Varykino/Legends

"Every Padawan]on Coruscant knows where to find you."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi to Anakin Skywalker

Varykino, also known as the Lake Retreat, was the name of the island in the Lake Country of Naboo that consisted of the Naberrie family's retreat house. Generally, the name "Varykino" was also applied to the villa itself.

History
Centuries prior to the Naberrie family's tenancy, it was occupied by the Naboo poet, Omar Berenko. He was kidnapped by unknown assailants from one of the villa's shaded balconies, and was never seen again.



During Padmé Amidala's Level Three of schooling, she visited the villa during school retreat along with friends and family. At this time, Paddy Accu was the caretaker, and he took Padmé on thrilling rides in his gondola speeder.

Shortly after two failed assassination attempts on Coruscant in 22 BBY, Padmé Amidala used it as a sanctuary. Teckla and Nandi were the staff at the time, with Paddy still the caretaker. During this retreat, she was accompanied by her Jedi protector, Anakin Skywalker. The two of them fell in love during their stay.

After the Battle of Geonosis, Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker returned to Varykino, where they were secretly married by a Naboo holyman.



Ryoo Thule was staying at the retreat after her granddaughter's funeral in 19 BBY when Inquisitor Malorum stopped by to interrogate Ryoo because she had been the one to oversee Padmé's burial. This led to him deducing that Amidala's offspring had not died.

After refusing to talk she was stabbed with his lightsaber. Ryoo's corpse was found by Ferus Olin and Trever Flume when they came to protect her.

Behind the scenes
Randy Stradley stated that Luke and Leia were conceived in Varykino in 20 BBY, five months before the Battle of Coruscant, in the Dark Horse Comics message boards. The creators of Star Wars: Clone Wars, also joked about Luke and Leia being conceived in Chapter 22 of their series, in a scene that takes place on Naboo and what appears to be Varykino. However, Stradley's statement was made when Revenge of the Sith was assumed to take place over a period of weeks rather than days. Luke and Leia may still have been conceived in Varykino, but this must have occurred nearly nine months before the Battle of Coruscant and the beginning of Revenge of the Sith.

The name "Varykino" may have been inspired by the lover's retreat of the same name in Doctor Zhivago.

The Varykino scenes were filmed at Villa del Balbianello, on Lake Como, Italy.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones comic
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones junior novel
 * Tag & Bink: Revenge of the Clone Menace
 * Star Wars: Obsession
 * The Last of the Jedi: Death on Naboo
 * The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader
 * The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader

Notes and references
Varykino