Today, there are tons of different lightsaber colors, with 2019’s “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker” introducing Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) now-iconic yellow lightsaber. But during the prequel era, Mace Windu having a special-colored lightsaber was a novel idea, one that separated the suave and confident Jedi from the rest of the pack. The character’s attitude and saber color made him an immediate fan favorite.
Back in the ’90s, Samuel L. Jackson was extremely prolific, making him the perfect candidate to join the “Star Wars” franchise with 1999’s “Episode I – The Phantom Menace.” It turns out that George Lucas wasn’t the one who initiated Jackson’s introduction to the galaxy far, far away. In “Star Wars Insider” issue #55, Jackson explained that he campaigned to be in the prequel film and later received a call from Lucas inviting him to join the cast. The actor had no qualms about being a stormtrooper or a side character and was surprised to learn that the filmmaker envisioned him as a Jedi master. “Once they started fitting Jedi robes on me, I was like, ‘Hey who is this guy? This is gonna be cool.’ So there was no way I was not going to do it,” Jackson said.
The rest is history, as Mace Windu stands out as one of the most prolific and memorable characters from the prequel trilogy. Unfortunately, the character seemingly died in “Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,” but Jackson has a powerful answer for fans who think Mace Windu is really dead.
