WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 7 of The Book of Boba Fett “Chapter 7: In The Name of Honor,” streaming now on Disney+.
As the Book of Boba Fett’s first season came to an end the titular character is in the midst of making some life assessments, commenting to his right hand assassin that neither of them are suited to the life of a daimyo. There is certainly a lot of supporting evidence to make the case that the job is ill suited to Boba’s talents and interests but it also begs the question where would he go next? Temuera Morrison, the actor who portrayed the clone template Jango Fett and the one true clone himself Boba Fett, has an idea.
In an interview with IMDB’s On Scene where some worthy Kylo Ren shade got thrown around, Morrison suggested that showrunner and creator Jon Favreau start work on a series where Fett gets to hunt down Mace Windu. “I owe him big time for my dad. He’s done. He’s done. I’ve got my eye on him. He’s top of the list, in fact.” Co-star Ming-Na Wen offered up the methodology of “slow torture” and Morrison was visibly moved by the idea of exacting some revenge on the Jedi Master, so much so that he began reliving the moment of Jango Fett’s demise and hinted that he’d never seen the end of Attack of the Clones due to his death in the Geonosisan arena. The only problem is that Mace Windu is already dead and resurrecting him would erase a noble death in a universe starving for some dignity.
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Mace Windu, unlike Obi-Wan, Anakin or Yoda, left the Clone Wars as a hero without a blemish on his judgment or battle prowess. Outside of his complete mischaracterization of Count Dooku, he was proven to be correct more times than not in almost every matter brought before the council, in particular about Anakin’s training and subsequent loyalty to the Order. It was Mace’s voice who was loudest concerning the danger of Palpatine’s influence on Skywalker even before his role as Lord of the Sith had been discovered. Windu and a trio of accomplished Jedi went to arrest the Supreme Chancellor, but it was only Mace who proved to be his match. After trading feints and lunges, the two elite swordsmen battled until Sidious was at the mercy of the Vaapad master.
Obi-Wan is the archetypical Jedi prototype in every way, but his love for Anakin blinded him from seeing who he truly was and prevented him from installing or enforcing some of the safeguards that may have kept him safe. His failures as a teacher cost the galaxy a great deal. Yoda also saw many of the warning signs lurking just beneath the surface of Anakin’s demeanor but did nothing to actively stave off his descent toward the Dark Side. His defeat at the hands of Sidious and subsequent self exile to leave the fate of the galaxy in the hands of a pair of infants, is a stain on his proud legacy and Anakin’s shortcomings are too obvious to mention.
Mace is the one prominently featured Jedi to ever die with his dignity intact. Samuel L. Jackson, who portrayed Windu throughout the prequel trilogy, has made it clear that he believes Mace is still alive. He cites the prevalence of one armed Jedi throughout history and the ability for them to survive falls from great heights and also implied that George Lucas himself had in some way signed off on this possibility. There were even rumors of a Mace Windu series where Jackson would have an opportunity to reprise the role though nothing as yet has come of these whispers.
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Mark Hamill is on the record describing his process for filming the sequels, indicating that he was so disconnected from the character the creative leads envisioned for an elder Luke Skywalker that he had to refer to him as “Jake” within his own mind because he couldn’t reconcile the differences. His hero’s journey which began 45 years ago, ended with him contemplating killing Leia’s son while under his care, running away from the problems of the universe and abandoning his twin sister in the moment she needed him most before disincorporating into the Force. Fortunately Jon Favreau crafted an intensely emotional return for Luke during the season finale of The Mandalorian‘s second season that Hamill was extremely proud of and allowed him to negotiate a portion of peace with the character he immortalized.
As the only Black Jedi of note, all respect due to Koffi Arana, Mace holds a cultural significance set aside from his narrative contributions. To many Black people who grew up watching Star Wars and only saw themselves represented on screen as redeemable swindlers who were willing to betray their friends, Mace represented something very special. He was not only a Jedi, but sat on the High Council as Yoda’s equal where all in attendance deferred to their counsel. He was aesthetically special, as the only Jedi equipped with an amethyst saber and though its existence is the result of Jackson’s whimsical request to stand out in the crowd, an entire supporting substructure of plot was designed to give the blade and its wielder more heft.
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Considering how poorly Finn’s character was abused by fans and betrayed by the sequel’s story engine, lifting Windu from the grave just so that he can be hunted and killed by Boba Fett would be salt on a wound that has not even grown a scab. It would require answering the question, where has Mace been all this time? As someone who kept his connection to the Dark Side close it is possible that he could have cloaked himself somewhat within it no matter how unlikely that would seem. Sidious would have had to consider Mace to be one of the greatest threats to his rule, moreso than the Skywalker heirs, and its already been established that he could reach from across the galaxy to destroy his rivals and enemies.
Star Wars has an unfortunate recent history of mangling iconic characters to benefit the emergence of fresh faces using queasy mathematics, adding to the latter by subtracting from the former. Boba Fett did not come across as intimidating, sure footed or competent in his own series and benefitted greatly from the cameo appearances or more skilled and interesting allies. Fett hunts on his reputation alone, one that seems to be more the product of embellishment rather than the hard fought galactic streets and even his defeat of Cad Bane felt improbable as it was happening. He hasn’t earned the right to mount this lion on his wall and Mace Windu should be no man’s trophy. He should be allowed to rest in power, unbowed, unbent, unbroken and undiminished.
To see a bounty hunter dream about avenging his father, The Book of Boba Fett season one is streaming now on Disney+.
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