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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—the Dark Lord of the Sith—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
Amidala meets Skywalker
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.[8] 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.[1]
Skywalker and Amidala fall in love
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.[1]
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 First Battle of Geonosis, sparking the Clone Wars between the Republic and the Separatist Alliance.[1] After recovering from the battle, including being given a cybernetic hand to replace the one he had lost to Count Dooku,[9] 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.[1]
During their time together on Naboo, Amidala constructed her wedding dress with the help of her former handmaiden Yané and Skywalker meditated at the shrine dedicated to fallen Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. On the morning of their wedding day, Amidala was contacted by Queen Jamillia of the Naboo to rescue a group of artists on the planet Nooroyo. Upon completing their mission, the couple returned just in time for their wedding.[3]
Skywalker and Amidala on Naboo
In reality, the two star-crossed lovers were married[1] during sunset[3] at Varykino, a lake retreat in Lake Country on Naboo,[6] as a private yet simple ceremony. When the two presented themselves to him,[9] the union was officiated by a holy man from the region[10] with respect for ancestral traditions.[9] Other than the priest, it was only 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.[1] Additionally, by marrying a Jedi, Amidala had accepted the risk of a scandal that could have ended her career as a senator.[9]
As a wedding gift, Amidala gave her new husband R2.[11] Similarly, after the wedding, C-3PO became more Amidala's property than Skywalker's because, thanks to her job as a Galactic Senator, she needed a reliable translator more than Skywalker did.[12] As Skywalker still needed to recover from the Battle of Geonosis, the two newlyweds had time to enjoy each other's company even after their honeymoon ended. Aware that he would soon be apart from her for some time, Skywalker devoted every second of his time to Amidala.[9]
Aftermath[]
- "Love won't save you, Padmé. Only my new powers can do that."
- ―Darth Vader, to Padmé Amidala
Vader and the unconscious Amidala on Mustafar.
The wedding arguably became the most important wedding in galactic history.[9] 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—medical droids instead speculated that Amidala had lost the will to live—[13] and he carried this guilt with him for many years.[14]
Shortly after the Battle of Fortress Vader, Darth Vader entered a portal constructed by Darth Momin to resurrect Amidala. While walking through visions, he saw his wedding as the words of "We are encouraged to love" resounded in his mind.[15]
Despite his dark turn, Amidala's dying words were that there was still good in Vader,[13] a belief that was later carried on by Luke, who was able to guide Vader out from the dark side.[16]
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, the second installment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy.[1]
The scene was shot on a balcony at Villa del Balbianello, the Italian villa that portrayed Varykino in the film.[17]
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy – A Graphic Novel
- Star Wars Battlefront II (Mentioned only) (DLC)
- Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (First appearance)
- Attack of the Clones Read-Along Storybook and CD
- Queen's Hope
- Brotherhood (Mentioned only)
- "Hostage Crisis"—The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark (Indirect mention only)
"Intermission, Part I"—Star Wars Adventures (2017) 12 (Indirect mention only)- Ahsoka (Indirect mention only)
- Ahsoka audiobook (Indirect mention only)
- Darth Vader (2017) 25 (Vision to Darth Vader)
- Leia Organa: Ordeal of the Princess (In flashback(s))
- "Stories in the Sand"—From a Certain Point of View (Appears in hologram)
- From a Certain Point of View audiobook (Appears in hologram)
- Darth Vader (2020) 2 (In flashback(s))
- Force Collector (Vision to Karr Nuq Sin)
- Force Collector audiobook (Vision to Karr Nuq Sin)
Non-canon appearances[]
- LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales – "Exit from Endor" (Mentioned only)
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
- ↑ Tarkin
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Queen's Hope
- ↑ Jedi of the Republic – Mace Windu 1
- ↑ Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ultimate Star Wars
- ↑
Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 54 (Guide to the Galaxy: Naboo Lake Country)
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 "The Beginning of the Clone Wars" – Star Wars Encyclopedia
- ↑ Star Wars: Complete Locations
- ↑ R2-D2 Biography Gallery in the Databank (backup link)
- ↑ Padmé Amidala in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- ↑ Darth Vader (2015) 6
- ↑ Darth Vader (2017) 25
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
- ↑ Galactic Backpacking Part 2: Visiting Real-World Naboo on StarWars.com (backup link)
