I can picture the heads spinning.

“What? Padmé? Doesn’t the writer know she died in Revenge of the Sith?”

Yeah, of course I know. I know that they killed off one of the few great characters in the prequels with a weak reasoning in order to lazily push forward the plot. In the end, Darth Vader believed he killed his wife, and Padmé was given a funeral on her home planet of Naboo, with a fake womb to give off the impression that her child had died with her. But I have a solution that not only fixes her characterization and a plotline that stems from the sequels, but would enable her to appear in the announced Obi-Wan film.

Padmé faked her death.

In Return of the Jedi, after Luke knows that the woman he has called a friend is actually his twin sister, he has a moment with Leia before he reveals the truth about his family. He asks her about her mother, her “real mother,” and she responds that she does remember her through feelings and memories. This shows that Leia knew her real mother, but also had a relationship with a step-mother. Leia claimed her mother died when she was real young, and Luke sadly states that he never knew his mother. This brings up the question on how Leia could remember her mom while Luke couldn’t. After all, Padmé died in childbirth. The only explanation is that since Leia is force-sensitive, she could remember her. However, so is Luke, so that reasoning is more of a last resort guess that has to be accepted. I, however, cannot accept this. To me, the memory Leia has of her mother has to be genuine, which means Leia had a longer relationship with her than her brother did.

But how and why would Padmé fake her death?

Back in the prequels, we know that Padmé is close to Bail Organa. He was the senator of Alderaan and a friend of the Jedi. What many don’t know is that these two had a hand in creating the rebellion we know from the original trilogy. There are several deleted scenes from Revenge of the Sith that show the two, along with Mon Mothma, helping form the rebellion. Mothma was even played by Genevieve O'Reilly, who played the same character in Rogue One. The three of them knew that trouble was coming, and were ready to act when needed.

The news of Anakin turning to the dark side was still a shock to Padmé, but not enough to lose the will to live. Even she admitted she knew there was good in him, and that should have been enough to keep going. Even before his turning, she did not approve of his trust in Palpatine. Despite her loyalty to Anakin, there was a change that she already questioned when raising their child with them. She never knew she had twins, so it’s obvious she never went to a doctor’s appointment. In a way, she could have been planning her death a long time in advance, and this is where Bail Organa comes back into the picture.

Already being close friends, she could have arranged for him to adopt her child when it was born. Not knowing there would be twins, there couldn’t have been a way for him to take both. Thus, when Yoda tells Bail and Obi-Wan that the twins should be separated, Bail immediately states that he and his wife will take the baby girl. This makes more sense if Padmé had pre-arranged for him to take her child after she had supposedly died. Bail would have no opposition to Obi-Wan taking Luke, and wouldn’t oppose to Yoda wanting to split the siblings up.

So, Padmé did something to lower her heart rate, making her appear dead. After all, it’s been done in countless of other movies, so it’s definitely not out of the question. She appeared in her funeral, or had a dummy take her place. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time she used a decoy. When it was over, she snuck away to Alderaan, where she raised Leia along with Bail and his wife. That way Leia grew up knowing her mother for a short period of time, and it completely redeems Padmé’s character.

With Padmé alive, this gives us the chance to have her in the Obi-Wan film. It would be even better if Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman could revise their roles. Knowing Padmé’s passion, she wouldn’t just sit still throughout the war. She would continue to fight for the rebellion, and she would eventually die on the battlefield. This battle could even be in the film, although it would be sad to have to watch her die again. But then again, her dying in the glory of battle would be much more magnificent to see.

Padmé never should have died in Revenge of the Sith. Her faking her death provides a better fate for her character, and helps patch up plot holes the saga has. I hope that Disney hasn’t forgotten her character, and I hope the standalone film expands the universe even further.

P.S.

Dear Disney,

Please let me write the script.

Love,

Marissa