Star Wars: The Phantom Menace might not be the pinnacle of storytelling, but the fandom has truly embraced it in the decades since the film’s release. Episode 1 kicked off the early years of the Skywalker saga, and laid the groundwork for the oh-so-important romance between Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker.
At 9-years old, Anakin is just a little boy at the beginning of the series. Padmé, though the Queen of Naboo, is pretty much a child herself.
How old is Padmé?
Though she wasn’t the youngest queen Naboo ever had, Padmé won her first election when she was just 14. The monarchy structure of Naboo likely wouldn’t fly anywhere on our planet, but its hard to deny Padmé’s effectiveness as a leader. The vibrant green world’s peculiar election cycle happens every two years, and both boys and girls can participate.
I say boys and girls because the people of Naboo have a peculiar belief that the innocence of youth is a form of wisdom – one that adults lack. Don’t mistake her adolescence for inexperience, Padmé Naberrie was singled out as one of the top candidates for the political sphere when she was very young.
Devoting her life to civic duty by the time she was just eight years old, Padmé had already served as supervisor of Theed, the capital city of Naboo, when she was 12. Two years later, she campaigned to be queen and changed her last name to “Amidala” in a bid to protect her family’s identities.
As Amidala, Padmé adopted a stoic personality. Her campaign was centered on ending the isolationism her planet had relied on for decades. Her calm demeanor and eloquent speeches cinched her win. She was the youngest queen that Naboo had elected in years, and her reign was more than tumultuous. Though the people always believed she was a wonderful Queen, Padmé doubted whether she had been ready for the role when she was awarded it.
When you see her exploits on paper, it begs the question of what exactly Padmé saw in the petulant young Skywalker. By the time the pair saw each other again 10 years later, Amidala had served another two-year stint as queen, and worked as a senator for Eight. Sometimes girls just want a bad boy, but I’m with Duchess Satin on this one – I’d take Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi every time.