20 years after her devastating death in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Padmé Amidala’s legacy is finally getting some well-deserved respect. How Padmé died is perhaps one of the most valid complaints about the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Despite spending her life in service of others, constantly proving her bravery and strength, Revenge of the Sith gave little explanation for Padmé’s death other than losing her will to live. Worse still, the Revenge of the Sith deleted scenes then deprived Padmé of the best part of her legacy.
Multiple scenes about Padmé’s influence on the Rebellion were cut from Revenge of the Sith, including the fact that she effectively helped start the Rebellion via her participation in the Delegation of 2000—a group of Senators opposing Palpatine and his ever-increasing power. A brand-new canon Star Wars book, Star Wars: The Mask of Fear, written by Alexander Freed, has now made reference to the Delegation, however. The text reads:
“What you’re doing,” Lud said, “is only proving him right. The Delegation of Two Thousand was . . . well, it was mad and foolish and an utter failure, but at least it was idealistic. It was built on principle, and people saw that even if they didn’t understand what the principle was. Now I know you’re acting in what you believe is the best interest of democracy. I know you, Mon. But—”
With this one reference, Star Wars has officially canonized the Delegation of 2000, cementing this essential part of Padmé’s legacy.
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Padmé’s Revenge Of The Sith Plot Is Finally Becoming Canon
…But This Legacy Is Becoming More Complicated As Well
With the removal of these scenes from Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars made the decision to strike the Delegation of 2000 (and therefore Padmé’s contribution to it) from canon. Now, The Mask of Fear has thankfully changed that. This update to the Delegation of 2000’s Star Wars status came with changes to the movement’s legacy as well, though.
Clearly, the efforts of the Delegation of 2000 were seen in a much more complicated light after the fact, considering the Delegation is being described as mad, foolish, and a failure in The Mask of Fear. That’s somewhat unsurprising, given the senators were obviously unsuccessful in stopping Palpatine, but it’s a bit shocking to know it’s considered foolish. Even in light of this description and the reality of the Delegation’s outcome, though, this is an aspect of Padmé’s legacy in Star Wars that deserves acknowledgment.
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Neither Padmé’s death nor her lasting legacy in Star Wars have ever sat entirely right with me. Padmé proved time and again in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and in Star Wars: The Clone Wars to be one of the wisest and fiercest Star Wars characters, standing up to defend her planet when she was just 14 and never failing to put herself on the line to help others. The fact that Padmé is one of Star Wars’ best characters gets easily lost in the disappointing nature of her death, though.
The Delegation of 2000 returning to Star Wars canon will change that considerably. By bringing light to the efforts of this group of senators, however it may have turned out in the end, Star Wars is reinforcing that Padmé was perceptive, bold, and driven by her sense of justice until the very end. While I’ll remain displeased with the handling of Padmé Amidala’s death in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, I am delighted to see the Delegation of 2000 back in Star Wars canon.
Source: Star Wars: The Mask of Fear
