Star Wars: 10 Memes That Perfectly Sum Up Padmé Amidala As A Character

After she was fondly remembered in Obi-Wan Kenobi, fans are putting more respect on Padmé Amidala’s name as one of the most important characters in the Skywalker saga, and one of the least problematic members of the Skywalker family. Live-action Star Wars series on Disney+ may be concentrating less on the prequel-era for now, but there’s no denying the influence she’s had on the characters whose adventures fans still follow (especially Leia).

An altruistic senator, compassionate queen, fierce freedom fighter, and loving mother, Padmé ‘s many roles in the Star Wars franchise have been exalted in a variety of memes. Though she probably gave Anakin too many chances, and her death was less than satisfying, she will always be remembered as one of the franchise’s greatest heroines.

She Sees Through The Lies

Obi-Wan Kenobi might have been mistrustful of politicians, but he had a soft spot for Padmé given the amount of adventures they shared together. Even as a senator, she shared his concerns, and tried to work from the inside to change hearts and minds in the Senate.

Sometimes Padmé was a great leader, and other times her choices were questionable, but if she had been let in on more Jedi Council intelligence, she might have been able to do more other than waiting for her suspicions to become validated. She Had Amazing Costumes

Having to live a double life came with certain perks, namely an extensive wardrobe made by some of the finest tailors and seamstresses on Naboo. After she stepped down from her position as queen and became a senator, her ensembles were still a credit to Naboo craftsmanship, though they were slightly less ostentatious.

In reality, Trisha Biggar and her team of costume designers worked tirelessly for months preceding each prequel movie to hand-dye fabrics, sculpt metal, and hand-sew intricate beadwork in order to show the character progression of Padmé onscreen.

She’s Strong-Willed

There are strong female character throughout the Star Wars franchise, but often one seems to define each trilogy in the Skywalker saga. Padmé is clearly the template for Leia in the original trilogy and Rey in the sequel trilogy, with homages paid to her mannerisms, her clothing, and even her hairstyles. Most importantly, those women inherited her indefatigable will to get things done.

Some of Padmé’s best quotes focus on fighting for democracy and maintaining justice. When it came to enacting change, she wasn’t content sitting idly by. When she wasn’t making progress in the Senate, she sought it elsewhere, even going so far as to spy on former lovers like Rush Clovis for the Jedi Council if it meant ending the Clone Wars.

She’s A Fighter

Padmé established early on that when it came to fighting for democracy, she would wage battle in the Senate or in her own throne room. When Master Kenobi was captured by Separatists, she thought nothing of dragging Anakin on a rescue mission to Geonosis, even if it meant participating in an arena battle.

She doesn’t wait for either of the Jedi to save her, but instead proves herself a highly skilled combatant against a bloodthirsty Nexu. She’s the first person to break free from her chains and take control of the situation, proving that when she wants to, she can enter “aggressive negotiations” with the best of them.

Padme Struggled With Viewing Anakin As An Adult

When Anakin came back into her life after a decade’s absence, Padmé didn’t know how to accept that the little boy she knew on Tatooine was a tall, handsome Jedi assigned to her protection. To make matters worse, he had feelings for her, and she struggled to reconcile the burgeoning ones in herself.

Unpopular opinions about Padmé focus on the age gap between her and Anakin, particularly when they first meet. This gap of five years becomes less apparent as the pair work side by side professionally, and Anakin shows himself to be emotionally mature. Still, being a queen at fourteen makes her assume a more authoritative role around him, which causes their personalities to clash more than their age gap.

Padmé’s Romantic Life Was Awkward

She’d had other suitors including Palo Jemabie and Rush Clovis, but in every case she opted to keep things professional – Anakin was the only lover who seriously threatened her career as a senator. They had one of the most important romantic subplots of the Skywalker saga, but that didn’t mean their dating phase wasn’t awkward and uncomfortable.

Padmé thought she needed to put her career first, but then she encountered someone willing to risk his own destiny as a Jedi in order to be with her. His methods might have been cringe, as evidenced by their dinner dates on Naboo, but there wasn’t any denying the intensity of Anakin’s feelings and how that must have felt to someone as careful and guarded as Padmé. Both of them led extremely isolated and sheltered lives, and their romantic life reflected that.

Padmé Let Anakin Get Away With A Lot

Once she fell for Anakin, there was almost nothing he couldn’t do. Even when he admitted to slaughtering an entire tribe of Tusken Raiders in the desert, she comforted him instead of recoiling in horror. He had just lost his mother, and comforting him seemed like the only thing she could do.

That being said, even when Master Kenobi explained that he had seen a recording of Anakin killing younglings, Padmé didn’t believe him. Not only did her response imply she put more emphasis on younglings’ lives than on an indigenous tribe on Tatooine, but she had to deny that Anakin could do something so heartless because the reality was too horiffic to admit.

Anakin Betrayed Her

Once Padmé faced the truth about Anakin’s fall from grace, she believed she was the only person who might be able to dissuade him from descending into darkness. Unfortunately, not even her pleas or the fact that she was carrying his children was enough to change his destiny.

When she confronted him on Mustafar, Anakin was closer to the dark side then ever before; in fact, he wasn’t even the man she knew anymore, but the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Seeing the man she loved become a complete stranger to her, combined with his physical brutality, was a brutal betrayal that she never recovered from.

She Died Of A Broken Heart

Padmé might have lost her husband to the dark side, but she wasn’t going to lose her babies. She held on long enough, bolstered by her connection to her twins and Obi-Wan’s encouragement, to give birth to Luke and Leia before unexpectedly expiring.

The medical droids couldn’t identify the phenomenon, but for reasons they couldn’t explain, she was lost. Some fans have maintained that she died because she was sad, while others assert it was because her heart was literally broken. While somatic issues can stem from psychological trauma, it’s also possible the fumes on Mustafar and the violence inflicted onto her by Anakin aided in her body being too weak to survive past the pain of childbirth.

Padmé Didn’t Have A Plan For Her Kids

While she could never have known the epic story her children would be a part of, she hoped wherever they would be, they would be loved and protected from the Emperor and Darth Vader. Leia is conveniently given plush life on Alderaan living as royalty, and Luke is taken to Tatooine to be raised on the Lars homestead.

In many ways, their separation makes for a fascinating social experiment; despite living in luxury, Leia grows to reject her royal obligations and become a person of the people fighting for change, while Luke accepts certain realities inherent to his socio-economic station and doesn’t believe he can change them. Their environments and the strangers who raise them, mold them distinctly and determine what they will fight for as adults.