Funeral of Padmé Amidala

After her death on the asteroid Polis Massa, a funeral was held for Senator Padmé Amidala on her homeworld of Naboo. Amidala, who died after giving birth to twin children&mdash;Luke and Leia&mdash;was mourned by thousands of Naboo citizens during her funeral in the capital city of Theed. Her body was made to still look pregnant in order to keep Luke and Leia safe from their father: Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith formerly known as Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who fell to the dark side of the Force in a failed attempt to save his wife from dying.

Prelude
"Obi-Wan... There's good in him. I know... I know there's... still…"

- Padmé Amidala's last words, spoken to Obi-Wan Kenobi, about Darth Vader

During the final days of the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Separatist Alliance, Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo became pregnant with twin children; Amidala was unaware that she was pregnant with two children and believed she was only expecting one. Her husband, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, had visions of Amidala dying in childbirth. Their marriage was a secret, as the Jedi Code forbid Jedi from marrying, and so Skywalker was not able to find the guidance and help he felt he needed from the Jedi Order in order to save Amidala's life. He was instead seduced to the dark side of the Force by Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith publicly known as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who promised that he could help Skywalker save Amidala from death. Skywalker swore his allegiance to Sidious, who gave his new apprentice the name Darth Vader.

Vader led the destruction of the Jedi Order, his first act as a Dark Lord of the Sith. With the Jedi destroyed, Sidious declared himself Emperor and transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire, which Amidala bore witness to in a special session of the Galactic Senate. When Amidala learned of Vader's fall shortly thereafter, she refused to believe it and followed Vader to Mustafar, where he had been sent to kill the Separatist Council and end the Clone Wars. Unknown to the senator, however, was that Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, the former mentor and friend of Anakin Skywalker, stowed away aboard her vessel. Once on Mustafar, Amidala attempted to reason with Vader and pleaded that he run away with her so they could live their lives in peace. Once Vader saw Kenobi, however, he used the Force to choke his wife, knocking her unconscious.

Following a lightsaber duel between Kenobi and Vader, in which Vader was left horribly burned on a lava river and in need of a cybernetic suit to survive, Kenobi took the unconscious Amidala to the asteroid colony of Polis Massa. The droid doctors found that she was dying, having lost the will to live, but she survived long enough to give birth to her twins: Luke and Leia. She died moments after their birth, fulfilling Vader's visions, though she still believed that there was good in Darth Vader. In order to keep the children safe from Vader, who was unaware of their birth and was led to believe that he had killed Amidala, it was was decided that Luke would be taken to live with his uncle and aunt, Owen and Beru Lars, on Tatooine; while Leia was taken to Alderaan as the adopted child of Amidala's friend and colleague, Senator Bail Organa, and his wife, Queen Breha Organa. Amidala's body was taken to Naboo aboard Organa's ship, the Tantive IV, and was made to look as if she was still pregnant in order to keep the birth of the twins a secret.

The funeral
Amidala was given a state funeral in Theed, the capital of Naboo. The funeral was attended by thousands of mourners who paid their respects to their beloved representative. Amongst the attendees were Queen Apailana; Sio Bibble, the Governor of Theed who served as one of Amidala's advisers when she was Queen of Naboo; Jar Jar Binks, the Gungan representative in the Galactic Senate; Nass, former Boss of the Gungans; and several members of Amidala's family, including including Jobal, Ruwee, and Sola Naberrie. Amidala's funeral contained an open casket procession through Theed, in which her hands clutched a japor snippet &mdash;one meant to bring her good fortune&mdash;that Skywalker had made for her shortly after they first met. After the procession, Amidala's body was laid to rest.

Aftermath
"I've accepted the truth that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father." "That name no longer has any meaning for me." "It is the name of your true self. You've only forgotten. I know there is good in you. The Emperor hasn't driven it from you fully."

- Luke Skywalker, echoing his mother's final words, to Darth Vader

The fact that Amidala had given birth to twins was a secret known only to a few after her death. Nineteen years later, her children met for the first time&mdash;they did not, however, know that they were siblings&mdash;during the Galactic Civil War. Vader later learned that Luke was his son and that Amidala had indeed given birth, and he attempted to seduce Luke to the dark side of the Force. Luke remained true, however, and ultimately learned that Leia, who had some faint memories of their mother, was his sister. During the Battle of Endor, Luke set out to redeem his father from the dark side of the Force. His efforts were successful; Sidious attempted to kill Luke with a barrage of Force lightning, but Vader stepped in to rescue his son and kill the Emperor. Vader, once again Anakin Skywalker, died as a result of the injuries he sustained in killing the Emperor, but not before proving Amidala's final words correct: there was still good within Darth Vader.

Behind the scenes
The funeral of Padmé Amidala was one of the final scenes in the 2005 film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, written and directed by Star Wars creator George Lucas. The scene was filmed at Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia on September 16, 2003, the 57th day of filming on Revenge of the Sith. One of the primary actors involved in the shooting of the scene was Keisha Castle-Hughes, who portrayed Queen Apailana. In addition to Hughes were individuals dressed as hooded dignitaries, blue guards, and two dozen other people. Oliver Ford Davies briefly reprised his role from the prior two films as Sio Bibble, and the scene also featured cameos from members of the film's crew. These cameos included assistant publicist Lisa Shaunessy and Jacqui Louez, the assistant of Lucas and producer Rick McCallum. Their characters did not, however, appear in the final release of the film.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith