We rank the 50 Biggest WTF Moments in Star Wars History
By Josh Hill
30. Padme’s Decoy Is Killed
Film: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
The Moment: Upon arriving to Coruscant, Padme’s starship is bombed with the explosion killing some guards and presumably the senator herself. Instead, it’s revealed that this was merely a decoy, with Padme being one of the pilots accompanying the ship to the docking bay. Either way, it was a clear attempt on Padme’s life and the first indication that not all is well in the galaxy.
Why It’s Memorable: This was the very first scene of Episode II, and it’s the most jarring way that a Star Wars film has ever started. The openings to the Star Wars movies are usually slow burns to something significant, but this was pretty much the first thing that we saw and it claimed the life of a character — which was ironically uncharacteristic of the franchise.
Sadly, it was all downhill from here, as the murder-mystery storyline was abandoned about 45-minutes later and Attack of the Clones went off the rails. But this was one of the most interesting ways to start a Star Wars film as it instantly grabbed out attention and invested us. We were let down afterwards, but it was still one of the few jump-scare moments in Star Wars history.
Next: 29. Anakin Beheads Count Dooku