Mace Windu's lightsaber

Mace Windu, a highly respected Jedi Master within the Jedi Order, carried a Jedi lightsaber that was easily recognized because of its unusual purple plasma blade. The distinct hue of the blade acted as a signal to opponents, indicating that the Jedi Order's most skilled warrior was prepared for combat.

Despite the fact that it became the last lightsaber he would wield, Windu actually constructed it early in his life. After gaining significant years of experience, he applied the highest standards to create an exceptional weapon. The lightsaber featured a specially crafted handgrip and an electrum finish, signifying Windu's esteemed position as a senior member of the Jedi High Council.

During his time as a Jedi Initiate, Mace Windu faced challenges in constructing his lightsaber. He struggled to properly assemble the weapon's components and felt discouraged. However, the architect droid Huyang intervened, reminding him that the Force was the unifying element, binding the pieces together through Windu himself, essentially transforming the Jedi into the weapon rather than just the wielder of a lightsaber. With the assistance of the droid, Windu successfully completed the construction of his lightsaber, resulting in the creation of the purple-bladed weapon that he would carry for many years. Windu employed his lightsaber against pirates during the rescue of Depa Billaba and Sar Labooda, sisters whom he subsequently brought into the Jedi Order.

On Oosalon, Windu's lightsaber was disassembled when he was captured as a prisoner by Guattako's army. Kyossk displayed the lightsaber pieces in a box to Guattako when Windu was brought before the warlord. Despite Guattako's underestimation of the Jedi Master without his lightsaber, Windu used the Force to contact his fellow Jedi and revealed that his capture was intentional, aimed at locating the insurgents' camp. He then used his telekinetic powers to reassemble his lightsaber and engaged Guattako's forces, severing Kyossk's arm in the process. He fought Guattako until one of the warlord's captives, a youngling, killed him with a blaster shot in the back in an attempt to escape. Windu then cut his bonds with his lightsaber and rejoined his fellow Jedi.

Prior to the First Battle of Geonosis in 22 BBY, Windu commanded a Jedi assault team to Geonosis, a world controlled by the Separatist faction, with the objective of rescuing Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Knight. This led to a confrontation between the Jedi and a contingent of battle droids. During the conflict, Windu faced Jango Fett, a bounty hunter in the service of Count Dooku, the Separatist leader. With remarkable composure, Windu deflected Fett's blaster fire and eliminated the mercenary by decapitating him with a single strike of his lightsaber, severing his armored head. Subsequently, Windu took his lightsaber into the main battle, where he led the newly established clone army of the Galactic Republic against the Separatist Droid Army.

In his role as a Jedi General within the Grand Army of the Republic, Windu, like his Jedi peers, actively supported the war effort. Throughout the Clone Wars, General Windu frequently employed his lightsaber, guiding his clone troopers in various battles, including the Battle of Ryloth and the Battle of Malastare. On one occasion during the war, Windu used his lightsaber to fend off Ochi of Bestoon, a Jedi hunter, after disarming the assassin of his beskar deadblade, when he hunted Depa Billaba on Malathon IX.

After three years of conflict, the Jedi discovered that Sheev Palpatine, the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, was actually Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith who was secretly planning the destruction of the Jedi and the conquest of the galaxy. Recognizing the critical situation facing the Jedi Order, Windu attempted to arrest the chancellor to prevent his plan from succeeding. Although the Sith Lord managed to kill three of Windu's companions during the ensuing lightsaber duel, the Jedi Master ultimately gained the upper hand and disarmed Sidious of his weapon.

Sidious, unwilling to concede defeat, launched an attack on Windu with a surge of Force lightning, forcing the Jedi Master to use his lightsaber to deflect the energy. This redirection of the lightning resulted in the disfigurement of Sidious' face. Just as Windu was about to strike down the Sith Lord, Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight, intervened by using his own weapon to sever Windu's hand, saving Sidious' life. The severed hand, along with the lightsaber it held, fell into the streets of Coruscant. With Windu wounded by his former ally and without his lightsaber, Sidious resumed his assault, unleashing a powerful wave of Force lightning that led to the death of the Jedi Order's most prominent champion.

Mace Windu's lightsaber made its initial appearance in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, the second film in the Prequel trilogy. Samuel L. Jackson, the actor who portrayed Windu, personally selected the lightsaber's blade color. He desired a purple lightsaber because he considered himself "the second baddest Jedi in the universe" and wanted to be easily identifiable during the Battle of Geonosis scene.

In Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, Windu is shown with a different lightsaber, with several different designs being used for the character during the movie, based on reference photographs. Though reference material often says that Windu made the lightsaber that debuted in Attack of the Clones later in his life, the story "The Weapon" depicts Windu creating the lightsaber during his days as a youngling. Indeed, the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi episode "Choices" depicted the Attack of the Clones-style lightsaber in Windu's possession before the events of The Phantom Menace. When asked if these appearances negated earlier reference material that said he constructed it as a senior council member, Pablo Hidalgo responded that there is not a definitive answer. He reasoned that there could be more than one lightsaber with the Attack of the Clones-style design, with Windu possibly remaking the design multiple times over his life. Hidalgo also noted that, given the Attack of the Clones design was used in Tales of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace design would likely be ignored moving forward.