George Lucas’ original plan for the Star Wars prequel trilogy would have totally changed Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala’s story in Star Wars movies and TV shows—and I think it would have been so much better, especially for Padmé. Padmé is one of Star Wars’ best characters, which became especially clear in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. In those movies, Padmé proved to be a brilliant queen and senator, and she was unfailingly brave and morally upright.
Sadly, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith brought about some unfavorable changes for Padmé. Not only was the way Padmé died very disappointing, but also, she was largely sidelined, no longer seeming like the fearless leader and selfless public servant she had always been. Yet, George Lucas originally had a very different plan in mind for Padmé and Anakin in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and I think it would have been so much better.
Anakin’s Fall To The Dark Side Was Originally Very Different
This Original Plan Would Have Entirely Changed Anakin and Padmé’s Dynamic
The Jedi rule against attachments is now very well-known, as it absolutely dominated the prequel trilogy and drove Anakin’s narrative. However, George Lucas apparently didn’t originally plan on the Jedi forbidding attachments, as Anakin and Padmé were going to be openly married. That alone would have been a major change for the couple and for the prequel trilogy story because the deception surrounding Anakin and Padmé’s marriage contributed significantly to Anakin’s fall to the dark side.
This was far from the most surprising difference between George Lucas’ original prequel trilogy plan and what ultimately came to be, though. Shockingly, George Lucas originally planned for Anakin Skywalker to be killing Jedi secretly for years, rather than just participating in Order 66 after he had fallen to the dark side. This was based in part on Obi-Wan Kenobi’s explanation in A New Hope that Darth Vader had hunted down and betrayed Jedi.
George Lucas originally planned for Anakin Skywalker to be killing Jedi secretly for years.
Star Wars has since shown other ways that Darth Vader hunted Jedi, such as with the Imperial Inquisitors, but it seems that initially, George Lucas essentially made Anakin Skywalker a secret Jedi serial killer. This would have radically changed Anakin Skywalker’s Star Wars timeline and his fall to the dark side. As it stands in the prequels, Anakin was on the light side of the Force until Revenge of the Sith, when he was successfully manipulated by Palpatine to turn to the dark.
This would have completely changed that, instead making Anakin evil much earlier on. While this may seem as though it mostly has to do with Anakin’s story, this would also have had a direct influence on Padmé’s Star Wars story. Specifically, in this version of the story, Padmé was going to have considerably more agency than she ultimately ended up having in Revenge of the Sith.
Padmé Was The One Who Exposed Anakin’s Betrayal
This Would Have Reinforced Just How Brilliant Padmé Was
In this shocking version of the Star Wars prequel trilogy story, it would have been Padmé who uncovered the truth about Anakin Skywalker’s evil doings. This would have been a significant reversal compared to what ended up happening in Revenge of the Sith. In major contrast, Padmé was effectively in denial after hearing what Anakin had done during Order 66. While it’s understandable that Padmé would struggle to accept the truth, it was a bit odd, given Anakin had already confessed to one mᴀssacre to her in Attack of the Clones.
This version of the story would have done away with Padmé’s blindness to the truth about Anakin and instead would have made her the most perceptive of all the people in Anakin’s life. This would have made so much more sense, as Padmé was closer with Anakin than anyone else was, and she was consistently proven to be brilliant. This alternate plan would therefore not only have made considerably more sense but also would have reinforced what had already been shown about Padmé’s character.
Padme Didn’t Die In Childbirth, & Would Have Gotten To Know Leia
Padmé’s Death Would Have Been So Much Less Disappointing
Another significant change to Padmé’s story would have been her death. In Revenge of the Sith, Padmé’s death was incredibly frustrating. After being one of the bravest, most heroic characters in the prequels, Revenge of the Sith killed Padmé off in a way that wasn’t even very well explained.
Essentially, the medical droid informed Obi-Wan that Padmé had lost the will to live, and little else was revealed about her sudden and mysterious death. This death was entirely incongruent with who Padmé had been shown to be, and it also led to the even worse interpretation that Padmé had died of a broken heart. While Star Wars has never verified that Padmé did die of a broken heart, her death was bad enough.
This death was entirely incongruent with who Padmé had been shown to be, and it also led to the even worse interpretation that Padmé had died of a broken heart.
Originally, though, George Lucas had planned for Padmé to go with Bail Organa and Leia to Alderaan for a time—which would also have addressed why Leia said she remembered Padmé when she had only been minutes old when Padmé died. This also would have meant avoiding this seriously disappointing death for such a beloved character. Although making Anakin Skywalker a Jedi serial killer would have raised eyebrows and no doubt complicated his redemption arc, this original Star Wars plan would have been brilliant for Padmé Amidala.
