In “Star Wars: Jedi of the Republic – Mace Windu,” a padawan-braided Mace accompanies his master Cyslin Myr to the planet Mathas, where they confront a dangerous Jedi imposter named Drooz who’s attempted to build a kind of cult. Unsurprisingly, the comic and other canonical “Star Wars” sourcebooks all paint the young Mace as headstrong, emotional, and quick to anger. One account from his padawan days in the “Age of Republic” comics details his lack of patience when building his first lightsaber with the droid swordsmith Huyang. On his mission to Mathas, Mace’s master repeatedly instructs him to let go of his intense emotions and show mercy.
As seen throughout the prequel trilogy, those will continue to be issues for Mace later in life. He wears the face of a cool, calm, and collected Jedi Master, leading the order through difficult times alongside Master Yoda. In reality, though, his rage never fully goes away; it only simmers beneath the surface.
Mace’s confrontation with Drooz as a padawan is meant to evoke his final moments with Palpatine in “Revenge of the Sith.” In both cases, he’s prepared to kill his opponent in the name of preventing future bloodshed. Cyslin Myr talks him down, reasserting that their task is to apprehend the villain, not destroy him. Perhaps if Mace had remembered that lesson decades later in the Chancellor’s chambers, Anakin Skywalker wouldn’t have turned on him. We’ll never know for sure.