Besides, influence could mean many things: it does not mean that they will always vote the way Palpatine wants. Windu would have had great cause for concern, but he would likely have imagined that the "good" senators could outvote their treasonous brethren. However, between the moment that Mace declares his intent to arrest Palpatine and when he decides that he needs to kill him, a number of events happen that could easily have changed Mace's mind.įirst, Palpatine has revealed to him that "I am the Senate!" Dooku had insinuated that hundreds of senators were under the influence of Sidious, but the Galactic Senate consists of thousands of delegates. By all appearances, the Jedi have the right to arrest criminals, and conspiring against the Republic certainly qualifies they do not, however, have the right to execute said malefactors. In short, Mace is committed to doing things according to protocol, or at least according to what he perceives as correct protocol. Giving your enemy a chance to surrender is just the Way Things Are Done.
#I AM THE SENATE STAR WARS FULL#
Admittedly, his offer of forcibly reprogramming them is not terribly enlightened, but considering that most people in the Galaxy seem to think of droids as unworthy of any moral consideration, and that Windu knows full well that they are just going to try to shoot him anyway, this bespeaks a tremendous devotion to the procedures of war. He is talking to an army of battle droids, who then proceed to blast him. I'm giving you an opportunity to peacefully lay down your weapons, so that you may be reprogrammed to serve a better purpose than spreading the mindless violence and chaos which you have inflicted upon the galaxy. At this point of the Clone War, I have dismantled and destroyed over 100,000 of you type one battle droids. My name is General Mace Windu of the Jedi Order. If we need more evidence of this tendency, just look at this quote: Even then, it seems he only entertains it because Palpatine seemingly would be acting extralegally by retaining his dictatorial powers after the war was over, and the Council does seem to be legally empowered to arrest criminals in the name of the Senate. However, even then, Mace sounds surprised when he responds to Ki Adi Mundi, saying "the Jedi Council would have to take power to ensure a peaceful transition." He seems to dislike the idea. Palpatine: The power you give me I will lay down when this crisis has abated. After all, Palpatine promised that it would be a temporary situation.
![i am the senate star wars i am the senate star wars](https://i.imgur.com/rM555pD.jpg)
Similarly, when the Jedi are discussing what to do if Palpatine does not lay down his emergency powers, Mace is concerned. To Mace, Anakin should have gone through the normal procedures, not merely skipped over them because of his prodigious talent with the Force. When Anakin joins the council, Mace says "You are on this council, but we do not grant you the rank of Master." His disapproval is obvious. We can see this trait in a few of his other defining moments. He does not think that the Jedi should unilaterally act against the Chancellor. Quite simply, Mace believes in the rule of law.