Warning: SPOILERS for Star Wars: Darth Vader #2.

The latest Star Wars tie-ins have just given added meaning to Padmé’s funeral scene in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Padmé Amidala’s life was always destined to end in tragedy; she was beloved by Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One, the man whom Emperor Palpatine had decided to fashion into his Sith Apprentice. It all ended in a semi-Shakespearean fashion, when Anakin himself killed her in a fit of jealous rage.

Ironically, though, before her death Padmé set the wheels in motion that would ultimately lead to the Empire’s downfall. She was one of the signatories of the Petition of 2,000, mentioned in the novelization of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and canonized in Daniel Wallace’s The Rebel Files. This was a petition from senators who opposed Palpatine, calling for him to renounce his emergency powers and end the war against the Separatists; although many of the signatories were killed or arrested, others became key to the Rebellion. In the novelization, Padmé was the one who foresaw the rise of the Empire, and she recommended these senators became conspirators.

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Official tie-ins are gradually fleshing this story out, revealing Padmé’s funeral – a touching scene shown at the end of Revenge of the Sith – was a key moment in galactic history. According to E.K. Johnston’s novel Queen’s Shadow, the funeral guests were united in their grief for Padmé, and they resolved to find out the true story of her death. Greg Pak’s Star Wars: Darth Vader series picks up that particular plot thread years later, and reveals this closely-knit group became an influential rebel cell, working against the Empire. A key player was Sabé, one of Padmé’s old handmaidens from when she had been Queen of Naboo.

This serves to subtly rewrite the funeral scene; it is now a symbol of both death and birth, of love dying and hope being born. Those funeral guests are destined to become Rebels, united because of their belief in the democracy Padmé had fought and died for. It’s a subtle reinterpretation, but a remarkably clever one, and Disney deserve credit for it.

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Lucasfilm has come in for a lot of flak over their handling of the sequel trilogy, but they’ve been doing good work fleshing out the prequels. Tie-ins and spin-offs explored both the Clone Wars and the Dark Times between the trilogies; Darth Vader’s “noooooo” moment from Revenge of the Sith became the foundation for an entire comic book run; and Star Wars films liberally mixed references to the original trilogy with nods to the prequels. The prophecy of the Chosen One has finally been defined, the concept of “balance” has been explored, and the relationships between the various Jedi have been detailed. Now even Padmé’s death has been transformed.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #2 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.

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Thomas Bacon
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Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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