Luke Skywalker never met Mace Windu. He was born during the final days of the Clone Wars, shortly before Mace was killed and the Jedi Order was destroyed. Everything Luke knew about him came from the records and histories he later collected while studying the Jedi who came before him.
In the canon reference book Star Wars: The Secrets of the Jedi, Luke recorded his thoughts on several members of the old Order, including the Jedi Master who nearly ended Darth Sidious before the Empire could rise. What did Luke think of Mace Windu after learning how his father had betrayed him?
Luke Remembered Mace as a Respected Jedi and War Hero
In the canon reference book Star Wars: The Secrets of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker recorded what he had learned about Mace Windu while studying the history of the old Jedi Order.
Luke described Mace Windu as one of the most important Jedi of the Republic era. Mace served on the Jedi High Council, helped lead the Order and became one of the Republic’s most prominent generals during the Clone Wars.
He was also recognized as one of the Order’s greatest lightsaber fighters. Mace was capable of confronting some of the most dangerous opponents of his era, including Jango Fett, Count Dooku’s forces and eventually Darth Sidious himself.
Luke did not describe Mace through Anakin’s personal resentment toward him. Anakin frequently believed that Mace distrusted him, held him back and refused to recognize what he was capable of. Mace denied Anakin the rank of Master after Palpatine appointed him to the Council and later ordered him to remain behind while the Jedi moved to arrest the Chancellor.
However, Luke judged Mace by what he had done for the Jedi and the Republic. He understood that Mace had spent years protecting the galaxy and that he was among the first Jedi willing to act once Palpatine’s true identity was exposed.
Luke therefore remembered him as a courageous Jedi Master and a respected leader, rather than simply the Council member who often came into conflict with his father.
Luke Believed Mace Could Have Defeated Darth Sidious
Luke’s clearest opinion of Mace appears when he discusses the attempt to arrest Chancellor Palpatine.
After Anakin revealed that Palpatine was the Sith Lord the Jedi had been searching for, Mace took Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar and Saesee Tiin to the Chancellor’s office. Palpatine immediately attacked, killing the other three Jedi and leaving Mace to fight him alone.
Mace survived the opening assault and eventually forced Sidious to the floor. Anakin then entered the office and found Mace standing over Palpatine while the Sith Lord pleaded for help.
Luke believed Mace had a genuine chance to end the Sith at that moment:
“Had my father not betrayed him, he might have bested the Dark Lord in combat.”
Luke did not describe Mace’s defeat as proof that Sidious had simply overpowered him. He believed Anakin’s intervention changed the outcome. When Mace prepared to kill Palpatine, Anakin cut off his hand, allowing Sidious to strike him with Force lightning and throw him from the window.
Luke also directly called his father’s action a betrayal. He did not blame Mace for Anakin’s fall or argue that the Jedi Master had created the situation by refusing to trust him. From Luke’s perspective, Mace had identified the Sith Lord controlling the Republic and nearly stopped him before Anakin turned against the Jedi.