20 years after Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars has finally acknowledged that Padmé Amidala was just as important as Anakin Skywalker to the Star Wars timeline. Padmé and Anakin rank high on the list of Star Wars’ best characters, not only because they are part of Star Wars’ most famous family, but also in their own rights. Although Anakin had already been seen throughout the original Star Wars trilogy as Darth Vader, his story as Anakin wasn’t really explored on screen until the prequels.
Padmé, by contrast, was entirely new to Star Wars movies and TV shows in the prequel trilogy. The prequels proved how significant a role Anakin and Padmé played in the fate of the galaxy, both because their relationship doomed the Republic and the Jedi in many ways and because they were each mᴀssively involved in the major events of that era—Anakin with the Clone Wars and the Jedi Order and Padmé within the political sphere. Finally, though, a brand-new Star Wars story is confirming that Padmé was just as important as Anakin.
The Extent Of Padmé’s Importance Wasn’t Captured On Screen, But It Was Monumental
Deleted Scenes Detracted From Padmé’s Story, But Recent Star Wars Stories Have Improved This Issue
Sadly, Revenge of the Sith’s deleted scenes included Padmé’s involvement in the Delegation of 2000, a group of senators who opposed Palpatine’s rise to power. This was a major plotline to cut, because it confirmed that Padmé had actually directly helped to form the Rebellion. This would have protected and heightened her legacy in Star Wars, and it would have given her a beautiful connection to her children. Instead, it was removed from the movie, and few had any idea that she had helped to sow the early seeds of the Rebellion at all.
While the movies may not have depicted Padmé’s crucial role in this capacity, Star Wars books are changing that. A brand-new Star Wars book, тιтled Star Wars: The Mask of Fear, written by Alexander Freed, addresses this issue head-on. In Screen Rant’s exclusive interview with Freed, which included a Mask of Fear excerpt, Freed explained:
“Padmé’s absence is instrumental in this story. Bail and Mon are both affected by her death on a personal level, but Padmé also helped to bridge their ideological and strategic differences. Without her gravity, the two senators are flung out in their own directions. Bail and Mon both know that. They’re not oblivious to what Padmé did for them. But they can’t undo what happened, either.
The Rebellion would look as different without the legacy of Padmé as the Empire would without Anakin. She laid the groundwork, and she’s a guiding light for those who follow.”
Freed speaks not only to how Padmé was essential to the Rebellion, supporting the information provided in the scenes that were cut from Revenge of the Sith, but also about her long-lasting impact on essential figures in the Rebellion, such as Bail Organa and Mon Mothma.
Purchase Star Wars: The Mask of Fear
Even After Her Death, Padme’s Legacy Furthered The Rebellion
Her Memory Continued To Inspire Others, And Her Work Behind The Scenes Remained Important
The Mask of Fear affirms that Padmé fundamentally shaped the Rebellion and continued to have an impact long after her death. In fact, just as Freed indicated, The Mask of Fear depicted how much Padmé continued to be a driving force for Bail Organa. It was also clear, as Freed said, that Padmé could have been the one to bring Mon and Bail together. Instead, throughout the book, they are at odds with one another. Whereas Bail is all in on the Rebel efforts, Mon Mothma believes Palpatine can be overthrown through peaceful political means.
Padmé fundamentally shaped the Rebellion and continued to have an impact long after her death.
Padmé, with her dedication to peace but also to justice, would have been the perfect person to bridge that divide. Even without her present, though, it was her memory and all that she stood for that kept this Rebel spirit alive, especially for Bail. With Bail, it was even more personal, as he was raising Padmé’s biological daughter, Leia, as his own. The Mask of Fear repeatedly proved that Leia was a constant reminder to Bail of Padmé’s legacy and what she would have been fighting for, had she lived.
What If Padmé Had Lived?
Padmé Was Bridging Divides In Ways That Weren’t Even Shown On Screen
Although I love Mon Mothma, I believe her hesitancy to truly rebel affected how long Palpatine maintained his power. This is shown not only in The Mask of Fear but also in Andor. Andor season 2 is likely to only shed more light upon that issue, as it will run right into the beginning of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and therefore the early days of the Galactic Civil War. These insights in The Mask of Fear raise a pressing question, though: what would have happened had Padmé lived during the Dark Times?
What would have happened had Padmé lived during the Dark Times?
The Mask of Fear seems to suggest that, with Padmé still involved, the Rebellion would have moved further, faster. She could have united Bail and Mon, no doubt along with countless others, which is something she excelled at throughout the prequel trilogy and especially in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Of course, this also would have introduced its own set of mᴀssive problems, as her survival would have needed to be entirely concealed from the public. Otherwise, Darth Vader could have found her and, by extension, Luke and Leia.
Nevertheless, it’s thrilling to imagine what the Rebellion could have looked like with Padmé still involved, and I appreciate that stories like The Mask of Fear are giving Padmé the recognition she deserves. It’s also impossible to say how much Padmé could have accomplished had she survived Revenge of the Sith, but I believe she could have had a mᴀssive impact. Finally, with The Mask of Fear, Star Wars is acknowledging that Padmé Amidala was just as important as Anakin Skywalker.
