George Lucas’ Revenge of the Sith Completely Changes Padme’s Character and Story

Several deleted scenes from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith reveal how incredible Padmé Amidala The prequel trilogy arc was meant to be, but unfortunately, its story was changed in the final version of the film. Padmé is one of Star Wars best characters, despite only appearing in the prequel trilogy films and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Not only did she have a huge impact on the Star Wars timeline as wife of Anakin Skywalker and biological mother of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, but she also had an incredible legacy in her own right.

Padmé was Queen of Naboo at just 14 years old and led the planet bravely in the fight against the Trade Federation. She then became a senator who defended the rights of others and never backed down, even after several attempts on her life and the start of the Clone Wars. Yet, Padmé’s characterization changed considerably in Revenge of the Sithlargely for the worse. The deleted scenes from Revenge of the Sithmany of which directly reduce not only Padmé’s screen time, but also her impact on Star Wars, revealing that wasn’t always the plan.

Padmé was created to form the Rebel Alliance

In a deleted scene, Padmé helped start the rebellion

In one of the most significant scenes cut from Revenge of the SithPadmé sat down with Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and other senators who intended to oppose Palpatine and essentially started what would become the Rebellion in Star Wars. If Padmé had been confirmed on screen as having played a pivotal role in the Rebellion, it would have had a profound impact on her character.. On the one hand, it would have given her an incredible connection with her children.

Even more important, Padmé starting the Rebellion in Revenge of the Sith It would have been more in line with her character throughout the prequel trilogy films and would have lessened the impact of some of her other plot points. Until Revenge of the SithPadmé was a politician and a leader first and everything else (including Anakin’s love interest) second. In the final version of the film, Padmé was reduced to a character who died simply because she lost hope.

Having Padmé form the Rebellion would not have entirely resolved the issue of her death– which remains one of the biggest disappointments of the prequels – but at least it would have given her a lot more agency. Without this inclusion, Padmé’s story in Revenge of the Sith It really boils down to someone who was worried about the future of the Republic but didn’t act. Even worse, Padmé still wanted Anakin to leave Mustafar with her and raise their son together, despite knowing what he had done during Order 66. In the final version, Padmé seems almost selfish, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

Padmé suspected Anakin

Another Deleted Revenge of the Sith Scene Reveals Padmé Didn’t Trust Anakin

Coinciding with the deleted scene where Padmé helped start the Rebellion, there was another scene where the senators, among them Padmé, agreed not to share what they had discussed with anyone – including her family. This means that Padmé was agreeing to keep this information from Anakin. Even more surprising, Padmé spoke of a Jedi she could trust and asked the senators to seek that Jedi’s advice, but she was not referring to Anakin. The only Jedi Padmé trusted was Obi-Wan Kenobi.

While this may not seem as monumental as the scene where Padmé starts the Rebellion, this deleted scene has important implications for Padmé’s character. In Revenge of the Sith in particular, she seems to prioritize Anakin above all else, to the point that it undermines his character even now. This scene reinforces the person Padmé has always been.

Not only would this have proven that Padmé was wise enough to know that she couldn’t fully trust Anakin, but it would also have cemented that Padmé’s true loyalty was to the Republic and justice, not Anakin. This was particularly necessary after his strange response to Anakin’s confession that he had massacred the Tusken Raiders in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Cloneswhere she essentially told him it was natural to be angry. This deleted scene would have confirmed that, ultimately, Padmé did not abandon her values ​​for Anakin.

Padmé and Obi-Wan originally spoke about their concerns

Obi-Wan and Padmé initially seemed much more aware

One more Revenge of the Sith Deleted scene involving Padmé would have seen Obi-Wan visit Padmé to discuss his concerns about Anakin (before that he had already fallen to the dark side and fulfilled Order 66). This scene would have been positive not only for Padmé, but also for Obi-Wan. While it was clear that Obi-Wan knew about Anakin and Padmé, he never acted knowing that Anakin was defying the Jedi way, which was always surprising and a stain on his story.

This scene would have addressed this to some extent, as at least it would have been clear that Obi-Wan knew that Anakin’s behavior was becoming increasingly alarming, and he would have finally acted on it. Likewise, Padmé having this conversation with Obi-Wan, perhaps even expressing some of her own concerns, would have once again proven how wise and insightful she was. This conversation alone would have made both characters seem more proactive, something they were both sorely missing. Revenge of the Sith in particular.

Why did George Lucas disappoint Padmé Amidala?

Clearly, Lucas had wonderful ideas for Padmé… So what happened?

The deleted scenes from Revenge of the Sith reflect the same character that Padmé was revealed to be in both The phantom menace and Attack of the Clones. Clearly, as George Lucas was also the creative mind behind these films, This was the characterization that Lucas himself wanted for Padmé. This begs the question: why would George Lucas have made these changes to Revenge of the Sith if they diminished Padmé’s character so significantly?

Unfortunately, it seems Anakin’s story came at the expense of Padmé’s. Lucas wanted the story to be tighter (perhaps in part due to criticisms about the other previous films, The phantom menace in particular) and that the focus is on Anakin. This meant removing several key Padmé scenes, among others, as they didn’t necessarily serve this larger narrative.

The thing is, especially given the nature of Padmé’s death, Padmé’s story really needed these additional scenes. Without them, Revenge of the Sith did Padmé a great disservice by suggesting that she ignored many of Anakin’s more egregious acts and simply gave up all hope. While George Lucas may have had his reasons, the deleted scenes from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith reveal how much better Padmé Amidala the story of the prequel trilogy could have been, and it’s really a shame that it changed.