The Forbidden Force Power that Mace Windu Used and Why the Jedi Order Refused it

Mace Windu’s story in the Jedi Order doesn’t read like most others. He dedicated himself to mastering lightsaber combat and built a reputation as one of the greatest duelists in Jedi history. Yoda was probably the only one who could consistently best him in a duel.

But that strength came with a dangerous edge. Mace knew he enjoyed fighting — and that kind of thrill could easily lead a Jedi down a dark path. Most of his peers would have tried to bury that part of themselves, but Mace didn’t. He faced it head-on and built his entire fighting style around it.

Weapons Born From Darkness But Controlled By Light

To deal with the part of himself that craved combat, Mace Windu created Vaapad, the seventh and final form of lightsaber combat. This wasn’t a defensive style meant to block or disarm. It was intense, fast, and relentless — built to channel aggression rather than deny it. Many Jedi stayed far away from Vaapad because it came dangerously close to the dark side, but Mace embraced that risk. Vaapad let him pour his most dangerous emotions into every strike while still holding onto the light. Each swing became proof of discipline and self-control. Mace understood the balance between light and dark with rare clarity — something only Yoda could truly match.

But Vaapad was only part of his approach. Mace also mastered Force Crush, one of the most violent Force powers ever known. The technique lifted a target into the air and crushed their body from the inside out — bones, organs, everything — until they collapsed. Sith Lords like Darth Vader used it without hesitation, sometimes even on their own soldiers, and even Anakin Skywalker demonstrated the same brutality before his fall, using the technique on a Techno Union scientist during the Clone Wars.

Jedi, on the other hand, considered it too brutal, too dark, and too dangerous to ever use. Mace disagreed. To him, controlling that power without falling into darkness was the ultimate test of his will — and proof that the darkness within him could serve the light.

The Moment Grievous Broke

During the later years of the Clone Wars, Mace confronted General Grievous while the cyborg was trying to escape with Chancellor Palpatine. In that fight, Mace unleashed Force Crush on Grievous’s lungs, one of the few organic parts he had left. The damage was permanent. That famous cough and wheeze Grievous carried into Revenge of the Sith started in that moment (Read other reasons Why General Grievous Always Coughs).

This was one of the rare times a Jedi used Force Crush on a living being. Most of the Order believed that crossing that line risked corruption, but Mace proved he could use the power without falling into darkness. He didn’t treat it as a weapon of hate — just a tool he could control.