriously.
Should: Boba Fett Deserves A Showdown With His Father’s Killer
Boba Fett was revealed to have survived the Sarlacc in The Mandalorian and is primed to lead his own series, The Book of Boba Fett, which is set to premiere later this year. After Mace Windu decapitated Boba’s dad Jango in Attack of the Clones, George Lucas originally planned a showdown between Windu and a teenage Boba for Revenge of the Sith, but it ended up cutting it from the script.
Boba still deserves a showdown with his father’s killer. Even if he doesn’t succeed in exacting revenge, he should at least try, and The Book of Boba Fett presents the perfect opportunity.
Shouldn’t: Answering Grogu’s Call Was His Chance To Appear On The Mandalorian
The second season of The Mandalorian set up one glorious appearance by a Jedi Knight in the closing moments of the finale episode. In “Chapter 14: The Tragedy,” Grogu reaches out to all surviving Jedi through the Force from the temple on Tython, setting the stage for one Jedi to make an appearance.
Answering Grogu’s call was Mace Windu’s chance to appear on The Mandalorian, but the writers chose Luke Skywalker to fill the role, instead. The show can’t just string its story from Jedi cameo to Jedi cameo indefinitely.
Should: He Was One Of The Most Compelling Characters In The Prequel Trilogy
The prequel trilogy was packed with characters, most of whom later got expanded in The Clone Wars, so it was tough for a couple of supporting players to stand out amongst the crowd. But, Mace Windu was always one of those characters that stood out. He was crucial to Anakin’s journey, and one of the most powerful Jedi who ever lived.
Shouldn’t: Windu’s Story Was Already Told In The Prequels And The Clone Wars
As compelling as Windu was in the prequels and The Clone Wars, there isn’t really anywhere else for his story to go. In both of those projects, he got a complete character arc in which he embodied the hypocrisy of the Jedi that led to its ultimate downfall. Windu is one of the figureheads of the prequel era of the Star Wars timeline, and he’s integral to the story threads from that era, but that era’s been done to death at this point.
Should: Jackson Has Aged Just Enough To Line Up With A Lightning-Scarred Windu
Both Samuel L. Jackson and George Lucas agree that Mace Windu survived the fall from the window on Coruscant in Revenge of the Sith. He’s incredibly powerful, and he was seen surviving much bigger falls in The Clone Wars, after all. So, Windu is alive in the canon, but, thanks to Palpatine’s Force lightning, he’d be badly scarred. As it stands, Jackson has aged just the right amount to line up with a lightning-scarred Windu.
Shouldn’t: The Mandalorian Is Already Overstuffed With Familiar Characters
In its second season, The Mandalorian proved to be the perfect vehicle to bring back such beloved familiar characters as Ahsoka Tano, Bo-Katan, and Cobb Vanth. But, there’s a limit to the returning characters this show can sustain.
Jon Favreau conceived this series to explore new corners of the galaxy, separate from the events of the Skywalker saga, and it’s already overstuffed with familiar characters as it is.
Should: His History As Yoda’s Right-Hand Man Would Make Him A Great Foil For Grogu
Not much is known about Yoda’s species. It doesn’t have a name yet, and its only known members are Yoda, Yaddle, and Grogu. Throughout the Star Wars prequels, Mace Windu served as Yoda’s right-hand man at the helm of the Jedi Council. The two shared a special bond as each other’s most trusted confidant. Windu’s history with Yoda would make him a great foil for Grogu.
Shouldn’t: Bringing Back Windu Would Undermine The Moment Anakin Turned To The Dark Side
The dramatic turning point in Revenge of the Sith sees Anakin reporting Palpatine’s Sith allegiance to Mace Windu, who then takes a squad of Jedi Knights to the Chancellor’s office. Palpatine effortlessly slaughters Windu’s backup, but he gets overpowered by Windu himself.
Then, Anakin bursts in and has to make a choice to either save Windu, who recently denied him the rank of Jedi Master, or save Palpatine, who spent his whole life telling him everything he wanted to hear. Killing Windu was the moment that Anakin turned to the dark side. After Windu died, Palpatine gave him the name Darth Vader. If he didn’t really die, then it’ll undermine that moment.