Padmé Amidala

Padmé Amidala (born Padmé Naberrie) is a fictional character in the  Star Wars science fiction franchise. She first appeared on film in the 1999 feature film, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, as the young queen of the planet Naboo. In subsequent prequel trilogy films, Padmé represents Naboo in the Galactic Senate. She is featured in the animated miniseries Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003–2005), Star Wars: The Clone Wars and in'' Star Wars. ''Padmé is the secret wife of Anakin Skywalker and mother of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa.

Born in a mountain village on Naboo 46 years before the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), Padmé Naberrie became known successively by her Name of State as Princess Amidala of Theed, later becoming Queen Amidala of Naboo and Senator Amidala of the Galactic Republic, who adheres to the principles of democracy and rule of law.

Original trilogy
The mother of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa is first mentioned in the 1983 film Return of the Jedi, though she is not named. While in the Ewok village on the forest moon of Endor, Luke informs Leia that she is his sister and that the Sith Lord Darth Vader is their father. When asked if she remembers her "real mother," Leia answers, "She died when I was very young" then later when Luke asks more of her memories, she says, "She was very beautiful... Kind ... but sad". Luke confesses he has no memories of their mother, and the discussion ends as he leaves the village to confront Vader on the second Death Star.

Prequel trilogy
Arriving on Coruscant, Padmé consults with Senator Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), who encourages her to appeal to the Senate to resolve Naboo's dispute with the Trade Federation. He persuades her to make a motion in the Senate to have Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum (Terence Stamp) removed from office; Palpatine is elected in his place. She is unaware that Palpatine is actually Darth Sidious, a Sith Lord who is manipulating the Trade Federation in order to take control of the Republic. Padmé returns to Naboo to fight for her planet's freedom, enlisting the aid of Jar Jar Binks' Gungan warriors and having the bodyguard, Sabé (Keira Knightley), pose as the queen in her place. As Sabé attempts a peace deal between Naboo and the Gungans, Padmé intervenes and reveals her true identity. The Gungans agree to help and offer a diversion to lure the droid armies away from the palace. Once in the palace, Padmé's forces storm the throne room and capture the viceroy, ending the trade blockades of Naboo once and for all. A celebration is held to announce the unity between Naboo and the Gungans. Padmé Amidala makes her first appearance in the prequel The Phantom Menace, released 22 years after A New Hope. Padmé is introduced as the 14-year-old Queen of Naboo, dedicated to ending the planet's occupation by the Trade Federation. She attempts to deal directly with Federation viceroy Nute Gunray (Silas Carson), but he tries to have her assassinated. Padmé escapes with the help of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), but they are forced to land on the desert planet of Tatooine. Padmé — disguised as a handmaiden — meets nine-year-old slave Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) and his mother Shmi Skywalker (Pernilla August). Anakin gives her a hand-carved charm on a leather necklace. She witnesses Anakin win his first pod race at the Boonta Eve Classic and helps secure his freedom.

Padmé Amidala makes her second film appearance in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), set a decade after The Phantom Menace. She represents Naboo in the Galactic Senate and leads a faction opposed to the Military Creation Act, which would create an army of clones for the Republic, which is threatened by a growing Separatist movement. As she arrives on Coruscant to cast her vote, assassins hired by the Trade Federation make an unsuccessful attempt on her life. Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) — now Obi-Wan Kenobi's padawan — is assigned to protect her. Palpatine sends Padmé into hiding on Naboo, where she and Anakin struggle to maintain a platonic relationship despite their obvious mutual attraction.

When Anakin has a vision of his mother in danger, Padmé accompanies him to Tatooine in a failed attempt to rescue her from a band of Tusken Raiders. Anakin returns with his mother's body, and tearfully confesses to Padmé that he slaughtered the entire tribe. Padmé is troubled by what he has done, but nevertheless comforts him.

They receive a message from Obi-Wan, who has been captured by Separatist leader Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) on the planet Geonosis. Padmé and Anakin rush to his aid, only to be captured themselves and condemned to death in a Geonosian coliseum. They declare their love to each other and are saved at the last minute by Jedi Masters Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) and Yoda (Frank Oz), who lead an army of Jedi and clone troopers. This battle marks the opening salvo of the Clone Wars. Afterwards, Padmé and Anakin are married in a secret ceremony on Naboo witnessed by the droids R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels).

Padmé Amidala makes her third appearance on film in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), set three years after the events of Attack of the Clones. After Anakin returns from a battle, she informs him that she is pregnant. Padmé watches with increasing suspicion as Palpatine becomes a dictator, using the Clone Wars to amass vast emergency powers and gain control over the Senate and judiciary. Palpatine later declares martial law, transforming the Republic into the Galactic Empire and naming himself Emperor. As the Senate cheers for Palpatine, Padmé says, "So this is how liberty dies: With thunderous applause."

Meanwhile, Padmé detects changes in Anakin after he has dreams about her dying in childbirth. Although she is dismissive of his visions, Anakin's fear for her leads to his conversion to the dark side of the Force; Palpatine corrupts Anakin by promising him the power to prevent Padmé's death, and takes him as his Sith apprentice, Darth Vader. After Palpatine seizes absolute power, Obi-Wan informs her that Anakin has become a Sith and killed everyone in the Jedi Temple, including the children. She refuses to believe him, but travels to the volcanic planet Mustafar with Obi-Wan stowed on board her ship to learn if Anakin has indeed turned to the dark side. She confronts him, and begs him to escape Palpatine's grasp and flee with her. However, Vader refuses, instead saying he plans to overthrow Palpatine so they can rule the galaxy together. Padmé recoils in horror, realizing Anakin has indeed changed and helped Palpatine destroy the Republic and the Jedi, but still tries to persuade Anakin to come back. Just then, Obi-Wan emerges from the ship. Anakin accuses her of betraying him, and uses the dark side to choke her into unconsciousness.

After Obi-Wan defeats Vader in the ensuing lightsaber duel, he brings Padmé to Polis Massa, a secret asteroid base. Despite the efforts of medical droids, Padmé dies after giving birth to twins Luke and Leia, having lost the will to live. Her final words are, "Obi Wan...There's good in him. I know ... I know there's still ...."

Padmé's body, altered to appear still pregnant, is returned to Naboo and given an elaborate funeral ceremony; she is buried with the necklace Anakin made for her when they first met on Tatooine. The twins are separated, and are hidden from the Empire; Luke is brought to Tatooine to be raised by Anakin's stepfamily, Owen and Beru Lars Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Maree Piesse, later Phil Brownand Shelagh Fraser), and Leia is adopted by Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) of Alderaan and raised as a princess.

Some scenes featuring Padmé Amidala were deleted from the prequel films. In one deleted scene, from Attack of the Clones, she introduces Anakin to her parents, Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie, and informs him of her charitable work with the Refugee Relief Movement, a galaxy-wide disaster relief and resettlement organization. In Revenge of the Sith, Padmé is seen as a dissenter in Palpatine's government during the Clone Wars and an early constituting member of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, later known as the Rebel Alliance. She is joined by senators Bail Organa, Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly), and Bana Breemu (Bai Ling).

[edit] 2003 series
Padmé Amidala appears in eight chapters of Star Wars: Clone Wars, a television series set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith that aired on the Cartoon Network from 2003 to 2005. The character was voiced by Grey DeLisle. Padmé is secluded on Coruscant and maintains a correspondence with Anakin, who is fighting in the Clone Wars, while avoiding assassins hired by Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray. She worries about Anakin's safety despite the assassination threats, but is thrilled by his victories and graduation from padawan to Jedi.

In one chapter, Padmé travels with Yoda aboard her ship when he senses a disturbance in the Force coming from the ice planet Ilum. Despite the protests of security officer Captain Typho, she accompanies Yoda to the world and helps rescue the Jedi Luminara Unduliand her padawan Barriss Offee. In the Clone Wars, Padmé is a source of diplomacy in the waning Republic. During the Outer Rimsieges, she and Typho travel to the planet Bri'ahl to persuade the natives to join the Republic's fight against the Separatists.

[edit] 2008 series
Padmé makes her fourth appearance on film in the movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars. While Anakin and his new Padawan learnerAhsoka Tano, search for Jabba the Hutt's son, Rotta, on Teth, Padmé meets with Jabba's uncle Ziro at his palace on Coruscant. Her objective is to convince Ziro to side with the Jedi and let her contact Jabba himself, who incorrectly believes the Republic had orchestrated Rotta's kidnapping and subsequently executed him. Ziro has no interest in what she has to say and has Padmé forcibly removed from his throne room. However, she escapes her IG-unit guard and eavesdrops on him during a communication with Count Dooku. While listening to this conversation, she discovers Ziro has allied himself with the Separatists in exchange for becoming the ruler of the Hutt clans, and he has concocted an elaborate scheme to kidnap Jabba's son, frame the Jedi for his murder, and force Jabba to attempt revenge—an act that would surely result in his death, leaving Ziro as the sole ruler of the Hutts. She is discovered eavesdropping and imprisoned. Count Dooku suggests Ziro collect the bounty placed on her head by Nute Gunray.

Taken to the detention level, battle droids confiscate Padmé's comlink and blaster, but she outwits them and tricks one into activating her comlink as C-3PO is attempting to contact her. She quickly explains her predicament before a droid smashes the device. Ziro plans to have her disposed of in an "accident", but at the last moment, C-3PO leads a squad of Coruscant Guard troopers to rescue her. They destroy all of his droid guards, and capture Ziro. Padmé then contacts Jabba, just as he is about to execute Anakin and Ahsoka for allegedly kidnapping Rotta. Padmé forces Ziro to confess his betrayal to Jabba, who promises swift punishment in return. With Anakin and Ahsoka saved, Padmé proceeds to negotiate an alliance between the Republic and the Hutts, which would allow Republic warships to use unknown Hutt hyperspace lanes, an advantage the Separatists did not have.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">Padmé Amidala has appeared in five episodes in the first season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and in five episodes in the second season. So far in season three, she has appeared in six episodes, and she is expected to return in the final episodes of this season. She is mostly portrayed working in the Senate working toward a peaceful resolution to the Clone Wars, although a few episodes have portrayed her fighting the Separatists alongside Anakin, his padawan Ahsoka Tano and their friend Jar Jar Binks.