A key Star Wars detail may finally reveal why Mace Windu denied Anakin Skywalker the rank of Jedi Master in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. One of the most common jokes in the Star Wars prequel community revolves around Windu denying Anakin and telling him to take a seat, yet people rarely discuss why the Council—and Windu in particular—were so against the idea of Anakin earning a title. Of course, Anakin’s upbringing as a Jedi was heavily unorthodox; he began his training at a very old age among Jedi. This led many on the Council to hesitate promoting him so early.
Another reason the Jedi Council denied Anakin the rank was because of Anakin’s closeness to Palpatine. Despite Anakin’s qualifications, it was Palpatine who first attempted to appoint Anakin as his “representative” on the Council. By allowing Anakin on the Council while denying him the rank of Master, the Jedi essentially tell Palpatine that he has no business meddling in their affairs. Sadly, Anakin is caught in the crossfire of their power-struggle, and Palpatine uses this to sow doubt into Anakin’s heart. Nevertheless, Mace Windu may have foreseen Anakin’s fall to the dark side long before the rest of the Council.
Mace Windu’s Lightsaber Form Put Him Dangerously Close To The Dark Side
Like Anakin, Mace Windu himself was fairly unorthodox among the Jedi. Windu’s lightsaber form was Form VII, a style almost no one other Jedi utilized. Form VII was one of the most aggressive lightsaber forms, making it highly popular among Sith Lords. Consequently, the Jedi Council ended up banning the use of Juyo, the most common variant of Form VII. However, Mace Windu designed and developed his own variant of Form VII, known as Vaapad, allowing him to utilize the aggressive nature of Form VII without falling prey to the dark side.
Other lightsaber fighting forms often taught the user to master or ignore their emotions, but Windu’s Vaapad variant of Form VII was an exception. Instead of keeping their anger in check, Vaapad users drew freely from their passionate aggression. However, they also never fully gave into their feelings. In other words, Windu channeled his “bad” emotions and utilized them as tools for good. Nevertheless, Windu’s lightsaber form took him closer to the dark side than most Jedi were comfortable with, which is why he closely guarded the secrets behind Vaapad.
Mace Windu Knew The Dark Side Better Than Anyone In The Order
Saying Windu knew the dark side better than any other Jedi sounds like a bold claim, but it is entirely justifiable given his lightsaber form. Windu was the only Jedi brave enough to attempt the “forbidden” lightsaber fighting form. The other Jedi weren’t scared of Form VII because it had been outlawed by the Council, they were afraid of Form VII because of how it tempted the user to fall to the dark side. Nevertheless, against all odds, Windu prevailed in drawing on his emotions without letting them get the better of him.
Windu likely knows the dark side better than any other Jedi because he’s the only one who was able to face on his inner darkness without being consumed by it. Any other Jedi who attempted to learn the forbidden Form VII likely fell to the dark side, which must have been why the Council banned the form long ago. Consequently, many Jedi in the Order were blind to the signs of the dark side; they couldn’t see Anakin’s fall to the dark side until it was far too late.
Wait, Did Yoda & Windu Know About Anakin’s Secret Relationship With Padmé?
How well did Anakin hide his relationship with Padmé from the rest of the Jedi? Is it possible some Jedi, like Yoda and Windu, already knew?
Mace Windu Could See The Signs Of The Dark Side In Anakin
While Anakin didn’t practice Juyo or Vaapad, he constantly struggled with his passionate anger over his mother’s death, the injustice of the Clone Wars, and the Council holding him back. Among everyone on the Council, Mace Windu was perhaps the only one who was actually qualified to see past Anakin’s facade. Only Windu could see Anakin tipping to the dark side, since Windu felt similar while utilizing Vaapad. This gave him a unique perspective on Anakin’s strange situation, and likely caused him to influence the other Council members into denying Anakin the rank of Master.
If Windu foresaw Anakin’s fall to the dark side long before it occurred, the question then becomes why he let Anakin endure the Council’s scorn. If Windu knew Anakin was volatile, why did he follow through with denying him? It’s possible Windu still held hope Anakin could overcome his inner darkness. It’s also possible he merely saw Anakin a piece in the Council’s game against Palpatine, which could be why he sent Anakin away when he went to confront Palpatine. In any case, Windu’s unique lightsaber form may have been why Anakin never became a Master in Star Wars.
- Release Date
- May 19, 2005
- Director
- George Lucas
- Cast
- Ewan McGregor , Natalie Portman , Hayden Christensen , Ian McDiarmid , Samuel L. Jackson , Christopher Lee , Anthony Daniels , Kenny Baker , Frank Oz , Ahmed Best , Temuera Morrison
- Studio(s)
- Lucasfilm
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
