Star Wars really does need a What if…? series as another hypothetical scenario is making waves on Reddit. But unlike previous instances where it involved characters turning into the dark side or if no one turned evil at all, fans now wonder what if Mace Windu killed Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
The question was asked by Reddit user u/nojunkpeter on the r/StarWars subreddit. For those who need a refresher, Mace Windu was about to arrest Emperor Palpatine. But when Anakin Skywalker arrived, Windu tells the young Jedi that Palpatine is “too dangerous” to be kept alive. Palpatine begged for mercy and it was given. Unfortunately, Windu met his demise when he was thrown off the window. So what if Skywalker never made it in time and Windu killed the Emperor?
According to OP, they theorized that it’s either Skywalker not turning into the dark side or Anakin would have killed Windu due to anger.
Fans have chipped in on what could have happened once the events of the original confrontation have changed. One suggested that even if Anakin wanted to take down Windu, he wouldn’t be strong enough to take him down. Also, Skywalker would have received praise since he saved the republic. Others added to that by theorizing that Yoda would have taught Skywalker how to “force heal” and saved Padme.
Others pointed out that it is canon knowledge that Palpatine has clones of himself in Exagol. So another theory that was shared is that one of them would have come out to replace the one we know in Episode three.
But one common answer that was shared by fans was that Skywalker is more likely to leave the Jedi Order due to being distraught. But at the same time, Padmé wouldn’t die.
It seems like fans are somewhat consistent when it comes to this Star Wars scenario. And it makes a lot of sense since Padmé wouldn’t die, there is a high chance that the republic would have been saved, and Skywalker’s fate would be unknown. And all because Skywalker was unable to save Palpatine on time.