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| Anakin, who has been nurturing a powerful infatuation with Padmé over the last decade, breaks down and confesses his love for her. Although she initially rejects him, over time (and much to her own surprise) she grows to return his feelings. She fights her attraction to him as much as possible, however, as they are both duty-bound to remain unattached. | Anakin, who has been nurturing a powerful infatuation with Padmé over the last decade, breaks down and confesses his love for her. Although she initially rejects him, over time (and much to her own surprise) she grows to return his feelings. She fights her attraction to him as much as possible, however, as they are both duty-bound to remain unattached. | ||
| When Kenobi is kidnapped by Separatist leader (and fallen Jedi) ] on ], Padmé and Anakin rush to his aid — only to captured themselves and condemned to death in a Roman ]-style execution. Moments from certain death, Anakin and Padmé declare their love for each other. Just in the nick of time, they are saved by Jedi Master ] and cadre of Jedi, who burst into the Colosseum to fight Dooku's army in the ], the opening salvo of the ]. There, Padmé shows herself to be rather more handy in combat than might be expected of a politician. Anakin duels with Dooku, but is easily defeated, losing an arm to the rogue Jedi's ]. Upon returning to Coruscant, he is fitted with a ] arm, and he and Padmé are wed in a secret ceremony attended only by ] and ]. | |||
| In some of the deleted scenes of ''],'' Padmé's family is also introduced. She has her parents, ] and ], her sister ], and Sola's two daughters, ] and ]. On an interesting note, Pooja later follows in her aunt's footsteps to become ] of ] during the years of the ]. | In some of the deleted scenes of ''],'' Padmé's family is also introduced. She has her parents, ] and ], her sister ], and Sola's two daughters, ] and ]. On an interesting note, Pooja later follows in her aunt's footsteps to become ] of ] during the years of the ]. | ||
Revision as of 05:49, 21 October 2005
Padmé Naberrie (46 - 19 BBY), also known as Queen and then finally, Senator Padmé Amidala, was a prominent citizen of the planet Naboo in the fictional Star Wars universe.
In the Star Wars films, the young heroine is portrayed by actress Natalie Portman. The Star Wars Visual Dictionaries describe the character Padmé as raised by "humble" parents in a small mountain village of Naboo, although in the films, Padmé's parents are depicted as living a fairly aristocratic lifestyle. Perhaps this is funded by Padmé's later social success.
Appearances
Early life
Apparently very seriously trained as a child, Padmé is named Princess of Theed, Naboo's capital city, at the tender age of 12, and is elected Queen of the entire planet at age fourteen. As queen, Padmé takes the reign name of Amidala. Just as "Padmé" is Sanskrit for lotus flower, "Amidala" is the spiritual manifestation of a lotus flower. As queen, Amidala takes five handmaidens as her bodyguards and companions. These five and others will provide her with her most loyal and true relationships throughout the films.
The handmaidens of Queen (and later Senator) Amidala are:
- Sabé - Amidala's body double during dangerous situations
- Cordé - who serves as decoy for Amidala when she is a Senator
- Rabé - who serves as hairdresser to the queen
- Eirtaé - royal protocol expert
- Saché- oldest handmaiden; stayed on Naboo during blockade
- Yané- youngest handmaiden; also stayed on Naboo during blockade
- Dormé - who serves as a bodyguard to Padmé when she is a Senator
- Versé
- Motté
- Ellé
The Phantom Menace
In Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Padmé fights hard through political and physical means to rid her planet from the blockade of the Trade Federation. Padmé refused to fight the Federation out of fear of bringing harm to her people. Instead, she tries to appeal to the Galactic Senate at the advice of Naboo's senator, Palpatine, and she persuades the Senate to cast a vote of no confidence against Chancellor Finis Valorum, who is swiftly removed from office. Palpatine is elected in his place.
Unbeknownst to Padmé, however, Palpatine is in fact the main instigator of the conflict; secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, he is providing the Trade Federation with monetary and political support in order to create the crisis necessary to elevate himself to a more powerful post.
While returning to Coruscant, Padmé is guarded by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Their ship is attacked by a Federation flagship, and they are forced to land on Tatooine, the nearest non-Federation planet. There, they encounter a nine-year-old slave, Anakin Skywalker, whom Qui-Gon is convinced is the Chosen One, foretold of in Jedi prophecy, destined to bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith. Qui-Gon wins Anakin's freedom, and takes him to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to be trained as a Jedi. Padmé and Anakin form a strong bond during the trip.
Padmé, with help from a Gungan army, the two Jedi, and Anakin, defends her homeworld against invasion from the Federation army in what would become known as the Battle of Naboo.
Attack of the Clones
In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, set ten years later, she has become a Senator after her two terms as Queen expired. She is leading a faction opposed to the establishment of an army to quell the Confederacy of Independent Systems and their army of clone troopers. After a failed attempt on her life (which is later revealed to have been organized by her old enemy Nute Gunray) Anakin, who is now Obi-Wan's apprentice, is assigned to protect her. Palpatine sends Padmé to vacation on Naboo, seemingly out of harm's way, but later plans to have her murdered.
Anakin, who has been nurturing a powerful infatuation with Padmé over the last decade, breaks down and confesses his love for her. Although she initially rejects him, over time (and much to her own surprise) she grows to return his feelings. She fights her attraction to him as much as possible, however, as they are both duty-bound to remain unattached.
When Kenobi is kidnapped by Separatist leader (and fallen Jedi) Count Dooku on Geonosis, Padmé and Anakin rush to his aid — only to captured themselves and condemned to death in a Roman Colosseum-style execution. Moments from certain death, Anakin and Padmé declare their love for each other. Just in the nick of time, they are saved by Jedi Master Mace Windu and cadre of Jedi, who burst into the Colosseum to fight Dooku's army in the Battle of Geonosis, the opening salvo of the Clone Wars. There, Padmé shows herself to be rather more handy in combat than might be expected of a politician. Anakin duels with Dooku, but is easily defeated, losing an arm to the rogue Jedi's lightsaber. Upon returning to Coruscant, he is fitted with a cybernetic arm, and he and Padmé are wed in a secret ceremony attended only by R2-D2 and C-3PO.
In some of the deleted scenes of Attack of the Clones, Padmé's family is also introduced. She has her parents, Jobal and Ruwee Naberrie, her sister Sola Naberrie, and Sola's two daughters, Ryoo and Pooja Naberrie. On an interesting note, Pooja later follows in her aunt's footsteps to become Senator of Naboo during the years of the Galactic Civil War.
Revenge of the Sith
In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, she becomes alarmed by the changes in Anakin's character as he is seduced by the Dark Side. At the same time, she becomes involved in a plot to form a possible rebellion, should Palpatine achieve ultimate control of the Republic. Her involvement foreshadows the upcoming events. Following the declaration of the Galactic Empire and the Great Jedi Purge led by Anakin, Padmé joins with Senators Bail Organa and Mon Mothma to declare the founding of a Resistance Movement that will become the Rebel Alliance.
Travelling to the planet Mustafar (with Obi-Wan stowed away on board unbeknownst to her), she confronts Anakin in an attempt to turn him back to "the Light." Unfortunately, Obi-Wan's presence destroys the plan, as Anakin believes that Padmé had abandoned him for his old master. This results in Padmé being force choked (a fatal blow as it turns out) and thrown to the ground. At Polis Massa doctors try to save Padmé's life, but after the birth of the twins, whom she names Luke and Leia, she dies of a complete loss of the will to live and a broken heart while being comforted by Obi-Wan.
Her body is returned to Naboo and given an elaborate funeral ceremony but the suggestion is given that she died pregnant, to hide the birth of her children by making the people of Naboo believe her unborn child dies with her (before the actual birth, she believes she is carrying only one child). The official explanation of Padmé's death is that she was killed by a Jedi during the alleged Jedi uprising.
Luke was brought to Tatooine by Obi-Wan Kenobi while Leia was adopted by Bail Organa and raised as a Princess of Alderaan.
The issue in Return of the Jedi
In Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Leia tells Luke that she remembers her mother dying when they were young, and described her as very kind, beautiful, and sad. It is possible that the mother that Leia remembers is the adoptive mother that she grew up with on Alderaan, rather than her birth mother. However, since Luke asks her, "Do you remember your real mother?" it is assumed that Leia did, in fact, know she was adopted by the Organas.
No explanation in the film is given for how Leia could have remembered her mother if she died in childbirth, but many have speculated that Leia was able to feel her mother's presence through Force-sensitivity. After all, Leia always "felt" that Luke was her brother, yet he did not suspect that she was his sister. It should also be noted that some people in the real world claim to have memories of their own births, which may also mean that some have memories of their first few minutes after their births. Leias' birth in Revenge of the Sith was originally written to have her make brief eye contact with her mother, but this was edited out. One could argue that it accounts for her memory in Return of the Jedi.
Origins
It has been suggested that Queen Amidala's story may have been partly inspired by the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii. Like Liliuokalani, she refused to fight out of fear of bringing harm to her people. The overthrowers in both cases were leaders of commercial interests. Liliuokalani also went before the U.S. Congress to plead her case, just as Amidala tried to appeal to the Galactic Senate.
Costumes
The costumes designed for this character in The Phantom Menace were widely admired, and were featured in a Vogue magazine spread. Some critics viewed them simply as a marketing ploy to bring more feminine viewers to an action movie, but whether intentional or not, for some viewers, Amidala's costumes were the most memorable part of the film. They also serve an important plot function as they allow Amidala's handmaidens to impersonate her behind voluminous robes and white makeup.
This listing of the royal gowns of Queen Amidala uses several words created by archaeologist Dr. David Reynolds to imbue the costumes with a sense of imaginative history:
- Throne Room Gown- The most reproduced images of Amidala (see above) are probably ones showing this domestic regalia. Her hair is dressed over a padded form and her face is encircled by gold "faceframes" dangling a Jewel of Zenda. The wide-shouldered gown is embroidered in gold and lined in potolli fur. Large illuminated sein jewels decorate the skirt. The handmaidens wear coordinating golden robes inspired by Art Nouveau.
- Traveling Gown- A dark purple gown with cerlin sleeves, drapa bindings, and a chersilk hair net.
- Arrival Gown- This black, spiderweb lace gown is actually worn by the handmaiden Sabé, but this is not known to other characters in the film nor to first-time viewers. Her face is framed by a black cowl, which is decorated with filigree ear coverings and a headdress of black feathers. It portrays to Chancellor Valorum and Senator Palpatine the majesty and seriousness of her mission upon arrival at the capital world of Coruscant. The handmaidens wear saffron colored robes reminiscent of Buddhist monks.
- Foreign Residence Gown- A black gown, reminiscent of Victorian mourning dress, expresses Amidala's anguish at being separated from her people. Black Cyrene silk is beaded with 240-year old emblems. Her hair is arranged in a fan shape with a prominent foreknot and small suspensas.
- Senate Gown- Clearly derived from the Mongolian bride costume, this embossed red gown is braided with gold, and is meant to portray the majesty of Naboo to the jaded Galactic Senate. To help make her more visible in the vast chamber, Amidala's hair is dressed in a wide arc centered by an escoffiate headpiece and the Royal Sovereign of Naboo medal. Gold hairbands hold the arc in shape, and orichalc finework finials dangle from the ends. Natalie Portman was photographed in this costume for Vanity Fair and Premiere magazines.
- Palpatine Gown- When meeting with Naboo's senator, Amidala wears a mauve robe highly reminiscent of a Japanese kimono, with several layers and a wide obi. A Shiraya fan headdress is hung with Veda pearl beading and glass filaments. (The actual costume headdress was cut from a 1910 dress.) The handmaidens wear burgundy purple robes embellished with fleurs-de-lys.
- Parade Gown- A brilliant white gown worn at the end of the film symbolizes Amidala's joy at achieving peace, and echoes the gown worn by her future daughter at the end of the film A New Hope. In both films, the titled leader presents heroes of battle with an honor at the end of a long avenue of people amidst magnificent architecture. Amidala's costume is embellished by a petaled cape that evokes huge flowers near her home village. The flowers only bloom once every 88 years, heralding a special celebration. She also wears an aurate fan which resembles the starched collars worn by England's Queen Elizabeth I as well as the framing fans worn by characters on the Dune miniseries.
Throughout The Phantom Menace, Amidala wears white thumbnail polish, a tradition from her native village, as well as a red Scar of Remembrance dividing her lower lip, and a red beauty mark on each cheekbone.
See also
- Anakin Skywalker
- Bail Organa
- Galactic Senate
- Jobal Naberrie
- Leia Organa
- Luke Skywalker
- Mon Mothma
- Naberrie family
- Naboo
- Palpatine
- Pooja Naberrie
- Rebel Alliance
- Ruwee Naberrie
- Ryoo Naberrie
- Sola Naberrie
- Skywalker family
External links
| Preceded byKing Veruna of Naboo | Queen of Naboo 32–24 BBY |
Succeeded byQueen Jamilla of Naboo |
| Preceded byUnknown (eventually Senator Palpatine) | Senator of Naboo 22–19 BBY |
Succeeded byUnknown (eventually Pooja Naberrie) |