Characters Mace Windu Characterization Thread - Writer Challenge #2- Mace Windu's Possible Love Interest

"For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic.

To many, he is remembered as the man who refused Anakin Skywalker the opportunity to train as a Jedi, as the personification of the arrogance and self-importance that corrupted the Jedi Order during the final days of the Old Republic. Others remember him as symbol of courage and determination, a man who spoke with his actions, rather than his words. For the first time, let us discuss one of the Order's most decorated Jedi Knights, and one of the finest swordsmen the galaxy has ever seen- the master of Vaapad, Jedi Master Mace Windu.

Each of us is familiar with the portrayal of Master Windu in each of the prequel films, but is this an accurate depiction of the type of Jedi, and person, that he is, or is there more to the man than we realize? Have at it, and good luck!

 

Its hard for me to view Mace and not think of Jules Winnifield from Pulp Fiction. I kinda look at Mace like that. He's smart, wise, powerful and an overall good person. That said he's got Jules "Don't screw with me or else" type attitude in his demeaner. He's a actions speak louder than words type guy, and extremely confident. Likely he didn't have an equal in one on one combat, even against Sidious, and he acted like he knew it.

 

Mace bordered on the darkness. Hence why he created Vaapad, so that he could use that darkness without succumming to it. I think the reason he protested Anakin's training was that he doubted his ability to resist the dark, knowing how hard it could be.

Write now I'm writing a dark-Mace fic, and something tells me I'm not getting the characterisation quite right.

All I know is that he's a great character to write, because the films show so little of his persona. In my opinion, he has to have a sense of humour of some sort. I guess what I mean is that he's a really good character to explore because he's mysterious.

 

I have always considered that Mace would be good in a western and have so since I read Shatterpoint. At times, like the arena in AOTC, he's reminded me of a Crusading Cowboy.

One year for my birthday DarthIshtar wrote me a fic with Mace in a Western, I'll just go dig it up.

EDIT: Here it is High Noon

BTW, I SO wanted him to fight with Dooku in ROTS and was very disappointed when he didn't. That battle was an epic that never happened. Thank the Force for fan fic

 

I've often wondered about the type of Sith Mace would have been. Mace is obviously an extremely cerebral, intelligent individual, but I don't see him as the type who would work behind the scenes, as Sidious so often did. Mace seems the type who would rather do the work himself, an attitude that compares favorably with Vader, though Mace's determination is much less fiery than his younger counterpart. I also don't see him as a man who would kill others for revenge, but rather, as someone who is aware of his own prowess with the Force and the lightsaber, he strikes me as someone who would kill others because they stood in his way.

What makes a character like Windu difficult to write is that we have little or no idea what he was like when he wasn't in Council chambers, which where he was most often seen in the films. I haven't read Shatterpoint yet, though I am planning to in the near future. It would be interesting to learn more about Mace's childhood and training. I have often asked myself, "Who were his friends during his time as a initiate or Padawan? What was his relationship with his Master like? Did he ever fall in love, and how did these feelings subsequently shape his personality? Mace appears to live and die by the Jedi Code in the films, but was he always this type of person, or were there specific events that molded him into the Jedi Knight we are familiar with?

Good luck with your story. I'll look forward to reading it if it's posted here.

 

Read Shatterpoint, RK, it tells you A LOT about Mace and a lot of it is in first person. Mace is actually a pretty funny guy at times. I don't think we know who his Master was, though he's probably still not alive.

I can tell you that he views Depa as the "daughter he will never have" and it must have been hard dealing with what happened to her as she betrays him in a way.

 

Mace Windu is one of the most complex Jedi characters. I think before AoTC, he probably had a sense of humor that he hid behind that "Don't mess with me" look. After all, a Jedi Master is supposed to be serious, right?

He'd be a great sabaac player.

 

Thank you for the info on Shatterpoint. I'm anxious to track down a copy, so that I'll have a chance to read it.

Thinking about it now, it's possible that Yoda may have actually been Mace's Master. Based on the films, they are obviously close friends, as they are undoubtedly the "one-two punch" of the Jedi Order. But their relationship seems to be more than just the friendship of two people who sit on the Council. Mace possesses an extraordinary amount of self-control and discipline, virtues he certainly could have acquired from Yoda. Mace also seems to be the person who presides over Council meetings. We know that Yoda at one served as Council Chairman, and it is not a stretch to believe that he may have yielded this position to Mace, once he believed he was ready for the job. But what intrigues me most about their relationship is that Mace seems much less formal with Yoda than he does with other Jedi, even when dealing with fellow Council members. Their friendship has the... feel, for lack of a better word, of one that has seen two people venture into the mouth of hell, and back again. It would be interesting to know more about their friendship, and how their relationship has evolved as Mace made the transition from Padawan to Knight, from Knight to Master, and from Master to Council member.

What we don't see- and this has always bothered me- is Yoda's reaction to Mace's death. His reaction to the slaughter of several Jedi is shown- a scene that always touched me- but it would have been both an interesting and powerful scene if we could have witnessed the affect that the death of such a close friend would have had on Yoda.

 

What we don't see- and this has always bothered me- is Yoda's reaction to Mace's death. His reaction to the slaughter of several Jedi is shown- a scene that always touched me- but it would have been both an interesting and powerful scene if we could have witnessed the affect that the death of such a close friend would have had on Yoda

Gosh, yes, what a powerful missing moment fanfic one-shot! (Go away plot bunny, go away!)

Mace Windu is a personae that has infiltrated the real man, I think. "Don't mess with Mace" is his attitude, but I suspect he sternly controls himself because of the expectations he puts on himself.

I suspect he has a real dry sense of humor that most people overlook because it's so dry and is rarely allowed to be put on display.

I do see him as a good friend to Qui - a friendship full of fond exasperation and eye-rolling (other than Mace is not an eye-rolling type of guy).

He's a doer, a fixer, a make-it-right and do-it-by-the-book until the book doesn't work - then stand back and watch Mace throw off the shackles that bind him.

If you ever got the senior Jedi in a wild party, safe from prying eyes, I bet Mace really can let his hair down (probably did, accounting for current lack of) - but it would take a fair amount to get him to that point.

I think he's pretty shrewd, quite intelligent, but not necessarily really wise. He has a keen sense of duty and responsibility, and any "kindness" comes out gruff and perhaps awkward.

Not having read Shatterpoint, I don't know if this is anything like the Mace revealed in that book, but this is the Mace I think he is.

 

He's actually quite funny in Shatterpoint, even regarding the fact it's a veryt dark and very violent novel.

 

Shatterpoint was a really good book as far as learning about Mace goes. I never finished reading it though, it got a little too dark and violent. I just skipped the last couple f chapters and read the epilogue.

Wookieepedia has a brief overview of his personallity. Some of it's already been stated in the thread, but it also offers evidence. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mace_Windu#Personality_and_traits

 

Shouldn't have skipped it, Lolly, I loved Mace's last line "I seem to be...the last one standing."

 

That sounds familiar. *goes and gets Shatterpoint from her bookshelf*

Ok. So I didn't skip the whole chapter. I guess I just read the dialogue.

And that last line is a classic example of his rarely seen sense of humour, in my opinion.

 

There's Mace taking himself hostage, as well as when he's going through that shower thing and beat a few guys up preying on vulnerable people. That's our Mace all right!

 

The RotS novelization (p154 on paperback) says that Mace actually supported Anakin's training because his Shatterpoint ability allowed him to see just how important Anakin was.

Also, according to wiki, Mace trained under T'ra Saa--though its not known if she was his Mentor. However, I am writing a 5-part Mace Windu short story that does portray T'ra Saa as his mentor.

I have to agree with Alexis_Wingstar in that Mace is a very, very complex character. A lot of his complexity stems from his extremely unique ability of perceiving shatterpoints. From TPM on, the cloud of the dark side blinds the Jedi in a way. They can't rely on the futuresight and precognition that they've relied on for generations. The only Jedi that isn't completely blinded by this is Mace. The cloud of the dark side prevented him from gleaning the Force for the details of the future but he could still use his shatterpoint ability to perceive the relative importance of people, events, situations; etc

I wonder how things would have been different if Mace was the Grandmaster of the Jedi. I think he's much more dynamic than the other Jedi Council members, and would have been able to bring about changes that would have helped the Order grow or evolve to match the problems posed by the resurgent Sith. I'm actually writing an AU fic that features this as one of the dominant plot points.

 

You reminded me of a story I've always wanted to write, but have never actually attempted. Suppose that it had been Mace who survived the Jedi Purge, rather than Yoda. Would he have gone into hiding as Yoda and Obi-Wan did, or would he have found a role for himself in the Rebellion, actively trying to subvert Palpatine and Vader? As several have commented in this thread, Windu is not type of the person to sit by and allow events to unfold: his innate ability to recognize the shatterpoints within the Force precludes his being a spectator, as I'm certain he has explored any and all shatterpoints pertaining to himself. He definitely would have had some sort of impact on the events following ROTS, as well as the years intervening the PT and OT. It would also have been interesting to see his approach to training Luke and/or Leia, and his handling of the secrets regarding their heritage. What's more, had Mace been alive in ANH, it may have been him, rather than Obi-Wan, who confronted Darth Vader. I've always wanted to see a lightsaber duel between Anakin/Vader and Mace, perhaps more so than Mace/Sidious or Mace/Dooku. Food for thought...

Thanks everyone for your responses and input. I'm looking forward to watching this thread expand and grow!

 

That would definitely make for an interesting fic, I hope you write it =)

My upcoming fic (or rather, fics--its a plot arc with about 4-5 stories in it) features all of those match ups. Heh

 

I've done the Mace/Dooku fight in one of my fics, ROTS AU, it was one of those things on my list that I had to do along with Padme on a hoverboard. Mace totally PWNS him

But Mace as Grand Master, that interests me

 

Challenge #1: Write a short story (no more than a few paragraphs) that features Mace interacting with another Force-user, be it Jedi, Sith, or otherwise. The story may be from any genre, and may take place at any point during Mace's life. Alternate Universe stories are welcome, too. Have fun!

 

That's a nice challenge, but I have one question. What do you consider "a few" paragraphs... 5, 10, 15?

 

Between 5-10 is fine. Thanks!

 

Title: In All That You Do
Genre(s): Alternate Universe, Jedi Philosophy
Time Period: Original Trilogy
Characters: Mace Windu, Luke Skywalker
Summary: Inspired by the plot-bunnies listed above, this short story focuses on Mace's relationship with his Padawan Luke Skywalker. Set during the events of The Empire Strikes Back, the story features Mace and Luke during a pivotal moment in Luke's training. Mace must find a way to prepare Luke for the challenges that await him, and in doing so, help his student learn to the trust the Force.

I met this child for the first time only a few days ago, but I feel as though I've known him for years. Watching him, it is as if I have embarked on a journey through my own memory. He has his father's skill and determination, tempered by his mother's curiosity and love of life. And like Anakin and Padmé before him, Luke Skywalker possesses an uncanny ability to get himself into trouble. Yes, I can see much of this child's family- and my past- as I watch this boy.

Mace Windu allowed himself a small smile as he watched Luke Skywalker- the boy who now so often occupied his thoughts- try to lift a large boulder. Try was the proper word, of course, as Luke was having very little success in his task. When Mace had asked his student to carry the boulder to the top of a nearby hill, the boy had agreed, somewhat surprised that his Master would ask him to perform such a menial task. But Skywalker had not considered the means with which Mace wanted him to carry out his assignment, and as this was his ninth attempt to both lift and carry the large rock to its destination, it was apparent that even menial tasks were beyond his capabilities. Mace's smile vanished as he watched his Padawan lose his hold on the boulder, and narrowly avoid its rapid return to soil upon which they stood. Mace thought he could make out several Huttese curse words under the younger man's breath, but that was an issue he would have to address at another time, for there were more serious matters which concerned him. Much like his father, Luke Skywalker possessed extraordinary strength in the Force. But where Anakin's greatest weakness had been his arrogance, his son's inability to control his power resided in his hesitation and doubt. Until the boy believed in the power of the Force, he would be unable to tap into its vast energy field and draw out its power, and thus, would stand no chance when he met his aforementioned father in battle. It is time for another exercise Mace thought to himself. Removing his lightsaber from his belt, the last known master of Form VII started toward his apprentice. Igniting the weapon, Windu quickly closed the distance between himself and the boy as he brought his blade to bear. Luke had barely enough time to leap out of the way as the lightsaber's downward course brought it mere centimeters from his left shoulder. The boulder was less fortunate, however, as Mace's strike split the rock in half, scattering bits of debris in all directions. Luke rolled away from his Master and, reaching for his own weapon, brought himself into an awkward combat stance as he activated its blue blade. He could barely conceal his surprise- and his anger- as he watched Mace assume a more conventional battle-ready position less than ten feet away. "What was that?" he demanded.

"Only when you have achieved the rank of Master will you have the privilege of asking such questions," Mace replied, his violet blade seeming to pulse with anticipation of the coming battle. Mace did not move as he watched Luke take two steps forward, nor did he react as he watched the farmer-turned-fighter pilot clumsily adjust his grip on the hilt of his lightsaber. He simply waited until, as if taking a cue from his own trusted weapon, he suddenly- and violently- lept towards his opponent, and their duel began.

It had been more than twenty years since Mace Windu had last faced an opponent in lightsaber combat, a duel that nearly cost him his life. But the previo

 

I cannot imagine any better teacher of lightsaber combat to Luke than our mace, unless if it was Yoda.

Interesting! I'll have to try this myself, and nice to get in Mace's funny side.

 

I have a scene written that I would like to put in for the challenge, but I'm not sure if it should qualify, seeing as how it's a rewrite for scene in Shatterpoint

 

That's perfectly fine, as a scene rewrite would fall into the Alternate Universe category. Good luck!