Sabé

"This is my decoy, my protection&hellip;my loyal bodyguard."

- Padmé Amidala, introducing Sabé to Rugor Nass

Sabé was a human female who hailed from the planet Naboo during the late era of the Galactic Republic. Serving as a handmaiden in the Royal House of Naboo, Sabé was duty-bound to protect Queen Padmé Amidala&mdash;the elected ruler of the people of Naboo&mdash;against any threat. As such, she impersonated Amidala during the Invasion of Naboo in order to keep her safe from the Trade Federation.

Sabé continued to act as a decoy queen after the Jedi ambassadors Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi rescued the true Amidala as well as her royal retinue. Upon returning to Naboo from Coruscant, the capital world of the Galactic Republic, Sabé was introduced as Queen Amidala to the Gungan people. Hoping to forge an alliance between Gungans and the Naboo, the real Amidala identified herself to Boss Rugor Nass&mdash;leader of the Gungans&mdash;and thereby revealed Sabé's true role as the queen's handmaiden, decoy and loyal bodyguard.

Sabé continued to wear her disguise during the Battle of Naboo. Storming the Royal Palace in Theed, the decoy caught the attention of Viceroy Nute Gunray, who ordered his battle droids to pursue Sabé, believing her to be the real queen. As a result, Amidala and Captain Quarsh Panaka were able to secure the throne room and capture Gunray. Ultimately, the battle concluded in victory for both the Royal Naboo Security Forces and the Gungan Grand Army.

Biography
"Viceroy! Your occupation here has ended."

- Sabé, as Queen Amidala

Sabé was one of five handmaidens that served Queen Amidala during the Trade Federation's blockade and subsequent invasion of Naboo. When Federation forces captured the Theed Royal Palace, Sabé switched roles with the queen, who posed as a simple handmaiden, going by her less commonly known name, Padmé. Sabé, pretending to be the queen, rejected Viceroy Nute Gunray's efforts to have her sign a treaty that would make the invasion legal. She and the rest of the royal retinue were then escorted by battle droids to a separate holding facility.

On the way, they were rescued by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. Proceeding to a nearby hangar, Jinn insisted that the queen be taken to Coruscant to plead her case to the Galactic Senate. After conferring with her handmaiden Padmé, the real queen, Sabé agreed. She subsequently left Naboo aboard the Royal Starship with the Jedi, taking Padmé, Captain Panaka, as well as two other handmaidens, Eirtaé and Rabé, with her.

They eventually managed to get through the Federation blockade and leave the Naboo system. Sabé&mdash;as the queen&mdash;commended R2-D2, the astromech droid that guaranteed their ship's escape, and ordered Padmé to clean him up. However, the Royal Starship's hyperdrive was heavily damaged. Forced to land on the desert planet Tatooine, Sabé remained on the starship while Jinn and Padmé sought a new T-14 hyperdrive generator.

When they reached the galactic capital of Coruscant, Sabé was presented as the queen to Supreme Chancellor Valorum and Senator Sheev Palpatine, who represented Naboo in the Galactic Congress. She then switched back with the queen, and attended to Amidala before she went to speak to the Senate.

Sabé once again switched places with Amidala when they sought help from Gungan forces, and began negotiations with their leader, Boss Nass. However, Padmé quickly revealed the deception as a confidence-building measure, and the two parties finally agreed to work together in order to free their planet from the Trade Federation. Despite being exposed, Sabé remained disguised as Queen Amidala during the mission to reclaim the palace. When Padmé was captured, she played an instrumental role in deceiving Viceroy Gunray. Showing up suddenly at the door to the throne room, Sabe proclaimed the Viceroy's occupation over and blasted two of his droids before fleeing with her group. Gunray ordered his troops to follow Sabé, believing she was the real queen. This provided Padmé the opportunity to retrieve her blaster and take the Neimoidian into custody, liberating the planet.

Sabé was later present when the queen welcomed Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and the Jedi Council to Naboo, and at the parade celebrating the freedom of Naboo and the reconciliation of its human and Gungan populations. By 22 BBY, the handmaiden Cordé had taken on the role of Amidala's decoy.

Personality and traits
"Padmé. Clean this droid up the best you can. It deserves our gratitude."

- Sabé, as Queen Amidala

Sabé was loyal to Queen Amidala, serving as both her bodyguard and decoy in crisis situations, despite the considerable risk of injury, capture or even death that this posed to her. As a member of Amidala's royal retinue of handmaidens, Sabé was handpicked to aid the Queen of Naboo. Like all Naboo handmaidens, she learned self-defense and was also trained to remain vigilant against all threats to her monarch. When impersonating the Queen, Sabé and Amidala, who disguised herself as a handmaiden, relied on a system of subtle signals in order to secretly communicate without undermining the deception of their switched roles.

Like Amidala, Sabé was a human female who stood at 1.65 meters. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and light skin. She carried a standard ELG-3A blaster pistol like the queen and her fellow handmaidens and was a capable markswoman, taking off the head of a battle droid at one point with a single shot.

Behind the scenes
Sabé first appeared in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, portrayed by English actress Keira Knightley. She was credited as "Kiera Knightley" in the film.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
 * The Phantom Menace Read-Along Storybook and CD
 * The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy – A Graphic Novel
 * Star Wars Battlefront II
 * Queen's Shadow

Non-canon appearances

 * William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace: Star Wars Part the First