What If... Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Finale)

And. So. It. ENDS!

All from a Twitter comment, here we are just over two years and nineteen parts later. The board is set and the pieces are ready to be moved for the final time. The battle against the Jedi and the Sith will finally come to an end - light against dark, winner take all.

Let's see how it all ends!

What If... Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 19)

There has been an awakening... can you feel it?

Last time, Tarkin had approached the Jedi and the Rebellion for a truce to deal with Palpatine. Everything seems to be spinning out toward a final battle at Byss. In this corner: the armies of the Jedi, the Rebellion, and Tarkin's Imperial loyalists. In the other corner: Darth Sidious, his new apprentice Darth Abaddon, his army of sycophantic wannabe Sith Lords, and the rest of the Imperial Army and Navy.

Oh, right, and a Death Star!

Ding! Ding!

What If... Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 18)

The gaps between these are getting way too long.

Last time, Mace, Anakin, and Obi-Wan had been brought before Emperor Palpatine on board the Death Star. After the Sith Lord had murdered Mas Amedda right in front of them, the four engaged in a vicious duel. Palpatine was, in the end, cut down once more. However, Anakin's mission to restore balance to the Force was not yet complete. Across the galaxy on the planet Byss, Palpatine had emerged from a cloning tank in a new body with Trilla on the line to carry out the next of his orders.

So... with only three parts remaining, where do we go from here? Let's find out!

What If... Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 17)

So, unlike last time, I have actually watched the first two (and will have watched the third by the time this goes live) episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

... yeah, it's alright. Some issues, but nothing that completely takes me out of it.

Also, last time, the Jedi had managed to spring the trap and get to Mas Amedda, who revealed to them the terrible truth they had already known: somehow, Palpatine has returned. Mace, Anakin, and Obi-Wan were all brought to a new Death Star orbiting the forest moon of Endor, where they encountered a much younger, more able Palpatine. And it is here that we picked up with our story already in progress...

What If... Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 16)

What's that? I'm doing this just because the Kenobi series came out with its first two episodes (which I have not watched at the time I'm writing this) and am trying to appease the algorithm?

Why must you be so cynical? It's so uncivilized!

What If...Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 15)

Last time, the Rebels made great progress after a two year struggle to retake Alderaan. In the shadow of that victory, however, the Jedi had a terrible realization: somehow, Palpatine has returned despite Anakin having struck him down back in Part 4. Despite Anakin's destiny to bring balance to the Force, the Sith remain and the Dark Side holds.

What happens next? Let's see.

What If...Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 14)

Image credit to u/DudeItsSam on Reddit

Man, it's been an even hotter minute since last time, hasn't it?

I've been away from this for so long that I'd honestly forgotten where I was going with this. Luckily, having watched Book of Boba Fett has inspired me to pick this back up again...mostly out of disappointment with where that show went, but that's neither here nor there.

So, let's do the recap of last time, shall we?

What If...Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 13)

Well, it's sure been a hot minute, hasn't it? Last time, Kadann had murdered Cere Junda and had defeated Mace in a duel - even shattering his mechanical arm - before taking him prisoner. Will the crew of the Stinger Mantis be able to rescue him? Or will this be the end of our intrepid heroes at long last?

Let's find out!

What if...Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 12)

Last time, Mace went to the aid of one Cal Kestis on the planet Dathomir. The galaxy is in chaos with the cold war between the Empire and the burgeoning Rebellion, and it seems that no one has the upper hand in the battle of the Light Side versus the Dark. Will Mace be able to aid Cal on his mission? Will the Empire recover from their defeat at Despayre and the loss of their superweapon? And what about the Prophets of the Dark Side and the Inquisitorus?

. . .let's answer that last question first, shall we?

What If...Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 11)

See? I told you. Ish.

What If...Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 10)

Holy smokes! We finally made it! Ten parts! This is my longest running what if thus far!

Without any further adieu, let's get into it...

Last time, Bail Organa was arrested by the Empire and taken to the planet Despayre. The Jedi managed to escape being decimated once again by their forces and the forces of the Prophets of the Dark Side, and regrouped with Mon Mothma and Garm Bel Ibis to launch a rescue mission. Will they succeed? Let's find out.

What If...Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 9)

Last time, Mace dueled the Second Sister on Lotho Minor in order to save Channett Jade and her unborn child, who she very promptly afterward gave birth to - a daughter by the name of Mara. Meanwhile, Kadann arrived on Nur to bring the Inquisitorius an ultimatum - cede their power to the Empire, Emperor or no Emperor, or be destroyed. Giving them a very generous one week to decide, Kadann left. On Coruscant, the Imperial Senate has been dissolved in all but name and the Senators sent home. Tarkin, however, decides to focus on the conspiring Senators Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, sensing trouble for the already fragmented Empire...

What If...Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 8)

Last time, Mace managed to survive a battle with Boba Fett and escape. Following Tarful's lead, he found his way to Kento and Mallie Marek and their infant son Garek, adding more ranks to the remnant of the Jedi Order. After getting them to a safe place, Mace was granted a vision of the son of Anakin and Padmé with a strange redheaded woman, fighting side by side as Jedi Knights. The Pathfinder started off to the planet of Lotho Minor, renowned around the galaxy as a planet of junk. What will the crew find there? And who is watching them?

Let's get into it.

What If...Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 7)

Anyone knows the artist, let me know!

When we last left the epic of “What If Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine?”, Mace and the crew of the Pathfinder arrived on Kashyyyk to answer the call of Tarful, who sought to liberate Wookiees from an Imperial labor camp. Thanks to the extra help of the Jedi Master and his crew, they succeeded. However, it appears that Mace did not come to Kashyyyk without a tagalong. A familiar Mandalorian warrior made himself known, Boba Fett has come to avenge his father’s death at Mace’s hands. We resume our look into another looking glass as the fight begins…

What If. . .Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 6)

Last time, we ended on a sour note as Mace Windu failed to save some padawans that had been in hiding on Coruscant in the weeks since Order 66. A traitor among them, spurred on by promises of a mysterious man named Cronal, had betrayed them and they had all paid the price for his treachery with their lives. However, the Pathfinder continues to fly and there is some hope left that other Jedi can be saved…if only just a little hope. . .

What If...Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 5)

Image credit to @BrianRebellion on Twitter

Last time, the four remaining Jedi spearheaded a bold campaign into the heart of Palpatine’s regime and Anakin seemingly fulfilled his destined by destroying the last of the Sith. However, the Emperor had planned for that eventuality and the footage of his “murder” was broadcast across the Holonet to the four corners of the galaxy.

More pressing, Palpatine had been tracking Anakin and knew that the four had come from the Polis Massa research facility and had sent out a Star Destroyer to attack it. With Bail, Padmé, and the twins in the line of fire, the Jedi managed to escape from Coruscant. Will they reach Polis Massa in time? Let’s have a look.

What If...Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 4)

Mace Windu survived his battle against Palpatine. Rather than falling to his death and dying from his injuries in the Coruscant under city, he escaped, and with the help of the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn made his way to reunite with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. From there, he journeyed with the two Masters to Coruscant and then to pursue Anakin Skywalker, who had become the Sith Lord Darth Vader.

After a long and arduous battle, Mace managed to talk Anakin down by making the ultimate sacrifice play. Mace saw Anakin collapse under the weight of all he had done, and he and Obi-Wan were able to take the younger man into custody. Seeking to rehabilitate him, three Jedi Masters and the one Knight began to form a plan to stop Palpatine once and for all.

Will they succeed? Or will luck finally run out for the last of the Jedi? Let's find out.

What If...Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 3)

Last time, the Battle of Heroes began. In one corner, the former Anakin Skywalker - now Darth Vader - with some broken hand and rage in his heart. In the other corner, two Jedi Masters that are woefully unprepared for what they are about to face.

We return to Mustafar, the duel already in progress.

What If...Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 2)

Last time, we posed a question: What would happen if Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine during Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith? Rather than falling to his death into the streets of Coruscant below, the heavily injured Mace Windu found himself falling into the cargo hauler of a kindly Duro by the name of Ram who was only too give the Jedi Master a safe haven while he recuperated and fixed him up with a brand new mechanical arm.

On the reverse end of things, the fortunes of the whole Jedi Order had gone sour with Order 66. Escaping from Coruscant, Mace found himself visited by the Force Ghost of none other than Qui-Gon Jinn. Qui-Gon told Mace of coordinates to travel to, so that he might meet up with his fellow Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda and perhaps undo the damage done by the revealed Dark Lord of the Sith and his new apprentice, the former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker.

Also, to give you terms of the time scale...this is about the point in the movie where Senator Bail Organa has linked up with Yoda and they are currently heading toward the ship carrying Obi-Wan Kenobi from Utapau, just to let you know what's happening at roughly the same time.

Picking up right where we left off, the ship that Mace had booked passage aboard in exchange for work was being pursued by a Republic...now Imperial...Star Destroyer, demanding that they prepare to be boarded and searched for a suspected Jedi refugee.

What If...Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 1)

Alright, so a thought occurred to me, inspired by this Twitter post of my own.

Maybe? But then the question becomes where is he by the time of Return of the Jedi? I cannot imagine that Mace would not have been heavily involved in the Rebel Alliance. https://t.co/NGlTCOPGu1

— MadCapMunchkin (@MadCapMunchkin) August 28, 2020

After I tweeted that I thought to myself, "Well, the series is called What If, not The Doctor Who Grand Funk Railroad Experiment." Besides, What If is an idea with so much potential around it that it really shouldn't be stuck to just one fandom or even one part of one fandom. Thus, I have decided to pull out the golden goose that Disney slit the throat of and had no idea that you couldn't do that and still expect it to do anything - Star Wars.

Also, yes, I'm aware that I've gone on record as saying that I'm not really a fan of the Mace Windu character. However, I know a lot of people are and I have a feeling I can make this work within the confines of the Star Wars mythos.

So, let's do some set up.