In honor of 4th of July I have decided to do a hero analysis. Last night I rewatched The Phantom Menace. So, I will do a hero from Star Wars. Now, I could, honestly, do any of the heroes from Episode I, but many of these characters like Anakin and Obi-Wan have been studied and analyzed thoroughly in the last 25 years. Yes, it celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. I decided to analyze my favorite Star Wars character of all time - Padme Amidala (Naberrie/Skywalker).
So, why Padme do you ask? Why not Jar Jar or another hero that has often been left in the dust. Well, the funny thing is Padme was not intended to be like those characters due to the significant role she plays in the overall arc of the six episode story. Yet, she is constantly treated like a minor character rather than the major character she is. The reason behind this, I feel, is largely on how George Lucas wrote her character across the three films. This I will touch on more in a bit.
First, what really inspired me to discuss her today is because earlier this week, there was a Youtube video I watched about ways to introduce your main characters and open up your story. This got me thinking about Padme's unique introduction to Star Wars. Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, R2-D2, C-3PO, and Anakin all got some pretty interesting introductions in Phantom Menace. Padme's is by far the most intriguing.
The scene she gets her first introduction is when their outside the main hangar where the "queen" has to decide whether to stay on Naboo with her people or leave with the Jedi. The queen turns to her handmaiden who simply says "We are brave, Your Highness." That's it. That's all we got. Honestly, in most films, it would have simply have been an extremely minor character getting their one moment in the spotlight. Yet, in Padme's case, her role continues to increase as the film progresses from cleaning up Artoo to then finally revealing herself as the queen. Later, she goes on to represent Naboo in the senate before and during the Clone Wars, marries Anakin, fights in a number of battles, and eventually, gives birth to Luke and Leia.
Such a move certainly makes you scratch your head as to why Lucas decided to introduce her in such way, where we are meant to assume she's simply a minor character. I personally feel that Lucas did this is to show who she is. She was a queen disguised as a handmaiden in plain sight. We were meant to overlook her and not give her second thought. It goes back to the academic paper I wrote in college about Star Wars (Yes, I wrote a paper on it), which was about the visual meanings and representation in the Star Wars universe. One of the first things I mention, is that Obi-Wan in A New Hope, says to Luke "Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them." This echoes the entire Star Wars story. Every visual element is important in Star Wars. This includes that well-known brief interaction between a queen and her handmaiden outside the main hangar. Padme made you think she was nothing more than a handmaiden, but throughout the film, she slowly revealed herself to not be a mere handmaiden.
Honestly, I could go on all day about this, but now I want to focus on her as a character and hero in the Star Wars universe. George Lucas did showcase Padme splendidly as a politician who is different than others in her field because of her kindness, intelligence, strong morals, and fierce combatant on the front lines. Timothy Zahn, the creator of Admiral Thrawn, best described Padme as someone who has a toolbox with her. Depending on the situation, she will either use her negotiating skills or she will charge into a situation with her blaster firing. These are things that Ahsoka Tano admires about Padme and even learns to apply after a year in hiding in the reign of the empire. Hence, Padme's legacy continues even after her demise.
However, I myself found her character arc in Revenge of the Sith, disappointing. As did, I'm sure, others. I fell in love with Star Wars through Padme's personality whether it be her way of talking her way out of situation or fearlessness to join the fight alongside her Jedi comrades. She was not a damsel in distress as I had believed most Disney princesses to be when I was nine-years-old. Though I hadn't gotten into Star Wars officially till I was eleven. Yet, she became a romantic, damsel in Episode III. My cousin argued that she was pregnant and a character who was convinced that Anakin could do no harm, especially to younglings. Pregnancy, fine, I get you will be out of the action, but that doesn't mean your entire character growth over the past two episodes is to slide backwards. Also how could she not believe Obi-Wan saying he saw a holo-recording of Anakin killing younglings when Anakin had confessed to killing Tusken Raider children alongside the men and women in Attack of the Clones. Also, I refuse to believe she just lost the will to live. Anakin Force-choked her, and I don't believe Force-chokes can leave medical marks on the body.
Thankfully, Clone Wars redeemed her character. She was the woman I grew up admiring. In addition, I learned about her personal weakness and struggles, which made her more human and relatable. That empowering speech she made about defeating the bill for more clones was mind-blowing and certainly left the one she gave Boss Nass in Episode I in the dust. What made that speech every impactful was that she still respected and honored the clones that currently served on the front lines, and that it got under Palpatine's skin.
Sadly, this does little to make up for the damage Episode III did to her because it is still part of her arc. However, her legacy continues. As we saw in the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" show and the Star Wars: Ahsoka novel by EK Johnston. She lives on through her children. Obi-Wan ensured that Leia knew this, though he didn't share Padme's name with her. A year after Order 66, Ahsoka struggled to find a way to live in a galaxy that no longer welcomed Jedi, of any sort. Ahsoka tried applying the teachings Anakin and Obi-Wan taught her, but they failed her. Through meditation, Ahsoka discovered that she had to rely on Padme's teachings because Padme was never a Jedi, but the noble senator survived countless battles using her own strengths and understanding the situation before acting. Ahsoka applied this in her current situation during the Empire's reign and it worked. Padme also taught Ahsoka about the politics of the galaxy, which allowed Ahsoka to become mindful how political systems can affect the entire galaxy and its people.
Padme Amidala deserves far more credit and love than she had received. While Lucas's writing of her character kind of went downhill in Revenge of the Sith, but she is still a major character that has done so much service to the galaxy during her lifetime and even beyond. The last part doesn't just apply to her children and Ahsoka, but also to the Rebel Alliance. She had urged Bail after Palpatine gave his speech, which brought in the age of the empire, to obey and keep your head down, but in secret work against the empire and all it stands for. Hence, the birth of the rebellion.
While I'm certain many of you might disagree, feel free to share your thoughts on Padme's character. Do you feel the same as I? What are your hopes for her character in the future of Star Wars? Also, once gain remember to be nice and civil like Padme herself because she would not approve of foul play, nor would I.
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