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Credit: LucasfilmMace Windu is set to return to Star Wars in an epic sequel.
It’s easy to see how Mace Windu’s refusal to make Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) a Jedi Knight contributed to his betrayal of the Jedi Council and his becoming the Sith Lord known as Darth Vader. But then Windu never shared Qui-Gon Jinn’s beliefs that Anakin was the Chosen One, which led to some friction between Mace, a dogmatic member of the Order, and Qui-Gon (Liam Neeson), the maverick and unorthodox Force-wielder.
It wasn’t until Qui-Gon’s death at the hands of Darth Maul (Ray Park) in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999) that Mace finally believed the Sith had returned. In canon, we never see how he deals with that knowledge or with his fellow Jedi’s death as we jump forward ten years to Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002). But now, a new faraway galaxy adventure, which is a direct sequel to The Phantom Menace, has been revealed.
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Written by Steven Barnes, who penned Star Wars Legends novel The Cestus Deception (2004), Star Wars: The Glass Abyss (2024) finds Mace Windu, who’s played by Samuel L Jackson in the films and Terence C Carson in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 — 2020) and Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi (2022), receiving a posthumous message from Qui-Gon Jinn, which sends him on a dangerous quest to a never-before-seen planet.
“I was thrilled to be asked to write The Glass Abyss, with an opportunity to explore Mace Windu,” Barnes told StarWars.com, who made the announcement. “I was busy with television work… but how could I pass THIS up? A chance to wield the purple lightsaber? Hah! So, with the support of a great team, I crafted a story of mystery, adventure, betrayal, and romance on a new planet, Metagos, a seething criminal cess-pool that was once a thriving and beautiful world, a place where a single supreme warrior, willing to risk all, can make the ultimate difference.”
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Barnes goes on to remind fans that Mace Windu was among the most powerful Jedi in the faraway galaxy before his brutal death at the hands of Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) and Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith (2005), before adding that he’s excited to read The Glass Abyss himself, saying:
“At all times, I remembered there is only one goal in writing such a book: to be true to the mythos and thrill the fans. To give them the fun, suspense, and heart-stopping action they’ve come to expect from one of our greatest mythologies, and create more of an inner world for one of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy. I can’t wait to share The Glass Abyss with the fans. Heck… I can’t wait to read it myself.”
Though we’ve seen Mace Windu return many times since the Prequel Trilogy, in animated shows such as The Clone Wars and Tales of the Jedi, the fact he’s about to lead his own brand-new adventure in the aftermath of The Phantom Menace is exciting, to say the least.
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Fans of the character have been crying out for Samuel L Jackson to reprise his role in live action for years, while many refuse to believe the Jedi even died after being electrocuted by Palpatine’s Force powers and thrown into the aerial traffic lanes of Coruscant.
That said, the Star Wars franchise is known for bringing characters back from the dead, such as Maul (played by Sam Witwer in The Clone Wars and Rebels, with Ray Park later reprising his role as the disgraced Sith Lord in Solo: A Star Wars Story).
Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch/Temuera Morrison) is another culprit. Thought to have been killed after falling into the Sarlacc Pit in Star Wars: Episode VI — The Return of the Jedi (1983), the bounty hunter was shown to have survived in his own Disney+ series, The Book of Boba Fett (2021).
Per StarWars.com, here’s the synopsis for the upcoming novel:
The Jedi are reeling from Qui-Gon Jinn’s sudden death at the hands of a Sith. Jedi Master Mace Windu’s feelings about Qui-Gon have always been complicated, and have not been made any simpler in death.
While they often disagreed, Mace valued Qui-Gon’s unique perspective, and their shared dedication to the Force made them allies. Without Qui-Gon and his unorthodox views, Mace feels out of balance.
While considering his fallen friend’s legacy, Mace is surprised to receive a final message from Qui-Gon, marked to be delivered to Mace on the event of Qui-Gon’s death. The message contains a last request: a plea to help the Outer Rim planet of Metagos.
Qui-Gon Jinn is also set to return in a new graphic novel series, Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories (2024), which releases in January, 2024.
The Glass Abyss will be released on August 6, 2024.
Are you a fan of Mace Windu and Qui-Gon Jinn? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!