A new pondering has taken up real estate in the minds of Star Wars fans, as they wonder how Palpatine addressed Padmé’s death in the wake of his takeover.
In the aftermath of Order 66 and Emperor Palpatine’s official takeover, fans of the franchise are wondering how the public may have reacted to Padmé’s demise. As a prominent politician and former queen, Padmé’s influence in the senate was widespread, and her death was likely major news to a number of her colleagues and friends, not to mention the people she aided through her work as a senator.
Given the widespread lies that Palpatine leaned on during his rise, one fan suspects he used the news to his political advantage in the weeks and months following her death. In a post to the Star Wars subreddit, user ravathiel asked fellow Star Wars fans if they agree that Padmé’s passing was likely used as political fodder by Palpatine, the culprit behind Anakin’s fall and, ultimately, Padmé’s demise.
Ravathiel suspects that Palpatine “played up” Padmé’s death to the senate in order to gain “support” for the Jedi purge, as well as the rise of his Empire, and commenters agree. Star Wars fans let their opinions be known in a slew of responses to ravathiel’s post, noting “that kind of evil is right in his wheelhouse.”
Fans of the extended Star Wars media even had receipts proving that Padmé’s death was used as political fodder to aid Palpatine in attaining his goals. According to one commenter, the “current run of the Darth Vader comics” details that Padmé’s handmaidens “believed that Padme was killed by the Jedi and that Anakin died trying to protect her.” This narrative would work into Palpatine’s insidious plans perfectly, highlighting his necessity at the head of the Empire and “proving” his words about the Jedi to be true, as far as the senate, and most people, would be aware.
The idea that Palpatine used Padmé’s death to his political advantage is certainly unsurprising, given Palpatine’s long history of manipulation, but it’s still a hard pill to swallow for some fans. Palpatine stands against almost everything Padmé believed in, and the thought that her death aided in his rise to the top is unpleasant for a number of fans. Despite this, they’re intrigued at the thought of Palpatine’s careful machinations, and many announced their desire to see the story play out on screen. As of now, the franchise doesn’t appear to have plans to rehash this time period, but it seems it would have a willing audience if it ever changed its mind.