Naboo symbology

Naboo symbology: So lovely to look at, so confusing to identify by name. The various symbols are primarily associated with Padmé Amidala Naberrie's costumes and costumes of Amidala's handmaidens, plus other characters or scenic elements from Naboo, especially in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.

Distinct symbols

Naboo royal symbol? Crest? Insignia?

Naming

The appearance on costuming is different than the version used in print, in animation, and for merchandise

This is probably the symbol you think of when you think of Naboo having a symbol, but good luck assigning a single name to it. In- and out-of-universe books and magazines have called this symbol several different things. In order of the first usage of those names:

1. (the) Queen's crest—caption for standalone image of the symbol; name reoccurs in New Canon without describing or picturing what it's used for
2. (the) royal insignia—label for deep red Handmaiden cloaks worn by Eirtaé and Rabé on Coruscant
3. Naboo royal symbol(s)—description for parade robes worn by Amidala's handmaidens (not pictured, but says: "Over this they wore a dark-green top with a hanging front section marked with Naboo royal symbols.")
4. Naboo crest—handwritten label pointing to stylized version on a headdress Senator Amidala "wears" in TCW, with the blue and gold swirl dress
5. Grizmallt symbol—label for deep red Handmaiden cloaks, replacing original "the royal insignia" label
6. Naboo royal crest—image caption for fireworks during Naboo's Festival of Light in TCW. (Also used in licensed product descriptions for Star Wars X RockLove Padme Amidala Naboo Necklace and Earrings.)
7. Naboo royal insignia—within text about TPM Handmaiden costumes, on a page using it as a background graphic
8. Symbol of the Royal House of Naboo—label for tabard of Queen Amidala's jubilation dress during the parade. (Also used in licensed product description for Loungefly Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Padmé Amidala Handmaiden Mini Backpack.)

If you're trying to keep count or lost count of variations among the names, that's:

• 3 uses of "symbol", 3 of "crest", 2 of "insignia" to say what type of thing it is
• 5 uses of "[R/r]oyal" (of which 3 are "Naboo royal", 1 is "Royal House of Naboo", and 1 is standalone), 1 of "Queen's", 1 standalone non-royal "Naboo", and 1 "Grizmallt" as identifiers

While "Naboo crest" is a canonical option, that name is shared with the embossed metal headdress Padmé wears when she travels to Naboo in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. For this wiki's purposes, maybe we'll go with "Naboo royal symbol" based on word frequency and to avoid crest-confusion.

"Naboo emblem" is not one of its names in IU/OOU print materials, unlike another symbol. Despite that, there are currently various licensed products featuring this symbol that call it "Naboo emblem" in their names or product descriptions, including Star Wars X RockLove Padme Amidala Naboo Necklace and Earrings (as a set or as separate items) and multiple Her Universe products. (Lucasfilm Licensing, if you can read this... whyyyy?!)

Uses

The most common appearance of the Naboo... thingy is simplified and used outside the films

Biggar wrote of the Handmaidens' costumes that their "flowing cloaks and soft dresses, often made in silk velvet material, were screen-printed or devoréd (a process that removes selected areas of velvet pile, leaving a pattern behind) with the royal motifs, and dyed to complement Amidala’s outfits."

• Devoréd and dyed in gold on skirt of the black travel gown (worn by Sabé as decoy on Naboo through Coruscant)
• Devoréd on Handmaidens' deep red cloaks (worn by Eirtaé and Rabé on Coruscant), but mirrored from its usual presentation
• Devoréd on Handmaidens' green outer robes (during the victory parade), upside-down
• Drawn or painted onto the tabard of Queen Amidala's jubilation dress, with the symbol's lower portion at the top and two of them flowing into each other at the bottom
• Screen-print on costumes worn by some of the extras at the victory parade
• Embroidery on outer layer of Padmé's peacock-and-brown gown, best seen in fans' photos of the costume exhibit
• Embroidery at the tops of the detached sleeves of Padmé's Mustafar taupe action outfit
• Printed on the forehead of the headdress Padmé wears with her blue-and-gold swirl gown in TCW
• Printed on the yellow Naboo scout carrier
• Printed on Padmé's large necklace worn with her tan-and-taupe speech dress
• Printed on the headboard of Padmé's starship bed
• Printed on the wide decorative door frame inside Padmé's Senate office
• Printed trim down the sides of Padmé's scuba suit

Naboo emblem?

Naming

The other one

This Naboo symbol (well, maybe not the name "symbol") either hasn't been named in the New Canon or its name hasn't been found by this wiki's editors. In Legends, its depiction on the belt buckle of the Naboo Royal Handmaidens' battle dresses got multiple similar names, all of which called it an "emblem" and included "Naboo" in the name:

1. Naboo royal emblem
2. Naboo emblem (as all-caps image heading)
3. emblem of Naboo (in image caption)

Additionally, Trisha Biggar used "royal emblem(s)" out-of-universe for the gold antique tiara of the purple travel gown (which she labeled as the Queen's Travel Gown II).

So, this one is at least consistently called an emblem! Great!

... Except using "Naboo" or "emblem" or both may not be enough to distinguish this design because the name "Naboo emblem" is currently in use on licensed products of the more famous Naboo royal symbol, as described above. Calling it a "[Naboo] royal emblem" may not clear things up, either. Queen Apailana's mourning robes in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith have an embroidered purple layer that one book labels "[t]rim embossed with royal emblem"; that particular design may be unique to her. Plus, Biggar referred to Naboo's royal household motifs in general as symbols, patterns, and emblems, so "emblem" arguably includes specific designs on Queen Jamillia's costume.

We're doomed.

Uses

Top: battle dress belt buckle. Bottom row, headdresses worn by Queen Amidala—left: escoffiate, center: Shiraya fan headdress, right: antique tiara

The emblem shows up multiple times in TPM, along with some later appearances:

• Cauls/halfeggs on Queen Amidala's Shiraya fan headdress with her lilac visitation outfit
• Skull cap of her escoffiate headdress
• Antique tiara of her purple travel gown
• Belt buckles of battle dresses worn by Padmé, Eirtaé, Rabé, Saché, and Yané
• Some of the banners during the victory parade (easier to see in The Art of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
• Layered three times as a purple "organic chif stone" jewelry piece in the Visual Dictionaries, picture reused and labeled a "Naboo brooch of organic chif stone" in The Visual Encyclopedia, but none of them point out the design
• Belt buckle of the TCW version of Padmé's battle dress
• Stained glass windows in the Theed Royal Palace

Naboo Security crest

Well, this one's a lot easier, isn't it? Naboo Security Officers wore caps with the Naboo Security crest. It's best not to truncate that into "Naboo crest" because of the headdress and that one symbol.

Another TPM design

As described by Biggar, "The Queen's Travel Gown II from The Phantom Menace consists of a purple paneled velvet overdress, which has a discharge-printed allover Naboo pattern". That pattern (for the purple travel gown) uses a different design than the other two designs used on the Queen's and her Handmaidens' TPM costumes.

Another prequel design

Is it a Naboo symbol or a pattern of the House Bonteri?

Padmé has another design done in purple on her green devoré velvet robe in ROTS. This symbol was also previously on Dormé's cloak in a deleted scene from AOTC, when she's accompanying Padmé for the Senate session immediately after the bombing/assassination attempt.

A placard for a drawing exhibited in Rebel, Jedi, Princess, Queen: Star Wars™ and the Power of Costume read:

IAIN McCAIG Naboo Symbol 2000-2005 Graphite pencil, marker, correction fluid, and photocopy on paper

— Placard for illustration

The Visual Encyclopedia removes the Naboo connection with the label "Luxurious fabric displays patterns of the House Bonteri" (as in Padmé's Separatist friend Mina Bonteri from Onderon in TCW).

Naboo symbols in general

Trisha Biggar wrote, "As another device to link the three Theed Queens (each is elected and reigns for four years), we developed a group of symbols and patterns particular to Naboo and picked some of these to be royal household motifs. We then incorporated these emblems in the decorative processes used in embellishing the Queens' costumes and those of their retinues."

A Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones behind-the-scenes article on the blue poncho Padmé wore on Tatooine commented, "The sleeves are adorned with an emblem similar to Amidala's royal crest." The article didn't clarify which of the symbols from Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace was meant for this comparison.

Royal cosmetics

Scar of remembrance

Main article: Scar of remembrance

Clockwise: top left: Queen Jamillia; top right: Queen Neeyutnee; bottom right: Queen Apailana; bottom left: Queen Soruna

The scar of remembrance, part of the monarch of Naboo's traditional royal makeup, is a stripe painted on the lower lip to recognize Naboo's history of war and years of suffering. Queen Amidala and her decoy Sabé both wore a red scar of remembrance. Queens of Naboo following Amidala also wear scars of remembrance: Jamillia (red), Neeyutnee (purple), and Apailana (blue), and the New Canon's Dalné (red) and Soruna (deep red).

Out of universe, this is the stripe of lip color seen on Naboo's Queens in the prequel trilogy, beginning with Natalie Portman as Queen Amidala in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.

Fan resources

• "Spot the Symbol" by Maggie on The Padawan's Guide to Star Wars Costumes. (Archived on 2022-11-12) — Unlike this article, it takes the position that Padmé wears many variations of one symbol rather than multiple separate symbols
• "Battle Handmaiden Belt Buckle - Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace" by RitinKornas on <thingiverse.com>. Published 2020-10-14. (backup link not available) — Design files for 3D printing a battle dress belt buckle (CC-NC-SA)

Notes

General notes

As seen in

We've used [as seen in] when the design is visible rather than referred to or described in any way, unlike items listed under references.