19 Years After Revenge Of The Sith, I'm Still Convinced Padme's Death Was A Big Mistake (2024)

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith may be my favorite Star Wars movie, but I still believe Padmé Amidala's death was a mistake. Revenge of the Sith is largely considered one of Star Wars' best movies; however, that doesn't mean it isn't without its flaws. In fact, despite its popularity among Star Wars movies and TV shows, Revenge of the Sith made several key mistakes, and some of them have had a lasting impact on the Star Wars galaxy.

Padmé's death is one such mistake. Although the original Star Wars trilogy already confirmed that Padmé had died earlier in the Star Wars timeline, the manner and timing of her death were less clear. After all, although Luke had no memory of his mother, Leia explained in Return of the Jedi that she remembered her mother being sad but beautiful. This could have meant Padmé sticking around for a bit longer. Unfortunately, though, Padmé died in Revenge of the Sith, which I still find to be a major missed opportunity in Star Wars.

Anakin Didn't Kill Padmé... She Died Of A Broken Heart

The Manner Of Padmé's Death Betrayed Her Character

The worst aspect of Padmé's death isn't even that she died but rather how she died. Although Star Wars hasn't necessarily confirmed that Padmé died of a broken heart, that very much seems to be the case. While Anakin had choked Padmé on Mustafar, she clearly came to after Obi-Wan had moved her back to her ship, as she was awake and (somewhat) alert when she gave birth to the twins. Theoretically, being choked and passing out while pregnant could have caused some sort of complication, but if that was the case, it wasn't stated; in fact, quite the opposite.

Instead, the medical droid explained, "Medically, she's completely healthy. For reasons we can't explain, we are losing her." Some have argued that this could be yet another ploy by Palpatine, perhaps draining her life to restore Anakin's after he nearly died on Mustafar. While this would at least be slightly better, it also doesn't seem to be the case. When Obi-Wan was shocked to hear she was dying, the droid elaborated, "We don't know why. She has lost the will to live."

Not only does this seem to confirm that the source of Padmé's death was Padmé herself, but also, this explanation was a massive slap in the face. The idea that Padmé would lose the will to live solely because Anakin had fallen to the dark side contradicted everything Padmé had stood for throughout the prequel trilogy. At just 14 years old, when her life was in danger and her planet was under attack, she remained a brave and loyal queen. She then served as a senator who was heavily involved in the Clone Wars.

In fact, even on Mustafar, Padmé made it clear that she was ready to leave Anakin if he did not turn back to the light side of the Force and leave with her. In light of that, it makes no sense that Padmé would lose the will to live, and it completely contradicts all of her character development until that point. Moreover, Padmé very clearly wanted to be a mother, and she had just had her twins. The idea that she would willingly leave them alone in the world because she was sad is unfathomable.

Revenge Of The Sith Wasted A Classic Prequel Trilogy Character

Padmé Almost Had A Much Greater Impact

Even if Padmé had to die, though, there were many things Revenge of the Sith could have done to make her death more meaningful. In addition to having the cause of her death be something less driven by her—for example, her death being explicitly caused by complications from Anakin's attack—her story could have ended with something more reflective of her legacy. Frustratingly, this was almost the case. In a deleted scene, Padmé worked with other senators to essentially form the beginning of the Rebellion.

It's unclear why this scene was cut, but it could have made a massive difference; truthfully, this change alone may have made Padmé's death more meaningful to me. For one, this was much more reflective of the type of person Padmé was. In the face of a dictatorship rising up, Padmé would have fiercely defended democracy, not given up. She had already proven her fortitude time and again, and nothing about this would have been different; in fact, arguably, she would have been more determined, wanting a better life for her unborn child.

Moreover, this would have at least meant a lasting legacy. While, yes, Luke and Leia are in some sense her legacy, few even knew they were her children. For the safety of the twins, Padmé was made to look as though she'd died while she was pregnant, meaning that even her family likely had no idea she'd had children. Luke and Leia were therefore raised without any knowledge of their mother, depriving all three of them of this connection.

Had Padmé started the Rebellion, this would have been some form of consolation, as she would have had a much more direct impact on the galaxy and contributed to the eventual downfall of the Empire. This also would have made her connection to her children much stronger. If the scene had been kept in, Luke and Leia would have finished what their mother started, even if they didn't know that was the case.

Return Of The Jedi Set Padmé Up For So Much More

Leia's Comments Could Have Expanded Padmé's Role Significantly

Because Leia described Padmé, albeit in minimal detail, in Return of the Jedi, it seemed plausible that Padmé would survive the birth of the twins at least for a little while. Given Leia had limited memory of her, this would have placed Leia sometime around toddlerhood when Padmé died. As Luke didn't remember her whatsoever, it's possible that he would have been sent to Tatooine either way.

This idea was even considered at first. George Lucas toyed with the idea of having Padmé go to Alderaan with Leia, which would have been a fascinating turn. This would also make sense. Anakin didn't seem to know Padmé was pregnant with twins (it's unclear whether Padmé even knew), as they continued to refer to the unborn child as "the baby," singular. If they sent Luke to Tatooine, Darth Vader would never go looking for a second child, which could protect either Luke or Leia, depending on who he found.

This also would have given Padmé more time to contribute to the Rebellion, again extending her legacy. However, that sadly wasn't meant to be, as Padmé was instead killed off with little explanation. Although I will always love Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, it will unfortunately always bother me that Padmé's death wasn't handled differently.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is the sixth film in the Star Wars franchise and chronologically the third in the Skywalker Saga. Set three years after the events of Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker is tasked with keeping an eye on Chancellor Palpatine while other Jedi battle across the galaxy. In the background, however, a mysterious Sith lord begins to make their move to destroy the Jedi once and for all.

Director

George Lucas

Release Date

May 19, 2005

Studio(s)

Lucasfilm

Distributor(s)

20th Century Fox

Writers

George Lucas , John Ostrander , Jan Duursema

Cast

Ewan McGregor , Natalie Portman , Hayden Christensen , Ian McDiarmid , Samuel L. Jackson , Christopher Lee , Anthony Daniels , Kenny Baker , Frank Oz , Ahmed Best , Temuera Morrison

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