Samuel L. Jackson Was Refused A Purple Lightsaber

Although Mace Windu is renowned for having a purple lightsaber, it looks as though George Lucas wasn’t keen on the idea…

It’s no secret that Samuel L. Jackson played the first Jedi to have a lightsaber that wasn’t either blue or green. Jedi Master Mace Windu was one of the cooler additions in the ‘Star Wars’ prequels… and the purple saber became his calling card.

But while George Lucas initially turned down Jackson’s request, it looks as though he always gets what he wants.

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During an interview with MTV News, the 66-year-old Jedi master revealed that George Lucas wasn’t exactly struck on the idea of a purple lightsaber.

“Every ‘Star Wars’ has its own thing,” he said. “Even George changed stuff, and when I asked him for a purple lightsaber, he was like: ‘no, lightsabers are two colours’.” But it seems that didn’t stop Jackson from pursuing his dream of standing out from the crowd…

“I’m like ‘Dude, I’m like, high up on the Jedi hierarchy, Yoda’s my best friend, I’ve been a Jedi longer than anybody except for him, really. When you think about it…’. And then next thing I know, he gave me a purple lightsaber.”

Of course, the purple lightsaber came to be Mace Windu’s biggest selling point – the one Jedi who really stands out from the crowd. And in previous interviews, Jackson explained that the reason he wanted it so badly, was so that he could point himself out amongst the crowd.

“We had this big arena, this fight scene with all these Jedi and they’re fightin’ or whatever. And I was like, ‘well s—, I wanna be able to find myself in this big ol’ scene’,” he said on The Graham Norton Show in 2013. “So I said to George, ‘You think maybe I can get a purple lightsaber?’”

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Obviously, George Lucas eventually gave in and granted Samuel L. Jackson his request.

“When I came back to do reshoots, [Lucas] said, ‘I want to show you something, this has already caused a s— storm online’. And he had the purple lightsaber! And I was like ‘yeah!’ And so I could find myself in that big fight scene. There’s like 300 lightsabers, and I’m like, ‘There I am, right there’.”

But was a purple lightsaber anywhere near as controversial as one with a funky new crossguard? For now, we’ll have to wait and see… but I get the feeling that the ‘Star Wars VII’ sabre might be a little more practical than Mace Windu’s purple blade.

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ heads to cinemas on 18 December 2015.

What do you think of Mace Windu’s purple lightsaber? Should George have caved so easily? Let us know what you think in the comments below…