Summary
- Mace Windu invented his own lightsaber form, Vaapad, which allowed him to harness his negative emotions without falling to the dark side.
- Windu's bravery in facing his emotions made him unique among Jedi, as most others ignored or suppressed their anger.
- Vaapad was dangerous to use, and Windu only taught it to one other Jedi, Depa Billaba, who later sacrificed herself during Order 66.
Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu was easily one of the most accomplished Jedi in all of the best lightsaber duelists of all time. Not only was he nigh-unbeatable, but he was also one of the few Jedi to have invented their own lightsaber form, something even Grand Master Yoda hadn’t done in his 900 years of life. When both Windu and Yoda were pitted against a Sith Master like Palpatine, Yoda was defeated, while Windu prevailed. Of course, Windu’s success—and failure—in battle was partly due to how his lightsaber form worked.
Of the seven lightsaber forms in Star Wars, Mace Windu invented his own offshoot of Form VII. Technically, Juyo—the first offshoot of Form VII—existed for over a millennium before being officially recognized. Even then, Jedi within the Order were prohibited from practicing Juyo, as it was directly linked to the dark side of the Force. Darth Maul and the Grand Inquisitor were known to practice Juyo, as it allowed them to tap into their aggression and hatred. Meanwhile, Windu’s version of Form VII was known as Vaapad, and while it was similar to Juyo, Windu modified it in one crucial way.
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Mace Windu Created Vaapad To Deal With His Inner Darkness
Juyo s allowed their negative feelings to take control, giving them an aggressive and ferocious power boost. But Windu’s lightsaber form Vaapad was different. Windu didn’t become subject to his negative feelings, rather, he subjugated them. By controlling the darkness within himself, Windu was able to channel the same ferocious power as a Juyo , without falling to the dark side. Instead of ignoring his dark emotions, Windu owned them; he took the bad parts of himself and used them for good. Ultimately, Vaapad was a much more refined version of Juyo.
In a way, Mace Windu was braver than most other Jedi for even attempting to create Vaapad out of Juyo. For centuries, the Jedi had been taught to stay far away from their ion and anger, and for good reason. Most Jedi who practiced Juyo (long before it was banned by the Order) ended up falling to the dark side. Nevertheless, Windu was the first Jedi to be brave with facing his emotions for what they were. While most other Jedi ignored or suppressed their anger, Windu was the first to tame it.
Mace Only Taught Vaapad To One Other Jedi In Canon
Despite the genius concept behind Vaapad, it was still almost as dangerous to use as Juyo. Windu was wary of allowing anyone within the Order to even attempt learning Vaapad, but he made an exception for his own Padawan. Depa Billaba was an accomplished Jedi Master who first trained under Mace Windu. Nevertheless, unlike her master, Bilaba’s used Vaapad sparingly, and tended to use Form III instead. Despite her prowess, she fell at the hands of her own clone troopers during Order 66.
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Aside from becoming a member of the Jedi Council, Depa Billaba was also notable for having trained Caleb Dume, who would later become Kanan Jarrus. And despite the great Mace Windu being Dume’s grandmaster, Billaba did not teach Dume Form VII. Rather, Dume was proficient with Form III. When Order 66 occurred, Billaba valiantly sacrificed herself to allow Dume to escape. Even though he did not know Vaapad, he still carried the memory of Billaba with him.
Depa Billaba's sacrifice can be seen in Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1, episode 1 "Aftermath."
Mace's Dark Side Form Shows Why He Was The Wrong Jedi To Face Palpatine
Vaapad involved the tapping into their negative emotions, which was something Palpatine was an expert at. Similar to Windu being in control of his anger and hatred, Palpatine used the Force to hide his immense dark side abilities and hatred of the Jedi. It took an enormous amount of control not to reveal his true feelings, especially when he was in close proximity to the Jedi. To them, he looked like the average politician. However, despite beating Palpatine, Mace Windu was actually not the right Jedi to fight Palpatine.
Because Mace Windu was constantly drawing on his negative emotions to use Vaapad, Palpatine could easily goad him over the edge. Palpatine’s expertise in the dark side blinded Mace Windu to Anakin’s conflicted emotions. And his desire to kill Palpatine shows just how far toward the dark side Mace Windu had gone. Palpatine forced Mace Windu to focus on himself rather than Anakin, ultimately leading him to realize Anakin’s betrayal too late. Ultimately, Mace Windu’s concentration on not tipping to the dark side ended up being his weakness. And with both he and Billaba dead, there remained almost no one in Star Wars who truly know Vaapad.
