If you wrote Star Wars, would Padme have lived?

[Buzz Rules]

Id have killed her earlier

When in the series?

 

[Lilias]

Look at Padme just ignoring all those red flags cuz of how cute he is

I STILL LOVE YOU PADME

 

[xipotec]

When in the series?

I would have made Padme die in the arena battle, and the cause being Anakin not being able to control the force enough to save her….the watch his slow decent into madness

 

[Buzz Rules]

Look at Padme just ignoring all those red flags cuz of how cute he is

I STILL LOVE YOU PADME

 

[BrianL]

The empire did make slavery illegal by ANH.

I do not beleive the Empire outlawed slavery. They commonly used and profited from it, though maybe they didn't call it that. They also did not consider the non-human species to be worthy of any rights at all for the most part.

 

[Buzz Rules]

I do not beleive the Empire outlawed slavery. They commonly used and profited from it, though maybe they didn't call it that. They also did not consider the non-human species to be worthy of any rights at all for the most part.

I thought it did. I’ll try to find the link that said Darth Vader made it illegal on Tatooine.

 

[BrianL]

I thought it did. I’ll try to find the link that said Darth Vader made it illegal on Tatooine.

Well, I know Thrawn was pro-slavery (big shock), and I don't think Palpatine cared much. Jabba certainly had slaves in his palace in ROTJ so I don't think any meaningful action took place on that front. Vader may have gone in and murdered some slavers at some point though, but, you know, that's his perogative.

 

[bgirldeb]

As a woman and a mother I think the “she lost the will to live“ story after giving birth to twins is one of the most BS things ever written.

 

[BrianL]

As a woman and a mother I think the “she lost the will to live“ story after giving birth to twins is one of the most BS things ever written.

Remember, it's just the droid that doesn't understand why Padme is not recovering. It's because of the Force, above and beyond her physical wounds. She was linked with Anakin, and his death is her death - it's all very meta. The droid can't understand such things though, so the postulation that "she has lost the will to live" is just a droid's attempt at an explanation.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

The empire did make slavery illegal by ANH.

That depends on what media you use as canon. In the original trilogy, the only slavery we see are the dancers in Jabba's palace. In Solo, we see Wookies as slaves in the spice mines of Kessel (I know that was before ANH). In various other media we see other instances of Empire-run or Empire-allowed slave labor. For example, the Zygerrians abducted many people and put them into slaver (see: the Secret Acamdey books), the "Propoganda" star wars reference book indicated there was an Imperial policy saying Wookies weren't even sentient. In the novel Lost Stars, the Bodach'i were enslaved by the Empire to make "reparations" for a rebellion.

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Slavery#Age_of_the_Empire

 

[Mysterian]

Remember, it's just the droid that doesn't understand why Padme is not recovering. It's because of the Force, above and beyond her physical wounds. She was linked with Anakin, and his death is her death - it's all very meta. The droid can't understand such things though, so the postulation that "she has lost the will to live" is just a droid's attempt at an explanation.

We know she was going to die because of the original trilogy, but it seems like Lucas was trying to hand the audience a weak explanation for her death. From that movie/scene alone, I didn't get the hint that her death was Force related, or due to Anakin's "dying" and becoming Vader. Cursory Google search says she "died of a broken heart", which seems lazy.

Lucas said Ep III was going to be "Titanic in space", so maybe he thought the romance between Anakin and Padme would pay off and a "broken heart" death would be a likely, Romeo/Juliet thing to happen to at least one of two literal star-crossed lovers.

I believe that the audience should get everything they need for the story directly from the film, without requirement for supplemental material to offer an explanation. Like introducing some EU material years later to explain something by patching up plot issues.

 

[BrianL]

I believe that the audience should get everything they need for the story directly from the film, without requirement for supplemental material to offer an explanation. Like introducing some EU material years later to explain something by patching up plot issues.

Well, for me, it doesn't really come from supplemental material, just subtext. It's "an explanation" not the explanation. For me, it can easily be interpreted as "there was more going on" and that's it. It's not something that bothers me too much, especially when we're talking about a universe with "The Force." It does indeed parallel Romeo & Juliet, and she had to die to pay off on that.

 

[Mysterian]

I would have made Padme die in the arena battle, and the cause being Anakin not being able to control the force enough to save her….the watch his slow decent into madness

That'd be interesting.

Let me paint you a picture:

Anakin leans in to kiss Padme as she fades. Suddenly Jango Fett's head rolls and lands next to her face just as Anakin's lips touch Padme's. Anakin gets creeped and kicks it like a soccer ball, and the Jedi have a giant football/soccer game against the Geonosians.

Star Wars= turning them frowns upside down since '77.

 

[Mysterian]

Well, for me, it doesn't really come from supplemental material, just subtext. It's "an explanation" not the explanation. For me, it can easily be interpreted as "there was more going on" and that's it. It's not something that bothers me too much, especially when we're talking about a universe with "The Force." It does indeed parallel Romeo & Juliet, and she had to die to pay off on that.

I understand, that's your interpretation but I wasn't specifically referring to only your own remarks in that respect. And the Force can really work well with Star Wars stories, but it also shouldn't be a storytelling crutch.

 

[BrianL]

I understand, that's your interpretation but I wasn't specifically referring to only your own remarks in that respect. And the Force can really work well with Star Wars stories, but it also shouldn't be a storytelling crutch.

That's fair, but there aren't really any issues in the storytelling. Maybe people don't like if Padme just "lost the will to live" but it's not a illegimate choice from a story aspect. That said, the Force pretty much IS a storytelling crutch from it's very inception, that is if we want to get super critical about children's fare. I'm guilty of scrutinizing it too, but it's really not warranted.

 

[Mysterian]

That's fair, but there aren't really any issues in the storytelling. Maybe people don't like if Padme just "lost the will to live" but it's not a illegimate choice from a story aspect. That said, the Force pretty much IS a storytelling crutch from it's very inception, that is if we want to get super critical about children's fare. I'm guilty of scrutinizing it too, but it's really not warranted.

BrianL, you and I host BatTalk, we're all about being supercritical of children's fare.

 

[BrianL]

BrianL, you and I host BatTalk, we're all about being supercritical of children's fare.

Oh, no, it's true. I can totally geek out about the minutia and all that, but at the end of the day I don't let those things affect my enjoyment of the material. I usually treat it as a joke really. Some fans get very intense about something that "doesn't make sense" but, I mean, it's Star Wars (or Batman) - it kinda already doesn't make sense!

 

[Lilias]

I was messing around the internet looking for Padme merch because of this thread (as one does, lol), and came across this postcard stamp thingy:



Padme not dying of a dumb broken heart is official according to this!

 

[Suger Mag]

I would have definitely had her die in a more deserving manner.. never mind the 'broken heart' BS... even her dying in childbirth is kinda unbelievable in an advanced cyborg society. IMHO they ruined her character in the third... turned a warrior into a whiner. Sadly such am important story was so weak... the process of Anakin becoming Vader was so lame... never mind what they did to Padme's character. She deserved a much better ending... something more battle related, either as from a real fight... or something like her ship getting destroyed by Anakin by mistake. I always felt like it was her death that pushed him over to the dark side.. not that he went over before she died.

 

[Mysterian]

I was messing around the internet looking for Padme merch because of this thread (as one does, lol), and came across this postcard stamp thingy:

View attachment 641994

Padme not dying of a dumb broken heart is official according to this!

I agree the broken heart thing Is silly. What‘s the source say?

StarWars.com says:
”When Padmé later confronted Anakin, repulsed by his acts and his self-professed plans to overthrow the new Emperor, he Force choked her in a fit of rage. Padmé was knocked unconscious and later taken by Obi-Wan Kenobi, who defeated his former friend in a lightsaber duel, to a medical facility. She was actually dying -- having lost the will to live -- and gave birth to twins, naming them Luke and Leia. With her final words, Padmé implored that there was still good in Anakin.”

He force choked her, and then she “lost the will to live”. Ok, so did the loss of will and “Anakin you’re breaking my heart!” lead to the fairy tale broken heart perspective?

Still the plot conveniently kills her despite the best in space health care. Someone felt that she had to die, your honor. And who’s guilty? George Lucas!