The world of Star Wars has no shortage of interesting and unique characters. One such unique character who has earned the admiration and love of the Star Wars fandom is the Jedi Master, Mace Windu. When the former Master of the Order first appeared in the Phantom Menace, his stoic and commanding presence alone immediately captured the attention of the audience. Add on his wisdom, his unparalleled skills as a duelist and his power in the Force, and you have the greatest Jedi that ever lived (well, second to Yoda).
However, Mace Windu’s duelling skills and power weren’t the only reasons he stood out to the fandom. What really set him apart from all other characters was the unique, never before seen purple-bladed lightsaber that he wielded.
Also, most Jedi Knights in the Star Wars universe wielded either blue or green lightsabers, so why was Mace Windu’s lightsaber purple? Read on to find out.
Why Does Mace Windu Have a Purple Lightsaber?
There are two vastly different answers to the question of why the Mace Windu lightsaber is purple. The first is the real-world behind-the-scenes answer, while the second one is based on the Star Wars mythology.
Mace Windu’s Purple Lightsaber: The Star Wars Universe Origin
According to the Star Wars Canon, Mace Windu got his purple lightsaber the same way many other Jedi got theirs. Like most Jedi younglings, when Mace Windu was young, he set out to seek a kyber crystal for the construction of his lightsaber. After attuning with the kyber crystal, the colour changed to purple, which then gave his lightsaber’s blade its purple hue.
In the Star Wars universe, it is common knowledge that the colour a kyber crystal changes when a Force-sensitive attunes to it is dependent on that Force user’s personality traits and their relationship with the Force.
Some of Mace Windu’s personality traits that may have had an influence on his saber’s purple colour include; his strength in the Force, his ideologies, and his knowledge and struggles with the Dark side (which makes sense since purple is a mixture of blue and red). Like most dark side users, Mace Windu also had visions and emotional struggles, but he was able to overcome them thanks to his dedication to helping others.
The Star Wars Legends, on the other hand, tells the story of how Mace Windu got his purple lightsaber differently. According to Legends, 14-year-old Jedi initiate Mace Windu journeyed to Hurikane at the request of Yoda to find the parts needed to forge his lightsaber. While on the journey, Windu was attacked by native inhabitants and in the process of repelling their assault, one of the natives fell into a gorge, sustaining serious injuries. With help from the Force, Windu is able to heal the injured native, and in appreciation, he was gifted the purple crystals with which he constructed his lightsaber.
Mace Windu’s Purple Lightsaber: Real-World Origin
The real-world reason behind Mace Windu’s purple lightsaber is quite a simple one. Samuel L. Jackson, the actor who played Mace Windu requested that his lightsaber feature a purple blade. His reason for making this request was that he wanted his lightsaber to stand out and be easily spotted among the sea of lightsabers during the chaos of the Battle of Geonosis. Also, he believed that since his character was such a high-ranking member of the Jedi Order (second only to Yoda), it was only right that his lightsaber was special.
While George Lucas did deny this request at first, he eventually decided to make Mace Windu’s lightsaber purple post-production.
Conclusion
Mace Windu is one of the Star Wars fan-favourites, and part of what sets him apart from all the other characters is the unique purple colour of his lightsaber. In the Star Wars canon, the reason for this purple colour is Windu’s relationship with the Force and his struggles with the dark side. In the Legends, the purple colour of his blade is a result of the purple crystals he received as a gift after saving an injured native on Hurikane.
