We rank the 50 most memorable Star Wars deaths ever
By Ryan Wrenn
44. Padme
When Did They Die: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Who Were They: Former queen and senator from the planet Naboo, wife of Anakin Skywalker, mother of Luke and Leia Skywalker
How Did They Die: Combination of complications with childbirth and grief
Seriously, the prequels are pretty screwed up. So many genuinely overwhelming moments of cruelty and sorrow and evil. It’s hard to believe that a goofy/terrible cartoon character like Jar Jar Binks featured prominently in the same trilogy as all this misery.
Thankfully, Padme’s unfortunate end also marks the last of the outright Sad Deaths on this list. Yeah, sure, there will be a few more tear-jerkers, but no one is going to be dying of grief in the middle of childbirth in the next forty-odd slides.
Wow, someone actually died of grief in the middle of childbirth in a Star Wars movie! That is actually ridiculous when you think about it. From a simple storytelling perspective, it’s really sad that the only female character that George Lucas even tried to make full and complete in the first two movies ends up crying to death. So much for addressing the feminist criticism of the movies, right?
From a logical perspective: what? Do people actually die of grief? Like, yeah, some old marry couples might die a few months apart, but Padme is in the prime of her life.
Moreover, Anakin wasn’t even that great of a dude even when he was a Jedi. Don’t grieve for him. He was super creepy when you guys met again in adulthood, and then whined a lot when you guys finally got together and was gone basically all the time.
Next: 43. Captain Needa