Padmé Amidala may be one of my favorite Star Wars characters, but one decision she made in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones remains bewildering to me—and it caused some serious damage. In general, I find Padmé to be an underrated Star Wars character. Throughout Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, she proved to be an absolutely brilliant and valiant queen and politician. While Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith sidelined her a bit, she remained one of Star Wars’ best characters.

However, she also had her fair share of serious missteps in Star Wars movies and TV shows. Some of the most glaring include her shockingly understated reaction to Anakin’s confession about slaughtering the Tusken Raiders and her failure to share her concerns about Anakin with anyone. Yet, Padmé made one specific choice in Attack of the Clones that still surprises and confuses me to this day.

Padmé And Anakin Ran Right To The Very Person Padmé Was Hiding From

Padmé Suspected Dooku Immediately… So Why Would She Do This?

Padmé and Anakin obviously made a host of bad decisions in Attack of the Clones, not the least of which being their romantic relationship that arguably single-handedly took down the Republic and the Jedi. Even before that, though, Padmé and Anakin completely undercut their entire reason for going into hiding on Naboo, which showed a lack of judgment that is truly shocking. Specifically, Padmé and Anakin were on Naboo because Count Dooku was trying to kill Padmé, yet they then ran directly to him on Geonosis.

One could argue they didn’t know for certain it was Count Dooku who had ordered the hit on Padmé, but Padmé herself had suggested he was behind this ᴀssᴀssination attempt (which the Jedi Council refused to accept because Dooku had once been a Jedi). Yes, Padmé and Anakin made things so much worse by fumbling their rescue attempt for Obi-Wan Kenobi, but even before that, this was a terrible decision. It put Padmé even more directly in danger than she had already been, and while it didn’t exactly kick off the Clone Wars, it certainly didn’t help.

I Expect This Lack Of Judgment From Anakin, But Not Padmé

This Was (Kind Of) Out Of Character For Padmé

What I find most bewildering about this choice is the fact that Padmé was consistently a brilliant politician and leader who was able to separate her feelings from what needed to be done. She showcased this ability throughout her time as queen, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars showed just how effectively she was able to do so during the Clone Wars era as well, perhaps more so than any other point in the Star Wars timeline. In this case, however, she ran straight into a trap, seemingly because she was that desperate to save Obi-Wan.

I’d like to think this is entirely out of character for Padmé, although that’s not exactly the case. From the moment she and Anakin expressed their feelings for one another on Naboo, Padmé began undermining her own logic and brilliance, and this is just one of several examples. Even so, knowing that Padmé Amidala ran directly toward the person who was trying to kill her in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones remains surprising.