One of the most pivotal scenes in Star Wars happened in Revenge of the Sith. Mace Windu battled Palpatine and beat him. The Emperor could have been defeated right then, but Anakin Skywalker intervened.
Star Wars fans know this scene, and how it leads to the rise of the Empire. Yet, what if Mace Windu killed Palpatine before Anakin got there? The Jedi continuing to rule are among many possibilities. Read on to find out more about what could have happened.
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Mace Windu, Palpatine, and Anakin
In Revenge of the Sith, Mace Windu and Chancellor Palpatine engaged in a lightsaber duel and Windu prevailed. Anakin rushed in as Windu pointed his lightsaber at him.
This duel in Palpatine’s office on Coruscant included the Chancellor killing Jedi Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, and Kit Fisto. Windu managed to knock Darth Sidious down and had him defeated.
Windu tried to explain to Anakin how Palpatine is a Sith in disguise. This was when Darth Sidious was unveiled, complete with Force lightning being thrown at Windu.
The scene reached a climax when Anakin chose between Windu and Palpatine. Anakin sided with the Emperor-in-the-making and slashed Windu’s hand off before Palpatine jettisoned him out the port window with Force lightning.
This is an important moment in allowing the rise of the Sith and the extermination of the Jedi. But it could have gone differently.
What If Mace Windu Killed Palpatine Before Anakin Got There?
One possibility is that Mace Windu would be arrested and put on trial. The Senate and the Jedi Council would be suspicious of such actions and conclude that Windu had carried out a misdeed.
Windu could have explained how Palpatine was a Sith in disguise. He may have had access to security footage that showed Palpatine’s true intentions.
But this is not an automatic result. The Senate would have not readily accepted this outlook and the Jedi may have thought that Windu had fallen to the dark side since Palpatine hid his identity so well.
A second outlook posits that the Jedi would have retained power, but that Snoke would rise sooner. Under this scenario, Order 66 would not have been issued and Padme would survive.
Snoke would try to bring Luke Skywalker over to the dark side, but the Separatists would lack the leadership to bring the Imperial regime to its fruition. The Jedi would keep ruling the galaxy. Anakin Skywalker could also carry forward as a Jedi, no longer subjected to Palpatine’s corruption.
Yet, this may also mean the entire Star Wars saga would stop in its tracks. Without these drastic turns against the Jedi and Republic, we do not have the original trilogy that sparked the franchise.
If Mace Windu Killed Palpatine: Alternatives Results
Alternatively, Palpatine could have already cloned himself, as audiences witnessed in The Rise of Skywalker. So, the cloned Emperor could resume his plans to wipe out the Jedi and bring out the Empire.
By Revenge of the Sith, cloning by the Kaminoans was fully underway. It would have been possible for Palpatine to direct some of those efforts from Clone troopers to versions of himself.
Palpatine could have already transferred his consciousness to a clone as a way to protect his plans if Anakin did not follow his lead or if a Jedi figured out who he really was, which Windu did.
Another alternative is that Anakin could have killed Palpatine instead of saving him. Anakin would thus betray the Sith and not become Vader. He would become a trusted partner of Windu and help lead the Jedi.
There would still be problems to resolve, like the Jedi accepting Anakin’s marriage to Padme. But this version of events would also change the narrative.
Could Mace Windu Kill Palpatine?
Star Wars fans speculated over whether Windu was strong enough to defeat Palpatine. After all, this is Darth Sidious, the most powerful Sith.
We could see that Palpatine could have been letting Windu win as a ploy to draw Anakin to the dark side. Behind-the-scenes footage gives some indication of this theory. Yet, Lucas clarified that Windu beat Sidious and was the clear winner of the duel.
![Anakin originally killed Mace Windu!? [Alternate Ending]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vp5Zq4W8DUQ/0.jpg)
This means that Windu had a true opportunity to kill Palpatine before Anakin arrived. The above scenarios could have been part of the Star Wars universe.
Windu Kills Palpatine
If Mace Windu killed Palpatine before Anakin got there, we would have witnessed the Jedi in charge for a longer time. Order 66 would most likely have been called off and the Republic would survive, at least longer than in the actual movies.
Yet, new villains like Snoke would arise and perhaps corrupt the next generation with Luke Skywalker. Or, maybe Sidious had himself cloned already and we would have jumped into something close to The Rise of Skywalker.
Todd Wahlstrom is a creative and analytical freelance writer and life-long Star Wars fan who has expanded into writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has written about recent shows such as The Mandalorian and Andor and classic topics like Darth Vader, the Jedi, and Boba Fett. His recent articles include the MCU’s Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. Todd is the author of a non-fiction book, holds a Ph.D. in history, and enjoys hiking, running, and reading about science.