When we last saw Jedi Master Mace Windu, his arm had just been chopped off by Anakin Skywalker and his body was flung into the Coruscant skyline by Chancellor Palpatine’s Force lightning blasts. And while we never saw a body, everyone assumed that he was dead – that’s not something you walk away from, right? While a handful of Jedi Knights survived Palpatine’s purge, we never saw Mace again.

But actor Samuel L. Jackson‘s enthusiasm for the character has never diminished and he’s spent the years since Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith insisting that he could have survived the fall and that he could easily be alive. And he’s not letting it go: he took this all the way to Star Wars Celebration, where he shared his opinion on this matter before a crowd of thousands…and George Lucas himself.

The bulk of the Star Wars 40th anniversary panel involved parading various cast members out on stage and letting them swap stories with Lucas, but a few familiar faces popped in to say hello via pre-recorded video messages. Jackson was one of them and he used his time in the spotlight to call for the resurrection of Mace Windu:

While you’re all sitting there, I know you’re all in my corner on this, we know Jedi can fall from incredible heights and survive. So, apparently, I am not dead! Yes, I have two appendages right now, but we know the long and rich history of Star Wars characters reappearing with new appendages and being stronger and better than they ever were. Mace Windu is awaiting his return. Let’s make it happen.

While Jackson is obviously having fun here, it’s clear that he also completely believes this. Yes, Lucasfilm could bring back Mace Windu with a robot arm and yes, he’d be perfectly happy to play the role again. After all, Jackson is nothing if not prolific. Few popular actors work as often as he does and a great deal of that comes from knowing how to sell the room. He’s always on the lookout for his next gig.

Although Lucasfilm hasn’t been shy about their plans to release Star Wars movies for the foreseeable future, it’s hard to imagine them finding room for a Mace Windu adventure. While Jackson is a well-liked actor, the character doesn’t get normal folks excited. He’s no Han Solo. If Mace Windu does return from the dead, it’ll probably happen in an animated series or in a Marvel comic book.

But I’ll say this much: let’s keep Mace Windu dead, please. After all, it was supposed to be a big deal that Obi-Wan Kenobi survived Order 66, and new stories keep on revealing more and more Jedi survivors. Someone important had to die and stay dead. Let’s not completely neuter the impact of the galaxy’s greatest warriors being almost entirely wiped out!