Did Star Wars Use A Mace Windu Stand-In For This Prequel Scene?

There is always something new to see upon every rewatch of Star Wars. For one fan, it is a mystery surrounding Mace Windu in The Phantom Menace.

Reddit user AlienRainforest spotted an unfamiliar but intriguing face in a scene in the first prequel film, when Chancellor Palpatine visits Naboo in his cruiser, where he is accompanied by members of the Jedi Council.

We see Yoda, Ki-Adi-Mindi, and Plo-Koon in the background, but there is also a man who looks an awful lot like Mace Windu from the bald head to the Jedi robes. The actual Mace Windu wasn't there for that specific scene, but he was there in the immediate scene that followed wearing the same outfit. Check out the video below.

I just noticed last night that Mace windu is played by another person in this scene

from

r/StarWars

The entourage behind Palpatine was supposed to be members of the Jedi Council and the mystery person didn't look like the established members we know. So who was he?

Some fans tried to make sense of this Star Wars mystery, saying that this person may have been a junior Jedi. However, there is nothing to suggest that there was even one. Fans speculate that this was indeed a stand-in for Samuel L. Jackson, who probably wasn't available to film the scene. George Lucas may have brought in a stand-in and hoped that the switch would go unnoticed.

This very mystery was also brought up a couple of years back. At the time, fans concluded that the Mace Windu stand-in theory is more likely. They looked up other black Jedi who appeared in Star Wars films and found that there were other two, but they are both women.

In addition, The Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Storybook, clearly states that Chancellor Palpatine was accompanied by Mace Windu and other Jedi Council members. Lastly, a stunt performer Mark Anthony Newman is credited for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, as per his IMDB. It's hard to say for sure if it was him though.

What do you think was really going on in this Star Wars scene?

Also Read: Star Wars Fan's Reimagining of Vader Vs. Obi-Wan Duel In A New Hope Will Blow You Away