Throne room (Theed Royal Palace)

The marble-walled throne room of the Naboo monarchs was located in the heart of the Royal Palace of Theed, the capital of the Human inhabitants of Naboo. In that ceremonial chamber, the Naboo sovereign could hear the complaints and grievances of their people and meet their ministers. During the events of the Naboo Crisis in 32 BBY, the throne room was briefly occupied by Nute Gunray, Viceroy of the Trade Federation. Gunray was arrested there when Queen Amidala infiltrated the Palace to reclaim her throne.

LayoutEdit

An immense, cavernous hall with a high, vaulted ceiling, the throne room could be accessed by visitors through a pair of ornamented doors located at the end of a long hallway.^[2] Those panels were in fact blast doors, providing extra reinforcements against potential aggressions.^[3] The Naboo monarch and their entourage, however, had their private entrance elsewhere.^[2]

The walls and floor of the throne room were adorned with polished marble slabs^[4] that came in different colors, ranging from gray to red.^[5] One of those walls featured a viewscreen that allowed the monarch to communicate with the outside world without leaving their royal seat.^[3] The monarch's throne itself was an ornate chair on a raised podium fronted by a low, flat-surfaced divider^[6] with a composite holoprojector built into it.^[7] That throne dated back to the initial construction of the palace, but had been refitted with various new features over the centuries, including a secret compartment to conceal blaster pistols in case of emergency.^[8] Although the Naboo had always discouraged weapons, its ruler needed a last line of defense.^[9]

Beyond that, the chamber was sparsely furnished. It contained nothing else but a work station that served as the sovereign's desk and a few seats reserved for the members of the Royal Advisory Council.^[1] Despite its bareness, the throne room was spectacular, with its ample windows that bathed the seated monarch in sunlight and offered an impressive panorama of the city.^[1] Theed was indeed an prosperous capital, and the ceremonial chamber of its rulers had been designed to reflect the city's glorous history.^[6]

HistoryEdit

Around the year 832 BBY, Theed was founded by a group of colonists fleeing a revolution on their homeworld. A palace was built in the city, which became the seat of power of the Nabooian monarchy.^[10] It had many rooms designed to host important court occasions, such as meeting dinners. A throne room was built at the center of the palace, where the sovereign would meet their body of ministers, the Royal Advisory Council, and welcome foreign leaders.^[11] Additionally, the coronation ceremonies were held in the throne room,^[12] and so were the formal audiences with the Naboo monarch.^[1]

During his reign, King Ars Veruna once held a party in the throne room,^[13] despite the fact that the Palace contained a banqueting hall.^[14] About eight centuries after the founding of Theed, late in 33 BBY,^[15] the young Padmé Naberrie was crowned Queen of the Naboo under the name of Amidala. The ceremony took place in the throne room, in the presence of Senator Palpatine and Governor Sio Bibble.^[12] Shortly afterwards, the armies of the Trade Federation invaded the planet Naboo after a long blockade, and the Royal Palace was occupied. While the legitimate ruler of Naboo, Queen Amidala, had fled the planet with two Jedi Knights, the Viceroy Nute Gunray, leader of the Federation, took his quarters in the throne room. After organizing the Nabooian resistance, the Queen and her allies infiltrated the Palace and confronted the Viceroy in the throne room, closing the blast doors and putting him under arrest.^[5]

AppearancesEdit

• Darth Plagueis
• "A Summer's Dream"—Star Wars Tales 5
• Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace novelization (First appearance)
• Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace junior novelization
• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace comics
• Star Wars Manga: The Phantom Menace 1
• Star Wars Manga: The Phantom Menace 2
• Star Wars Episode I Journal: Queen Amidala
• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (PhotoComic)
• Save Naboo!
• Star Wars Episode I: I Am a Queen
• Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones

SourcesEdit

• Star Wars: Episode I The Visual Dictionary
• Star Wars: Episode I Insider's Guide
• Secrets of Naboo
• The Official Star Wars Fact File 12 (NAB13–14, Naboo – Theed Royal Palace)
• Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary
• Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Expanded Visual Dictionary

Notes and referencesEdit