General Grievous is one of the most menacing villains in the galaxy far, far away. He is a powerful Kaleesh cyborg with a mastery of lightsaber combat. As a result, he is a formidable opponent for anyone, including Master Mace Windu, who is one of the strongest members of the Jedi Council under Master Yoda.
Despite his prowess and unique abilities, Windu was scared of Grievous, at least in the Legends continuity. According to the Legends, Grievous and Windu once faced off in a duel, which revealed the dark truth about the Kaleesh cyborg and it scared the Jedi Master. Here is why Mace Windu was scared of General Grievous in Star Wars.
Mace Windu Fought Against General Grievous in Star Wars Legends
Mace Windu is arguably one of the strongest Jedi serving on the Jedi Council during the prequels era of the Star Wars franchise helmed by George Lucas. The character was played in live-action by Samuel L. Jackson and is known for developing Form VII of lightsaber duel, with his discipline known as the Vaapad style.
Despite being one of the most powerful Jedi of his time, Windu was scared of the Kaleesh cyborg General Grievous. The character was first introduced in the now de-canonized Clone Wars animated series that ran from 2003 to 2005. The animated series features a brief duel between Grievous and Windu.
However, the duel between the two characters which is more notable takes place in the 2005 novel Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil written by James Luceno. In the novel, Grievous’s cybernetic enhancements allow him to mimic Windu’s Vaapad style of lightsaber combat, forcing the latter to retreat.
Ultimately, Windu becomes scared of Grievous as the cyborg can mimic his style, which would have dire consequences for the galaxy. However, it is important to note that the novel featuring this duel now falls under the Star Wars Legends continuity and is no longer canon.
Mace Windu’s Fear Of General Grievous Prevented Them From Dueling Again in Star Wars
Mace Windu’s style hinges on channeling his inner dark side and harnessing it for the good. As a result, the Vaapad style is inherently linked to the dark side of the Force. During his duel with Grievous in Labyrinth of Evil, Windu realizes that the cyborg has created a passable recreation of his Vaapad style.
Windu retreats from the duel as he does not want to give Grievous more time to study and analyze his style, which has a strong link to the dark side. As a result, it is speculated that Windu felt allowing Grievous to perfect the Vaapad style would have ignited his connection to the Force.
Windu’s fear of Grievous extended beyond simply the latter’s prowess with different styles of lightsaber duels. Instead, Windu feared that if Grievous was to become Force-sensitive and lean toward the dark side, he would become an abomination for the galaxy far, far away. Therefore, this fear prevented Windu from facing Grievous one-on-one in the future.
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