Why didnt Mace Windu contact the Senate and tell them that Palpatine was a Sith Lord?

After Anakin Skywalker returns from delivering his report of Obi-Wan engaging General Grievious to Chancellor Palpatine and then returns with the news that Palpatine is really Darth Sidious because he has just been told by him, Why doesnt Mace Windu and his jedi possee get on a holographic comlink or something and contact the Galactic Senate with the news of Palpatine really being Darth Sidious? Or for that matter tell Jedi in the Jedi Temple to contact the Senate and give them the news and also the Delegation of 2,000 as well?

Mace could even tell Bail Organa or Mon Mothma about it and let a few Senators go with them when they go to arrest Palpatine, the Senators would then eyewitness the treachery of Palpatine and Palpatine would not dare kill them, for fear of being exposed by the Senate for their deaths, Palpatine would also have to disprove that why if he is rumored to be a Sith Lord are the both the Jedi and the Senators dead or missing if he wasnt trying to hide the truth, the Jedi informing the Senate prior to their arrival would gain the trust and support of the Senate and the public and Palpatine would quickly have a revolution on his hands with a much larger Rebel Alliance opposing him.

In addition the other Jedi would probably be contacted after the Senate was told the truth and told to prepare themselves for attacks from anywhere, including the Clone Troopers, because they are programed to be totally loyal to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine who is also a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious, this would have prevented the widespread slaughter and death of jedi knights as well.

Thoughts?

 

Short answer: Mace was too impulsive, arrogant and not very bright.

Just bringing along a few Senators wouldnt have helped. They could also be killed dismissed as traitors. Mace should have told Yoda, the full Senate and all the media outlets too.

 

Agreed. Mace moved out with all of the arrogance, impetuousness and lack of thought he'd ever accused Anakin of. Also, he didn't take Anakin with him which was ignorant in the extreme on too many levels to recount. But to give the guy a little credit, GL had to get Anakin to turn and so Mace had to play a bit of the 'idiot' to facilitate that.

 

Accusing Palpatine of being a Sith would've caused little, if anything at all, in the Senate. Unless Mace revealed truly incriminating evidence that Palpatine was behind the war. And still, Mace would've been accused of faking the evidence and being a traitor. By that time, pro-Palpatine fanatism would've been common enough to blind the population.

 

Don't forget that the Senate really has no preference between Jedi and Sith. The force is very black and white to them, and the jedi vs sith fued isn't really a part of their life.

I agree Mace should've told Yoda, the Senate and the Holonet media before he went to confront him, but in his mind Palpataine had to be handled as soon as possible and he thought him and the Jedi posse could handle it. However, it would be harder to explain after Palp was killed...

I'm not sure Mace actually knew what he was doing.

 

Well i think that you are mistaken, Padme seems to know about the Sith Lords and doesnt like them very much and in fact Mace Windu mentions that the oppression of the Sith will never return after Palpatine has been defeated, also in a deleted scene from Obi-Wan and Padme's conversation right before she goes to see Anakin on Mustafar, Obi-Wan tells Padme that "The Sith now rule the galaxy as they did before the Republic did." so obviously the Sith are known and hated by many people just thought to be extinct.

But warning the Senate and Jedi about Palpatine being a Sith Lord would be the best choice, the Jedi would know that their enemy is in control of the Clone Troopers and maybe withdraw from their places alongside of them or prepare themselves for any betrayal that could come, because Palpatine could just order the Clones to kill them or attack them if he was exposed by the jedi as a Sith, which is exactly what Palpatine does as well.

And in the Novelization of ROTS Mace Windu does inform Yoda about Palpatine being Darth Sidious and then goes off to confront and arrest the chancellor, but Mace Windu should have informed Shaak Ti or Cin Drallig or another Jedi Master that was in charge of the Temples defenses and ordered them to contact all the jedi and inform them about Palpatine being a Sith Lord, because Palpatine was controlling the Clones and could order the jedi to be killed before the jedi arrived to arrest him yet, after being told this the Jedi in the temple then tell the Senate but probably first the Delegation of 2,000 and then the rest, the Loyalists would be the most beliving and they would take the news very seriously and spread it very quickly.

But having the jedi tell the senate would be a good idea, then when Palpatines tries to kill the jedi he looks very bad and paints himself as the villian and looks guilty, the jedi look innocent and Palpatine must try to disprove thing would not many would belive, he would face a huge public backlash.

 

Windu could have forestalled everything simply by bringing 100 Jedi into Palpatine's office to take him in.

 

First, Ani suspected Palpatine was a Sith, but he wasn't absolutely certain. Mace was in the same position; he clearly wasn't sure either and didn't fully trust Ani's judgement. It wasn't until Palpatine attacked that Mace could see who and what he was dealing with.

Second, if he'd informed the Senate, Mace would've had to explain and justify the legality of removing Palpatine and then placing the Jedi in control of the Republic until a smooth transition of power was accomplished. I doubt the Senate would allow the Jedi to broadly overstep their authority in such a way.

 

Nope, that would have caused even more problems than it solved.

If that had happened, and if they did manage to kill Palpatine and replace Senators as per their plan, many, many more Senators and probably 80% of the GFFA would have been outraged.
The Jedi would then have been seen as traitorous tyrants, and the CIS would have tripled, quadrupled or more their ranks against them, leading to the end of the Republic and the end of the Jedi order.

Maces best course of action would have been to tell EVERYONE with his PROOF. This would have led to even more investigations that would have shown Palpatine for what he is.
There was no reason for Mace to act impulsively, Palpatine wasnt going anywhere.

 

That's right. If 100 jedi converge on Palp's offices, everyone would be thinking one thing: coup d'etat.

 

Coup d'etat thoughts would all be dissipated when the Jedi didn't then try to take over the galaxy. They wouldn't have and so it didn't matter that they would have thought so in the first few hours after Palpatines capture. They'd all know soon enough that was not the case.

 

But "soon enough" would not have been "soon enough" for the jedi. The entire Grand Army and the Senate would've turned against them immediately.

Hard to prove your case when you're being shot at.

 

Can you even fit 100 Jedi in there?

 

Yep, 96 Jedi would have died when they ignited their sabers, leaving only the 4 anyway.

 

Mace: Palpatine is a Sith Lord!

Senate: A what?

Mace: They are like Jedi but evil.

Senate: Yes Mace. Of course he is Mace

 

Considering Palpatine had been hiding under their noses the entire time, Palpatine had to wonder who in the Senate he could trust, afterall it was the Senate in which Palpatine achieved his power. If he contacts the wrong Senator, Palpatine is informed before he ever gets to the office. I am certain that Mace Windu would have felt contacting the Senate would have compromised the mission somehow. I have seen people claim that Mace acted brashly, but really, how many threats out there wouldn't be capable of being handled by four Jedi Masters? Perhaps had Mace tried to go after Palpatine by himself, I could see it...but taking three others with him? That was just prudent. One versus four? Seems like Mace wasn't taking Palpatine lightly at all to me.

 

he did tell them. its all there, on screen.

 

I dont think many people in the senate know what it means to be a Sith. They had been away from the galaxy for over a thousand years, all they know is whats recorded in the history books.

Or do you think maybe they would have reacted like we probably would have, if we knew that the Nazi regime was back, and that Hitler was the president?

I think Mace knew it.. Palpatine had painted them all into a corner. But remember what Mace said. "We have to act quickly if the Jedi order is to survive!"


So he knew it, but they were very short on time, he knew what was going to happen, no time to think, so he made a very quick decision.

Only thing i blame him for is that he left Anakin behind..

 

In my opinion, part of it was that Mace thought that he, along with the other masters could handle Sidious on their own. The other part is that the Senate had become so corrupt under Palpatine's rule, they would have been no help to the Jedi. As Mace said, Palpatine controlled the Senate and the courts.

 

I think Mace knew it.. Palpatine had painted them all into a corner. But remember what Mace said. "We have to act quickly if the Jedi order is to survive!"


Oh right, that turned out to be GREAT plan.

The only way he could have saved the Jedi order was to tell the others. Then they would be on notice and wouldnt be caught off guard if something like Order 66 came along.

 

So many illogical actions by the Jedi, particularly Mace:

- sending Kenobi away from Anakin
- letting Anakin protect Palpatine, then refusing him the title of master on the council after he did as he was asked
- letting Yoda go off to help the Wookiies
- Mace not instantly sending out a warning to all deployed Jedi that Palpatine is either a Sith or is controlled by the Sith
- Mace ordering Anakin to stay put at the Temple; had Ani been with the posse when Palpatine attacked, he'd have realized the old man was not defenseless
- Mace refusing to take Palpatine into custody and making him stand trial, buying time for the Jedi and the good elements in the Senate as the trial transpired (and found Palpatine 'not guilty')
- Mace single-handedly deciding to play judge and jury and kill the Sith lord, forcing Anakin's decision, turning Skywalker into the shatterpoint of the monumental confrontation

IMO Mace literally feared Palpatine after the posse went down and the Sith lord sprang a little heat lightning on the purple sabered one. Mace lost his cool and slipped a little to deeply into the Vapaad style he employed to his defense. He chose poorly.

 

Agreed.

Mace's lack of emotional restraint clouded his judgement. His anger and frustration were his undoing, and they had bigger consequences... his mistake was the catalyst to initiating the downfall of the Republic that he loved soo much. Mace was like the falling hammer on the last nail to the lid on the Jedi, their fate was sealed once he raised him arm to deal the killing blow.

Mace was foolish not to warn the entire Order, especially after saying about as much.

 

There are times...times, mind you... that the SW movies, especially the Prequels, feel like springs that are too tightly wound. I say that because - as we all know - certain things just HAVE to happen. They have to, because we saw ANH, ESB, and ROTJ. GL's task, then, is to fill in the blanks in such a way that what HAS to happen does in fact "happen", while still making for an entertaining and logical story. And to a great extent, I think he did just that.

But there ARE times when I feel, at the edges, the story straining to conform to those "must happen" guidelines.

Basically, Palpatine HAS to come to power. That is GOING to happen. So lets imagine that, before going to confront Palpatine, Mace directed an aide to put out a galaxy-wide press release - "Palpatine really evil Sith Lord!" (keep in mind that, at this point, it was all based on Anakin's say so... when Mace confronted Palpatine, how would it have played out if Palps HADN'T drawn a light-saber and fought, but had instead quietly surrendered, while maintaining his innocence?)... Well, GL would then have been obliged to write a scene where folks just didn't believe it, or Palps had some way of stifling the news from getting out, or Palps followed that up with HIS (post-order 66) press release revealing the Sith stuff was just part of the Jedi plot to sieze power.

I know that isn't very satisfying, but for me, it falls right in line with our having to accept that a lot of folks BELIEVED the Jedi were suddenly staging a coup (realizing Palps had the clone troopers handy to deal with...dissenters!). I can IMAGINE it, but it still makes me go HMMMMMmm (I didn't see, onscreen, Palps setting up a very good anti-Jedi PR campaign, but that is just me).

Shadow

 

Basically, Mace is sorta of an idiot in the prequels.

 

I think everyone has been there, at critical moments in life its very easy too make mistakes , and then the next day we go like, oh man, what was i thinking. Unfortunately Mace never got the chance to reflect on his actions.