Mace Windu’s purple lightsaber has become an iconic part of Star Wars lore. How did the purple lightsaber come about? Whose decision was it to change the color? It’s an interesting and complex part of Star Wars history.
The lightsaber may be the most infamous movie weapon. It appeared for the first time in A New Hope in 1977, and it’s been in every Star Wars film since. Invented by George Lucas, the energy sword is the weapon of choice for both the Jedi and the Sith in battle.
The long-bladed, fencing sword can easily cut or burn through basically anything. It badly burns skin on contact but can be blocked by another lightsaber. The lightsaber makes a distinctive sound when whizzing through the air or colliding with another lightsaber. It is a versatile weapon that is used for both offense and defense.
The lightsaber has a kyber crystal-powered plasma blade. The lightsabers can vary in color depending on the type of crystals used to build them. And the color indicates the meaning and mood of the owner of the sword. The original colors were red, green, and blue, but there are also uncommon colors, like Mace’s lightsaber. (affiliate link if you want to buy one)
What Are The Common Lightsaber Colors?
The red lightsaber is most commonly used by the Sith and Dark Jedi. Most famously wielded by Darth Vader, the red lightsaber indicates powerful evil. These are made from synthetic crystals and are used by fighters using the Dark Side of the Force.
Jedi’s most commonly carry blue lightsabers. This indicates their strength, skill, and bravery as fighters. They battle on the light side for justice. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin, and Luke Skywalker all famously fought with blue lightsabers.
It is good to note the red and blue colors because Mace’s lightsaber is a combination of the two. Before Mace had a purple lightsaber he had a blue lightsaber, which was a common color for a Jedi guardian. He then worked on a lightsaber fighting style called Form VII which drew upon the dark side of the force, causing it to incorporate blue as well as red.
What Were Uncommon Lightsaber Colors?
Since the original movies, there have been many additions to the colors of lightsabers, from white to even black. Not all of these colors have a specific meaning intrinsic to the meaning of the wielder but, the color does still give some indicator of what you might expect. If it’s orange, being on the lighter side, the wielder might be more good-natured.
As previously mentioned there is a white saber. Those sabers are wielded by Ahsoka Tano and it represents her mastery of the force while having no direct ties to the Jedi or the Sith. And the black saber is the saber representing the Mandalorians, and while black may be seen as evil, it is not the case. Aside from those colors, there’s also yellow, which is also a cleansed sith lightsaber.
Who Else Had A Different Color Lightsaber?
Luke Skywalker had a green lightsaber. Luke’s green lightsaber has a more peaceful, harmonious meaning. The usually more senior Jedi who use these green swords would prefer calm conflict resolution. Though they can be powerful and forceful in battle if needed. Yoda used his green lightsaber to fight for good.
In other words, a green saber is a saber that represents peace. The balance between good and evil. The prevention of conflict with peaceful resolutions. Which would explain how both Luke and Yoda were pivotal to the storyline of Star Wars. Especially considering Luke even took a dip into the dark side. He understands the hatred and fear, the anguish, and that’s how he can minimize it.
Mara Jade Skywalker also has a purple lightsaber. There are many theories about how it relates to Mace Windu’s. Some believe that her lightsaber is made of Windu’s crystal. Others believe that they aren’t related at all. Perhaps she retrieved Windu’s discarded lightsaber after he fell to his death?
The expanded universe brings even more lightsaber colors and meanings. As Star Wars moves into other forms of media like books and video games, new colors of lightsabers develop and they all have their individual meanings too.
But What About Mace Windu’s Purple Lightsaber?
There are actually two explanations for the unique color of his sword.
The real-life explanation is that Samuel L. Jackson, the actor that played Mace Windu, simply wanted a different colored lightsaber. He wanted a way for his character to stand out. And it’s been said that purple just happened to be his favorite color. George Lucas originally resisted, but Jackson eventually got his way as he was able to make it fit into the plot.
During large battle scenes, Jackson struggled to find his character on the screen. The purple lightsaber was his solution to this. He felt that the fact that Windu was the second most powerful Jedi, he deserved a unique weapon and with this logic, Lucas agreed and gave him this recognizable saber.
Lucas surprised him with the lightsaber when filming Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones. It was the first film to have a lightsaber that wasn’t blue, red, or green. Jackson was thrilled to be able to find his purple lightsaber quickly among the 300 battling Jedis.
The in-film explanation is a little more complicated. After it was decided that Windu’s lightsaber could be purple, it had to make sense to the movie. So a backstory was created to explain the color of the sword.
Mace Windu was a Master of the Jedi High Council. He was the most powerful Jedi other than Yoda. He was fierce in battle and felt the darkness inside of him. He practiced fighting in the Form VII, or Juyo, type of combat. This made him more powerful as he could draw his inner darkness into battle while still fighting for the light side.
Windu had glimpses into the future of himself battling with a purple lightsaber. He attempted to build the lightsaber he saw in his visions. But he kept failing because he didn’t have the right materials.
When Windu was fourteen, he approached the council for permission to look for the correct materials. After hesitating given that they believed he was obsessed with this vision, the council accepted his request. And off he went to the planet, Hurikane.
A notable ability of Mace Windu’s is named “Shatterpoint” and the premise of this ability is that Windu can sense the weaknesses in anything that seemingly doesn’t have one. According to him, he can see shatter-points in both individuals and events. This makes him particularly powerful against formidable foes.
When he arrived, the natives there were aggressive and savage and subsequently attacked him. He was able to fight back but one of the natives fell off a cliff and shattered. And having a connection to both the Light and Dark, he saw the errors of his way. He realized that killing the natives of a planet he just arrived at was not the way of the Jedi. And consequently, he reassembled the native that had just shattered.
There also happened to be rare, purple crystals on Hurikane. The natives were so grateful to Windu for saving their friend that they gave him some of these crystals. These crystals would later be known as Windu’s Guille, in honor of Windu, of course. And he was then able to construct the lightsaber he had seen in his visions.
What Does Mace Windu’s Purple Lightsaber Mean?
The purple lightsaber is a combination of blue and red, symbolism for using both sides of the force. Windu fights with the light side. But, he is able to use the dark side to his advantage when necessary using his Form VII style of fighting. This gives him the upper-hand on most if not all opponents, aside from Palpatine anyway.
When Windu became a senior Jedi council member, he created a new lightsaber. It was the same purple color as the last lightsaber but had an electrum finish. It was built to higher standards of strength and accuracy.
Windu wielded this lightsaber until his death. The lightsaber fell out the window before Windu plummeted to his death. Some believe that Windu may have survived his fall. Duros claimed to find the broken lightsaber and sold it to Senator Sauro. But with no proof of Windu’s death, the lightsaber may not have, in fact, been his.
Conclusion:
With all the rich history of Star Wars culture, it’s not a surprise that we are still wondering about the meaning of Mace Windu’s amethyst-colored lightsaber. In reality, Samuel L. Jackson just wanted to be able to point himself out in the middle of an epic Jedi battle, to which George Lucas obliged the request and ended up giving him the saber.
Thinking in terms of the story, however, the answer is well-thought-out and very intriguing. While wielding a blue lightsaber at the time he had visions of wielding a purple one. The saber of his dreams. And in pursuit of that, he asked the Jedi council for permission to search for it and was given it. Thus began his journey to Hurikane where he disassembled and then reassembled a native.
The native gave him the crystal that would eventually power his amethyst-colored lightsaber. A color that is both a mix of blue and red. This is a symbol of having ties to both the Light and Dark side. Which comes from his fighting techniques as Windu uses the dark side to aid in the Light side.
Was the decision really made simply to make Samuel Jackson happy, or was it part of Windu’s complex character arc? Either way, it made a big impact by breaking the norm of lightsaber colors. And overall made Mace Windu a memorable character in the Star Wars franchise that can even be easily spotted in large battles.