Wedding of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala

The wedding of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala took place in 22 BBY by way of secret ceremony at the Varykino lake retreat in Naboo's Lake Country.^[1] The ceremony was officiated by a Pontifex of the Brotherhood of Cognizance named Maxiron Agolerga.^[2] The only witnesses to the marriage were the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO.^[1] Despite this, however, the Royal Naboo Security Forces Captain Quarsh Panaka managed to find out about the wedding, and likewise inform Supreme Chancellor Palpatine about it, thus resulting in Palpatine using this knowledge to tempt Anakin to the dark side years later.^[3]

The weddingEdit

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^[4] at Varykino, a lake retreat in Lake Country on Naboo.^[5] 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.^[4]

Behind the scenesEdit

The secret marriage of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala appeared in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones; the novel depicted it slightly before the film's release in 2002. However, that Anakin Skywalker would be married in the second installment of the prequel trilogy was announced in 1998. The original trilogy was re-released in theaters and VHS to commemorate the twenty year anniversary of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope the year before and Star Wars Trivial Pursuit was released to coincide with this. The limited edition game contained a sequestered pack of questions that served as a preview of the first new trilogy installment, one of which divulged this.

AppearancesEdit

• Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones novelization (First appearance)
• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones comic
• Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones junior novel
• "Nobody's Perfect"—Star Wars Tales 20 (Non-canonical mention)
• Republic 50: The Defense of Kamino (Appears in flashback(s))
• Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith novelization (Mentioned only)
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith junior novel (Mentioned only)
• "Memory Loss"—Star Wars Comic 13 (Appears in flashback(s))
• Dark Times 5: The Path to Nowhere, Part 5 (Appears in flashback(s))
• The Last One Standing (Mentioned only)
• The Last of the Jedi: Reckoning (Mentioned only)

SourcesEdit

• Star Wars Trivial Pursuit (First mentioned)
• The Official Star Wars Fact File 119 (Secret Union)
• The Official Star Wars Fact File 122 (RIT2, Galactic Rituals)
• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary
• The New Essential Chronology
• Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary
• Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
•  Agolerga, Pontifex Maxiron in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
• Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Updated and Expanded
• Star Wars: Force Collection (Card: Padmé Amidala (★★★, Naboo))
• Star Wars: Sith Wars

Notes and referencesEdit