The powerful persona of Padmé Naberrie Amidala has an incredible underrated arc in the Star Wars saga. She is young, idealistic, but also naive when we first meet her. She is a divided person from the start, forced to hide or be one thing or another, rather then allowing all of herself to openly honest. Queen or handmaiden, senator or wife, torn between duty and her own true feelings. She is also a threat to the Sith, though not in the same way as a Jedi.
Queen, Handmaiden, Senator, Decoy Pilot, Lover, Wife, Expectent Mother.
Naboo
To understand Padmé’s role as Queen, we must understand her world. Naboo was a garden of paradise. Her people were democratic, and believed in supporting the community. But they also believed in stepping back and building families after serving their turn. The people there had most of what they needed, in regard to food, water and necessities. The trade therefore, was mostly for luxuries, and probably medical supplies. They also had an abundance of supplies others wanted, such as the rich plasma that was a powerful energy source.
A Trade Federation blockade of Naboo prevented getting what they wanted and others needed. But the only way to really to step up the stakes for the Naboo. They had to be invaded: how else to keep them from the supplies they naturally had? It would’ve taken a very long siege before they truly felt it.
Padmé Family
Family is important on Naboo and she has parents Ruwee and Jobal were farmers though they lived in the city by the time of the Clone Wars. She also had an older sister Sola, her brother in law Darred Janren took the Naberrie name due to it’s prestige. She had two nieces, Ryoo and Pooja.
She lived with her grandmother Winama when she was being educated in Theed. (She may have a brother in law). But her secret love, as it turns out, is Anakin Skywalker. And she will leave to the galaxy twin children, Luke and Leia, to save a galaxy. It was her other grandmother’s sad duty to prepare her for burial, and she died taking the secret of having delivered a child to her grave, when Imperial inquisitors came looking.
Padmé’s Guardians
As Queen, her primary guardian was Captain Panaka. When the Jedi came and assisted guarding her, he disagreed with nearly every decision Master Qui-Gon Jinn made.
As Senator, her guard is Captain Typho, who happens to be Panaka’s cousin. Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker will be assigned to guard her, leading to long term results for the galaxy. Panaka continued guiding the Queen her succeeded her, however, he also helped make arrangements for her safety.
Padmé’s Early Life
Like most Naboo, she began her path in life early. She helped with the Refugee Relief movement as a child. Then became an Apprentice Legislature. At 12 she was elected leader of Theed. She was only 14 when she ran against the corrupt King Varuna and was elected Queen of Naboo.
The Ideals of Padmé the Queen
Padmé truly believes in peace and the Republic. The invasion was a blow to this. The Jedi ambassador tells her the negotiations never took place. Perhaps her doubts have manifested instantly, since she goes outside ‘on orders of the Queen’ into the city with Qui-Gon so she herself can see what the Jedi does. . On escape to Tatooine, she finds a culture outside her worldview. There is still slavery in the galaxy.
This then is the handmaiden’s role: to watch, to ‘report to the Queen’ so the Queen can make decisions. In reality it’s to cover when she is among them, and one of them is acting as decoy. But as the handmaiden Padme can be herself. She can befriend a Gungan, who isn’t normally on good terms with the Naboo. She can manually clean a small droid that helped save their lives. She can admire and make friends with a slave boy, impressed with his building skills. (Even if as Queen she can’t approve betting their lives on him.)
The Queen’s role is to be a symbol to her people, and to stand up for them. At the Senate, she can’t say goodbye as Padmé to Anakin because she’s once more taken up the robes.
Three people now influence her fate:
As the Queen, she had expected the Senate of the Republic to act to help her people. When they failed, she realized it was up to the her to save her people. This may well have been inspired by Anakin, who being a slave and in a position where he should’ve been helpless, still sought a way out. Palpatine succeeded in influencing her to call for the vote of no confidence in the Chancellor. But the plan was to also control Naboo and use that to further divide the Republic.
So Padmé took matters into her own hands and came out having freed her people, united the Gungans and Naboo. She also enabled Anakin to be the hero and the Jedi to expose the Sith. It’s critical to note that in order to do this her role of Queen Amidala and Padmé , before being separate, had to unite. She admitted the truth before the Gungans and everyone else to win them.
The final of course is Palpatine, and he quickly finds she is not as easily controlled as he thought.
Padmé as Senator
Padmé ‘s role begins on Naboo, after she refuses to allow the people to amend the constitution to let her stay longer. This is in direct contrast to Palpatine as Chancellor. The Queen requests she stay on in public office. Most Naboo serve the community for a time and then step back to have a family. Padme chooses to serve as Senator, trying to restore the Republic to what she believed it should be. She is firmly working to prevent the creation of an army. She wants the Separatists to negotiate, since many of them have genuine legitimate grievances with the Republic.
Padmé is heartbroken when the threats she’d been warned of lead to the death of her ‘decoy’ Corde’. In truth, her handmaiden’s job was still to protect her. She also isn’t thrilled when the Senate, thinking she’s dead, starts screaming they need an army and her death proved it!
The former Queen is proven to be more intuitive than the Jedi, who blinded by former friendship dismiss her idea it could be Count Dooku behind the attack out of hand.
Padmé Falling in Love
In the end, it’s revealed Darth Sidious and Palpatine are one and the same. Padmé’s vote of no confidence move got him into office as Chancellor. But she also helped derail his plan for Naboo. Is it a coincidence that a young man he’d been secretly grooming to be a Sith in the Jedi has a crush on her, and is assigned to guard her, alone? Not likely. What Anakin shared in confidence was surely used against them. What could divide Anakin from his Master and his training more than falling in love? What could distract her from undermining him in the Senate? Romance!
Padmé and Anakin did visit her parents home when in Naboo. Anakin recognizing how much she was loved. They in turn instantly stated he was the first boyfriend she had brought home (in spite of her insistence he wasn’t her boyfriend!)
Padmé is fiercely loyal, and it’s partly for Anakin’s wounded spirit after his Mother’s death, and partly because Obi-Wan really is a friend, that she rushes to Geonosis. She actually has more control than Anakin and resisted the romance and admitting her love until they were going to their death! At this point there is no turning back. Having admitted their love, they are married in secret after Anakin is given a prosthetic. They are married in Varykino on Naboo, by a holy man. The only witnesses were R2 and 3PO.
The couple rarely saw each other due to the outbreak of the Clone Wars. C3PO, Anakin’s droid, stays with her. R2 is given to Anakin when he is Knighted. Anakin did visit her on vacation on Naboo, and when he returned to Coruscant. These were all too rare instances. While hiding their relationship was hard on Padmé , it was even harder on Anakin. If the Jedi found out they would cast him out of the Order.
When Anakin was knighted, he sent her his padawan braid, ritually severed to symbolize he was now a full Jedi. She placed it in with the Japor snippet he gave her when he first left Tatooine with her and Qui-Gon. In spite of how hard it was for the two to keep their love secret, she was firmly a believer that Anakin needed to remain a Jedi Knight.
Padmé’s Role in The War
Padme being a Senator is largely behind the scenes, trying to keep the Republic from falling apart. But she is involved in negotiating a couple of times, between the Bi’hnar for their role with the Republic and for a special codebreaker that can eavesdrop on CIS communications. She undertakes this mission with Anakin (while still a padawan) and Obi-Wan, with the Jedi Knight Siri.
She also has Master Yoda hitch a ride from her once, and he ‘pursuades’ her captain to go to Ilum to rescue Barriss Offee and Luminara Unduli. While he refused to let her accompany him, she did go outside a ways when he was slow returning, and battled chameleion droids with the help of the unwitting 3PO and R2 D2.
The Senator also was still willing to get her hands dirty. Along with Senator Bail Organa’s aid Sheltay Retrac, she went to a party of a high ranking Senator who was suspected of being bribed by the Separatists. She and Retrac snooped around and had to escape when discovered, but not before finding the evidence.
Padmé as Expectant Mother
It’s unknown when exactly Padmé became pregnant, though soon after Anakin was knighted he came to her Coruscant apartment. He also visited her on Naboo when given a brief leave. She evidenced signs of morning sickness during the attack by the Separatists on Coruscant, passing out not due to a speeder crash but afterwards. It was very brief and she was soon battling alongside Mon Mothma and Bail Organa to escape the enemy droids.
Padmé’s concern with pregnancy was entirely with how to handle the secrecy. The Council would kick Anakin out of the Order if they discovered he was a father and had married. The Queen would not let her serve on the Senate if she knew. Yet she was happy, and planning to set up the baby’s room on Naboo (there was no indication she knew of twins.) She was concerned about Anakin’s vision of her death in childbirth, but not nearly as terrified as he.
Padmé grew increasingly concerned with Palpatine taking more and more emergency power, even trying to talk to Anakin about it when he returned. This almost led to an argument. She signed the Petition of the 2000 requesting it relinquish powers, a group later endangered when Palpatine declared himself Emperor. She also met with Bail Organa, Mon Mothma and others where veiled talks of resistance were held. But she herself held back, not knowing how to juggle her duty with her husband’s needs. She was aware however, that it was dangerous of her to know, given that he was a Jedi and might sense something.
Betrayal
Unbeknownst to either Padmé or Anakin, Captain Panaka had uncovered the secret marriage. Palpatine told Anakin that he had discovered through the clergy. He was either lying or, possibly, he merely confirmed what Panaka had told him. Panaka would go on to become an Imperial Moff, but its unlikely he ever knew that he had so profoundly betrayed the woman he had guarded, and that the consequence would be the death of her. Palpatine used this information to his advantage to tailor his seduction of Anakin.
When Anakin turned into Vader to ‘save her’ from his nightmares, he flat told her to stay away from her friends so he could protect her.
The Death of Padmé Naberrie Amidala
This may be the hardest part of Padme’s story to comprehend . But heartbreak is a genuine medical condition. There is no evidence she died at Anakin’s hand (force or physical) given the medical droids statement. The technology even on the outer rim was advanced enough a droid surely would’ve identified signs of being choked even if they were only internal ones, and Obi-Wan surely told the droids what happened.
OBI-WAN: She’s dying?
MEDICAL DROID: We don’t know why. She has lost the will to live.
But what is important to note is that had she lived, it would’ve endangered her children. Staying with them risked Palpatine finding and converting them as he did their father. He certainly wouldn’t let her live after siding against him so often, and risking even the smallest influence pulling Anakin back – especially at first.
At her funeral, were her parents, sister, niece and nephew, the current Queen of Naboo, Boss Nass and Jar Jar Binks and a huge number of grieving citizens. She was very much beloved.
Her niece, Pooja Naberrie, was elected to the Imperial Senate 6 years before the Battle of Yavin. She and Leia Organa were friends in the Senate, totally unaware until many years later of their kinship. Pooja was also secretly a member of the Naboo resistance.
Continuity and Lore
Coruscant Nights 3 tries to claim an autopsy retcon it as being death by crushed windpipe. This however does not fit with the movie, which has the final say. An advanced medical droid would’ve identified the signs, especially with Obi-Wan there to tell what to look for. That said, (and this is pure conjecture on my part) it is possible the the Jedi might’ve had made sure there was such evidence even if it had to be planted. The last thing Padmé would’ve wanted was for her children to be endangered, so an easy cause of death to divert attention in an autopsy might’ve been intentional.
Padmé cut scenes and novelization reveal:
The family reunion, dinner and conversations with Ruwee, Jobal, Sola and the nieces. The dinner part is available on the extra features of the discs. Anakin and Ruwee in the garden, with Jobal, Sola and Padme in the kitchen are in the novelization.
Packing scenes on Naboo in her bedroom reveals Padme’s dealings with the Refugee Relief movement, moving from their to Apprentice Legislator to Anakin.
Petition of 2000 where Senators stood up to Palpatine and asked him to let go some emergency powers and let diplomacy resume. Anakin, unfortunately, was with Palpatine, standing as if he represented the Jedi and against Padme.
Meeting of Senators to hint at Rebellion.
Other Sources:
The Phantom Menace (adult novelization)
The Phantom Menace (YA novelization)
The Phantom Menace (comic adaptation)
The Phantom Menace Visual Guide
The Queen’s Amulet – young reader book that came with a pendent by Julianne Balmain and illustrated by Matilda Harrison
Queen in Disguise – young reader book by Monica Kulling and illustrated by John Alvin.
Episode I: Queen Amidala (comic)
Star Wars Journal: Queen Amidala by Jude Watson – YA book, her thoughts during events of The Phantom Menace
A Summer’s Dream” — Star Wars Tales 5
Attack of the Clones movie
Attack of the Clones (novelization)
Attack of the Clones (YA novelization)
Attack of the Clones (comic adaptation)
Attack of the Clones Visual Guide
Star Wars Tales “The Princess Leia Diaries” — Star Wars Tales 11 (In flashback(s)
Revenge of the Sith (novelization)
Revenge of the Sith (YA novelization)
Revenge of the Sith (comic adaptation)
Revenge of the Sith Visual Guide
Secrets of the Jedi by Jude Watson
Return of the Jedi YA novelization (Vader/Anakin’s memories)
Star Wars Clone Wars Adventures 4 Another Fine Mess
Star Wars Clone Wars Adventures 7 Spy Girls
Cloak of Deception (status of the Trade Federation)
Star Wars The Last Command (art seen in background of comic adaptation)
