Padmé Amidala Naberrie first appeared[note 4] in the 1999 prequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, with Natalie Portman portraying her as Queen Amidala and her disguised "handmaiden Padmé" persona. Portman-as-Padmé also appeared in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith (2005). Padmé's appearances continued in episodes of The Clone Wars 3D animated series, in which she was voiced by Catherine Taber, and in Expanded Universe materials (now known as Legends). Since the continuity split, she has been the main character of the New Canon Queen's Series book trilogy by E. K. Johnston.
What's in a name?[]
Canonical names and titles[]
In Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, she is simply Padmé or Queen Amidala and she and Sabé both act as "the Queen" persona.[note 5][2] Padmé Naberrie may have first been used in the novelization, which was published prior to the film's release,[1] and in some other pre-release tie-ins; it isn't used in the film itself. In-universe, when she was elected at age fourteen, Padmé Naberrie became Queen Amidala.
In Legends, Amidala became Princess of Theed (Naboo's capital city) when she was 12 years old.[6][15][16] It isn't clear from the TPM Visual Dictionary who knew about the name Padmé Naberrie before it's used like an alias when she's disguised as her own handmaiden.[17] The junior novelization went further by framing the name Padmé as only an alias; in Amidala's internal narrative: "and Amidala was just... Padmé, who wore the same flame-colored robes as the rest of the Queen's handmaiden-bodyguards. 'Padmé' did not exist... except when Amidala was in disguise.[18]
The New Canon tweaks her history; Padmé became an apprentice legislator at age 8, then a junior senatorial advisor (no age specified), then served two years as supervisor of Theed before her election as Queen. It doesn't state which name she used in those roles.[7] She adopted the name Amidala (as "Candidate Amidala")[QP 3] either before or during her election campaign for Queen. In becoming Queen of Naboo, she puts aside the name "Padmé" as far as the public knows (although it isn't explained how to reconcile this with her years of previous public service as Padmé):
She wouldn't rule as Padmé if she won. No one would even know who Padmé was, if everything went to plan. She would bear the robes and responsibilities of Naboo's crown, and she would give herself to that entirely, even to the extent of forsaking her own name for the duration of her reign. It was tradition, but it was a comfort, too—a reminder that her part was bigger than herself, that she would be acting in service, not selfishly for her own gain.
She hadn't really understood it until that morning, when her ballot-chip slid into the box. She thought the anonymity was for her protection, and in a way it was, but it was also to protect someone else. And it was time. Her time.
Amidala.
As part of the transfer of power, the incoming monarch "didn't speak to the public until their full royal persona was ready." Quarsh Panaka knew her real identity, but during her first day, "he realized that while he had no idea what was going on in Amidala's head, he hadn't once, in the entire course of the afternoon, forgotten she was the Queen."[QP 3]
Padmé Amidala was first used out-of-universe... sometime in the run up to the release of Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones,[note 6] definitely by August 2001.[19] IU, she's alternately Padmé and Senator Amidala in the film itself (and once Senator Padmé, film-wise Padmé Amidala is in deleted scene).[3] Padmé Amidala is also used throughout the Character Encyclopedia series, both Legends (2011) and New Canon (2016, 2019, 2021), including The Clone Wars specific versions (2010, 2021). She's never called "Senator Naberrie" or "Senator Padmé Naberrie".
Padmé Amidala Naberrie, her most complete canonical name,[note 7] has staying power in both continuities[22][23][24] and gets used IU within the New Canon.[25][QS 3][QS 4]
"As many have known for a long time, and as you heard on the recording yesterday, my birth mother was also well known. Padmé Amidala Naberrie served the planet of Naboo first as queen, then as senator. She was among the few who stood up to Palpatine during his rise to power, one of the only people who warned against the evils to come." Leia thought of the holos she'd seen of a delicate young woman in the ornate regalia of the Naboo throne; they shared the same eyes. She continued, "My mother is every bit as much a part of me as my father."
Not Skywalker[]
"Skywalker" is never part of Padmé's name in either continuity, secretly or otherwise, after marrying Anakin Skywalker. It shows up sometimes on unofficial, unlicensed websites and in unofficial, unlicensed publications, but not in canonical or officially licensed materials. Contrary to an incorrect citation elsewhere, "Padmé Naberrie Skywalker" is not used in the Attack of the Clones novelization; in fact, its last sentence is, "And Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala shared their first kiss as husband and wife."[26] Same goes for claims about "Padmé Amidala Skywalker" and "Padmé Skywalker".
Early examples of fanworks with Skywalker in her name (any spellings as "Padme" are formatting difficulties of the time):
- Pre-AOTC releases:
- Between releases of AOTC and ROTS:
- Post-ROTS releases:
Queer Queen[]
The Queen's Series by E.K. Johnston consists of Queen's Shadow (2019), Queen's Peril (2020), and Queen's Hope (2022). In these books, Padmé is portrayed as canonically queer without in-universe terminology.[QS 2][QP 2][QH 2]
In Queen's Shadow, Padmé talks with Queen Breha about families and romances in reference to her sister: "Sola has no interest in a partner. It's normal enough on Naboo. I think I would like what my parents have, though. Or some version of it. I'm not sure I want to mix politics and family, but I suppose it depends on a great many things."[QS 5] This suggests Padmé isn't entirely sure if she ever wants a romantic or sexual relationship.
In the next chapter, Padmé uses gender-neutral language when she discusses with Sabé what a potential partner might be like:
I've guarded my heart against everything for so long, always aware of the dynamics and the flow of power. I've been lucky to find so many people who understand that and give me that space. I'm afraid that if someone breaks through, I'll let them, and it would be catastrophic.
The context of the conversation is Sabé talking about how she's being careful with Tonra's feelings because he's into her but she puts Padmé first, and both Tonra and Padmé know that about her. Sabé thinks over what Padmé said: "Padmé never spoke to her about matters of the heart, largely, Sabé suspected, out of respect for privacy. She wondered who Padmé was thinking of that made her do it now, or if Padmé was merely intrigued by the prospect of whatever she imagined Sabé was getting up to. She wasn't the jealous type, but she'd always been curious, and Sabé rarely did anything first."[QS 6] To Sabé's knowledge, Padmé hasn't previously expressed interest in a romantic or sexual partnership.
In Queen's Hope, Padmé again uses gender-neutral language during private pre-wedding reflections on her romantic history:
It had been easy to fall for Anakin Skywalker. And that terrified her, too.
She had thought herself immune to such matters. Yes, she'd had adolescent crushes, and yes, there were people she found attractive, but none of that had ever gotten into her head the way Anakin did. She'd always been able to move past it, quickly, avoiding entanglements and returning to work. She'd tried to do the same thing when she realized what her feelings for Anakin were leading toward, and she had almost succeeded, but in the face of death, she had decided to throw caution to the wind.
Out-of-universe, EKJ discussed Padmé's sexual and romantic orientations and the relationship between Padmé and Sabé in a 2022 interview. EKJ suggested two labels for Padmé at that time:[27]
Because I'm me, and the way that I write characters tends to be on the 'reserved' side, Padmé does come across as a little bit demi which I'm okay with because I think that makes her 'oh no he's hot' moment with Anakin, like, ten times more hilarious.
Regarding both Padmé and Sabé:
I'll always take the opportunity to make a character queer, something like, 'hmmmm... they're not— they're not queer for each other, but they are both queer.'
Regardless of whether or not EKJ meant to write Padmé and Sabé being "queer for each other", Padmé is still a character who is LGBTQIA+. EKJ stated that she writes Padmé as queer and demi— meaning those who prioritize stated authorial intent should recognize Padmé among other LGBTQIA+ characters since EKJ confirmed that's what she intended.
My hands are yours[]
EKJ said she didn't write Sabé and Padmé as having a romantic relationship in her trilogy, which she said was in part because she didn't want to write their inevitable break up. According to her, she wrote them with a "strong friendship" and a "platonic love story." It's no surprise when she says she's a Sabedala shipper herself as a fan.[27]
In our humble opinions, EKJ failed at not writing romantic love between Padmé and Sabé, especially in Queen's Hope. Her characterization is at odds with the text's depiction as mutually in love with one another and constantly pining, a feature not commonly present outside of romantic relationships. In longstanding sapphic tradition, they never become an official couple, possibly because Padmé fails to realize that Sabé reciprocates her romantic feelings (and vice versa).
Because this wiki gives precedence to in-universe material over out-of-universe authorial intent, we have chosen to document Padmé's attraction to Sabé as romantic, regardless of whether or not EKJ "intended" to write her that way.
Fan resources[]
- Padmé Amidala character tag on Archive of Our Own (NOTE: This link has NSFW content only appropriate for those 18+.)
- Padmé Amidala character filter on FanFiction.net (NOTE: This link has NSFW content only appropriate for those 18+.)
- Articles on Fanlore:
Notes[]
- ↑ Padmé was initially established as female through the feminine-gendered title "Queen" and describing her as a "girl" during the timeframe of TPM, and later through character profiles listing her sex or gender as female.
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace implies rather than outright states the Naboo are humans by contrasting them with the visibly alien Gungans. Books made the human-is-the-species/Naboo-is-the-culture thing explicit. This article hasn't tracked down whatever the "firsts" are.
- ↑ Despite how many sources in both continuities state Naboo is Padmé's homeworld, we're having trouble finding one in Legends that explicitly identifies it as her birthplace. "Homeworld" and "birthplace" don't have the same meaning. For instance, it'd be incorrect to cite the pre-2013 StarWars.com Databank or the Character Encyclopedia as sources for this info since that's not how they use the word "homeworld" (ex. they put Tatooine for Luke Skywalker and Alderaan for Leia Organa, not Polis Massa).
- ↑ Technically, the adult and junior novelizations were published before the actual film release, but nobody really thinks of those as "first" outside of trivia settings where it's a "gotcha!"/trick question.
- ↑ In deliberate pre-release misleads, Queen Amidala and Padmé the handmaiden were treated as separate character roles both played entirely by Natalie Portman without revealing that Padmé is Queen Amidala and that she has a decoy played by Keira Knightley.
- ↑ I tried, ok?! Searching print sources from two decades ago takes awhile! So for now, this article's avoiding a claim of "this is THE first". — Immi Thrax
(she/her)
- ↑ Although "Padmé Naberrie Amidala" showed up partway through the prequels releases in the Legends reference The New Essential Guide to Characters (2002),[20] it basically disappeared for fifteen years until the New Canon The Visual Encyclopedia.[21] It's technically official but fleeting and almost forgettable compared to Padmé Amidala Naberrie.
References[]
Queen's Series
- Queen's Shadow [QS]:
- ↑ New Canon · Queen's Shadow, Chapter 1, by E.K. Johnston in the series Queen's Shadow Trilogy. Published 2019 by Disney-Lucasfilm.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 New Canon · Queen's Shadow by E. K. Johnston in the series Queen's Series. Published 2019 by Disney • Lucasfilm Press.
- ↑ New Canon · Queen's Shadow, chapter 14, by E. K. Johnston. Sabé: "I'm the right hand of Padmé Amidala Naberrie, and I always will be, even if someday she decides to follow her path somewhere else. I wouldn't trade my relationship with her for anything in the galaxy."
- ↑ New Canon · Queen's Shadow, Epilogue, by E. K. Johnston. "Padmé Amidala Naberrie was dead, her dreams with her. [Sabé's POV]"
- ↑ New Canon · Queen's Shadow, chapter 16, by E. K. Johnston.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 New Canon · Queen's Shadow, chapter 17, by E. K. Johnston.
- Queen's Peril [QP]:
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 New Canon · Queen's Peril, Chapter 1, by E.K. Johnston in the series Queen's Shadow Trilogy. Published 2020 by Disney-Lucasfilm.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 New Canon · Queen's Peril by E. K. Johnston in the series Queen's Series. Published 2020 by Disney • Lucasfilm Press.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 New Canon · Queen's Peril, Chapter 2, by E.K. Johnston in the series Queen's Shadow Trilogy. Published 2020 by Disney-Lucasfilm.
- Queen's Hope [QH]:
Fanworks [fan]
- ↑ Fanwork · For Love of a Skywalker by AuraThundera on Fanfiction.net. Published 2000-05-21. (backup link not available)
- ↑ Fanwork · Force of Destiny by Llarian Ashbourn on Fanfiction.net. Published 2001-01-13. Chapter 30 (backup link not available)
- ↑ Fanwork · Fallen Angel by AngelQueen on Fanfiction.net. Published 2002-06-06. (backup link not available)
- ↑ Fanwork · The Heart's Fondest Desire by MissPadme on The Moons of Iego. Published 2002-11-23. (Archived on 2005-12-06).
- ↑ Fanwork · Home Again by Eridala on Fanfiction.net. Published 2005-05-16. (backup link not available)
- ↑ Fanwork · Padme's Tears by spygirl85 on Fanfiction.net. Published 2005-06-11. (backup link not available)
- ↑ Fanwork · Together by Laura-chan on Fanfiction.net. Published 2005-07-10. (backup link not available)
All other references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Legends · Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, chapter 9, by Terry Brooks. Published 1999-04-21 by Del Rey. Film novelization
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Legends & New Canon · Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Legends & New Canon · Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Legends · Star Wars Character Encyclopedia, "Padmé Amidala", by Simon Beecroft. Published 2011 by DK.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 New Canon · Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded, "Padmé Amidala", by Simon Beecroft and Pablo Hidalgo. Published 2016 by DK. Content reprinted in retitled 2019 and 2021 editions.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Legends · Star Wars: Episode I: The Visual Dictionary, "Queen Amidala", by David West Reynolds. Published 1999 by DK Publishing. Content reprinted in Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary (2006) and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Expanded Visual Dictionary (2012).
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 New Canon · Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition, "Queen Amidala", by Pablo Hidalgo and David West Reynolds. Published 2018 by DK Publishing.
- ↑ Legends · The Official Star Wars Fact File, issue 140, FAM1, "Skywalker Family Tree". Published 2004 by De Agostini.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 New Canon · Star Wars Timelines, "Naboo Royalty".
- ↑ Legends · The New Essential Chronology, Part Two: The Fall of the Republic: "Anakin Turns to the Dark Side (19 B.B.Y.)", by Daniel Wallace. Published 2005 by Del Rey.
- ↑ New Canon · Star Wars Timelines, "End of The Republic".
- ↑ Legends & New Canon · Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, deleted scene: "Padmé's Parents' House"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Legends · Death on Naboo by Jude Watson in the series The Last of the Jedi. Published 2006 by Scholastic.
- ↑ Legends & New Canon · Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- ↑ Legends · Star Wars Tales, issue #5, "A Summer's Dream", by Terry Moore. Published 2000 by Dark Horse Comics.
- ↑ Secrets of Naboo, "The Naboo: Naboo Society" and "The Naboo: Settlements of Note", by Steve Miller and JD Wiker in the series Star Wars Roleplaying Game. Published 2001 by Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Legends · Star Wars: Episode I: The Visual Dictionary, "Padmé Naberrie", by David West Reynolds. Published 1999 by DK Publishing. Content reprinted in Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary (2006) and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Expanded Visual Dictionary (2012).
- ↑ Legends · Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, chapter 4, by Patricia C. Wrede. Published 1999 by Scholastic. Junior film novelization
- ↑ Real World · Star Wars Insider, issue #55, Star Sightings, by Sue Weilein Cook. Published 2001-08-07.
- ↑ Legends · The New Essential Guide to Characters, "Padmé Naberrie Amidala", by Daniel Wallace. Published 2002 by Ballantine Books.
- ↑ New Canon · Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia, "Culture: Occasion Wear", by Adam Bray, Cole Horton, and Tricia Barr. Published 2017 by DK Publishing.
- ↑ Real World · Star Wars Chronicles: The Prequels, "Comparison Charts", by Stephen J. Sansweet and Pablo Hidalgo. Published 2005 by Chronicle Books.
- ↑ Real World · Women of the Galaxy, "Padmé Amidala", by Amy Ratcliffe. Published 2018 by Chronicle Books. In the entry text not title
- ↑ Real World · Exploring Tatooine by Riley Silverman. Published 2022 by Insight Editions.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 New Canon · Bloodline, Chapter Twenty-Five, by Claudia Gray. Published 2016 by Del Rey.
- ↑ Legends · Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, Epilogue, by R. A. Salvatore. Published 2002 by Del Rey. Film novelization
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 "Chatting With EK Johnston About the Handmaidens of Star Wars" by Star Wars at Dragon Con on YouTube. Posted on 2021-09-05.