There was a time when Mace Windu had feared the power of
the dark; there was a time when he had feared the darkness in
himself. But the Clone Wars had given him a gift of understanding:
on a world called Haruun Kal, he had faced his darkness and had
learned that the power of darkness is not to be feared.He had learned that it is fear that gives the darkness power.
He was not afraid. The darkness had no power over him.
But—Neither did he have power over it.Vaapad made him an open channel, half of a superconducting
loop completed by the shadow
Mace was now able to give himself completely to Vaapad and thus form the superconducting loop inherent to this ability.
He did in that fight because he was no longer afraid of the darkness within himself. It's pretty clear.
"Vaapad is a channel for darkness, and that darkness flowed both
ways. He accepted the furious speed of the Sith Lord, drew the
shadow's rage and power into his inmost center-
And let it fountain out again."
Something he couldn't have done had he not been able to overcome the fear of the darkness within himself... as well as that of Sidious.
"But surely, Master Windu," Obi-Wan had said, "you, with the power of Vaapad-or Yoda's mastery of Ataro-"
Mace Windu had almost smiled. "I created Vaapad to answer my weakness: it channels my own darkness into a weapon of the light. Master Yoda's Ataro is also an answer to weakness: the limitations of reach and mobility imposed by his stature and his age. But for you? What weakness does Soresu answer?"
^Mace says that Vaapad enables him to channel his own darkness in RotS.
''Anakin could feel how the Force fed upon the shadow's murderous exaltation; he could feel fury spray into the Force though some poisonous abscess had crested in both their hearts.
There was no Jedi restraint here.
Mace Windu was cutting loose.
Mace was deep in it now: submerged in Vaapad, swallowed by it, he no longer truly existed as an independent being.
Vaapad is a channel for darkness, and that darkness flowed both ways. He accepted the furious speed of the Sith Lord, drew the shadow's rage and power into his inmost center-And let it fountain out again.
He reflected the fury upon its source as a lightsaber redirects a blaster bolt.''
^Mace feeding not only on his own darkness but Palpatine's as well, despite never having done so.
It doesn't matter whether or not he did so prior to RotS... the catalyst for this was his ability to overcome his fear of the darkness, as indicated above. Therefore, this is who RotS Mace Windu is.
Regardless, the G-canon statement and feat is that he not only competed with, but overcame and defeated Sidious.
He was able to channel said darkness FULLY due to no longer fearing it.
Also, because Mace didn't mention channeling his opponents darkness when speaking with Kenobi in no way indicates that he doesn't do so.
The fact is that AFTER (there you go) Shatterpoint, Mace Windu no longer feared the darkness and could therefore FULLY immerse himself in Vaapad, thus forming the superconducting loop that is inherent in Vaapad's purest manifestation.
He did not have that ability BEFORE Shatterpoint due to his fear of the darkness. But he DID have it afterwards due to his LACK of fear regarding the darkness.
Also, notice that GL said that "You have to be either Yoda or Mace to compete with Sidious." The word have indicates that this is not a one-off type of thing. Otherwise he would have said that you HAD to be Mace Windu in order to compete.
Fact is Mace Windu, as of RotS, is able to give Sidious hell, and did so. Therefore, your comment that he cannot compete with Sidious falls flat on its face.
Originally posted by Jinsoku Takai
He was able to channel said darkness FULLY due to no longer fearing it.Also, because Mace didn't mention channeling his opponents darkness when speaking with Kenobi in no way indicates that he doesn't do so.
The fact is that AFTER (there you go) Shatterpoint, Mace Windu no longer feared the darkness and could therefore FULLY immerse himself in Vaapad, thus forming the superconducting loop that is inherent in Vaapad's purest manifestation.
He did not have that ability BEFORE Shatterpoint due to his fear of the darkness. But he DID have it afterwards due to his LACK of fear regarding the darkness.
Also, notice that GL said that "You have to be either Yoda or Mace to compete with Sidious." The word have indicates that this is not a one-off type of thing. Otherwise he would have said that you HAD to be Mace Windu in order to compete.
Fact is Mace Windu, as of RotS, is able to give Sidious hell, and did so. Therefore, your comment that he cannot compete with Sidious falls flat on its face.
To sum up; after the events of "Shatterpoint" Mace had acquired the means to fight Palpatine on (basically) even footing and (again after "Shatterpoint"😉 could do so at any time. That is, the duel in RotS was not a one-time only deal.
Originally posted by Intrepid37
Mace in RotS can't do it either except in that situation. Why do you think that in RotS, he told Kenobi that Vaapad channeled his own darkness, but never mentioned anything about his opponents darkness?
The Jedi vs Sith Essential Guide to the Force lists it as one of Vaapad's core applications. It wasn't a one-off.