Wedding of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala

Twenty-two years before the Battle of Yavin, and shortly after the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala were married in a secret wedding on Naboo. The marriage, witnessed by the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, was kept secret due to Amidala's place as a prominent Senator in the Galactic Republic and because of Skywalker's membership in the Jedi Order; the Jedi Code prevented Jedi from falling in love and forming attachments such as marriage. Skywalker's marriage to Amidala ultimately led to his fall to the dark side of the Force, as Darth Sidious&mdash;the Dark Lord of the Sith&mdash;was able to seduce him to the dark side with the promise of finding the power to save Amidala from death.

Prelude
"I thought we had decided not to fall in love. That we'd be forced to live a lie, and that it would destroy our lives.''" ''"I think our lives are about to be destroyed anyway. I truly, deeply love you, and before we die I want you to know."

- Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala

During the invasion of the planet Naboo, Queen Padmé Amidala and her Jedi protectors escaped her besieged world and sought refuge on the desert planet of Tatooine. It was there that they met a young slave named Anakin Skywalker, who helped them gain the parts they needed to leave Tatooine. The young Skywalker earned his freedom, helped the queen and the Jedi liberate Naboo, and ultimately joined the Jedi Order. Over the next ten years, he thought of Amidala often and frequently had dreams about her. He did not see her for an entire decade following the Naboo Crisis, but his feelings for her nonetheless grew.

During the Separatist Crisis that preceded the outbreak of the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, then-Senator Amidala was targeted for assassination due to her opposition to the Republic's proposed Military Creation Act. Skywalker was assigned to protect her and traveled with the senator to Naboo to keep her safe while in hiding. Their time together allowed their feelings to blossom, with Amidala growing ever-closer to the young Padawan. Despite their growing attraction, Amidala did not believe that she could be with her Jedi protector; Amidala was a prominent senator, and Skywalker was required to follow the Jedi Code, which forbid attachments like romance. The pair was later captured on Geonosis while attempting to save Skywalker's Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, from Separatist captivity, and all three were sentenced to death. Just before being led into a Geonosian execution arena, Amidala admitted that she truly loved Skywalker and wanted him to know that before they died.

The wedding
Skywalker and Amidala escaped from Geonosis with their lives, after being rescued by a Jedi strike team and the Grand Army of the Republic. The rescue led to the Battle of Geonosis, sparking the Clone Wars between the Republic and the Separatist Alliance. After the battle, Skywalker returned with Amidala to Naboo under the pretense that he was escorting her back home, as the Jedi High Council was unaware that the Padawan had fallen in love with the senator. In reality, the two star-crossed lovers were married at Varykino, a lake retreat in Lake Country on Naboo. The union was witnessed by the droids C-3PO and R2-D2. The marriage remained a secret, as Skywalker could have been expelled from the Jedi Order if the union was discovered by the Jedi Council.

Aftermath
"Love won't save you, Padmé. Only my new powers can do that."

- Darth Vader, to Padmé Amidala

Skywalker and Amidala's marriage ultimately ended in heartbreak. Having seen visions of Amidala dying in childbirth, and unable to find the answers he sought from the Jedi, Skywalker became the apprentice of Darth Sidious, publicly known as his friend Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who offered to show him the power to save people from death. Skywalker became a Dark Lord of the Sith and took on the name Darth Vader, before helping his new master destroy the Jedi Order. Amidala attempted to save Skywalker from the dark side of the Force, but Skywalker, in a fit of rage, attacked his wife after he believed she had betrayed him to the Jedi. Amidala died shortly after giving birth to her twins, Luke and Leia, while a grievously-injured Darth Vader was forced to spend the rest of his life in a suit of armor. Sidious led Vader to believe that it was Vader who killed Amidala&mdash;medical droids instead speculated that Amidala had lost the will to live&mdash; and he carried this guilt with him for many years. Despite his dark turn, Amidala's dying words were that there was still good in Vader, a belief that was ultimately carried on by Luke, who was ultimately able to redeem Vader from the dark side.

Behind the scenes
The wedding of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala was depicted in the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, marking the final scene of the film.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
 * Ahsoka