Mothers and Daughters: The evolution of Padmé and Leia

photo cred: Lucasfilm

Standing Up To Their Male Counterparts

If there was one thing Padmé and Leia were good at in Star Wars, it was telling their male counterparts where to get off. From telling off overconfident Jedi Knights to kicking down battle droids, mother and daughter were good at it.

Padmé Amidala was no stranger to telling men off. She was capable of giving Viceroy Nute Gunray a piece of her mind while her decoy, Sabé held a blaster to the enemy’s head. Gunray was stupid enough to think Sabé was the real Padmé. Long after the Invasion of Naboo, Gunray became Padmé’s archnemesis during the Clone Wars.

Padmé was forced to go up against was her own husband Anakin Skywalker. She had known Anakin since he was a child and saw his kindness and vulnerability. After a ten-year separation, Padmé was reunited with a now adult Anakin. After the beginning of the Clone Wars, Padmé married Anakin on Naboo. Over the course of the war, Padmé would constantly calm his wild and somewhat unorthodox methods and thoughts.

Leia had the deal with huge male egos all the time when she was serving in the Imperial Senate. She wasn’t afraid to tell high-ranking men what she thought of them. She despised men who thought women were beneath them, like Tarkin who looked down upon her. She also didn’t like the idea of Vader being able to torture her. Just imagine what her reaction was when she learned of her true paternity.

Another man Leia didn’t appreciate pushing his weight around is her husband, Han. When they were younger and just getting to know each other, they were constantly clashing. Leia didn’t like it when Han thought he knew better than her. She despises the idea of him pushing his way into situations he could make worse.

Marriage Woes

Padme confronts Anakin

Padmé knew what it was like to have marriage problems. When her former flame Rush Clovis re-entered the picture, Padmé felt a pull towards him, but not romantically. This puts Anakin’s nose of out joint and decides to act as a pilot. He sabotaged the seatbelt Clovis could have used so he couldn’t sit next to his wife.

After the situation leaves Clovis in a spot of trouble, Padmé doesn’t see the man until some time later. During this time, Clovis tried his hardest to get with his former lover, but Anakin is having nothing of it and tried to kill him, but not with the Force. Anakin tried to use his bare hands. Padmé happened to walk in just as her husband was threatening Clovis. The senator manages to pull Anakin away. She tells him she now feels scared of him and wants him to stay away from her. After Clovis dies protecting Padmé, the senator decides to give her marriage another shot, knowing Anakin was only trying to protect her.

Leia’s relationship with Han wasn’t perfect. It started in disaster and then it ended with a sword to the heart. Literally. Leia’s marriage ended with Han being run through with a lightsaber by their son.

Right from the very beginning, Leia and Han’s relationship was never smooth sailing. They bickered constantly but that didn’t mean they didn’t love each other. If they hadn’t loved each other, their son would never have been born. Though, that may have been a good thing. Having a child was a risk and Leia and Han knew it.

Because of Leia’s strong connection to the Force, any child they had would have a possibility for them having a connection to the Force. Leia and Han agreed to keep the information about Vader away from their son. They sent him to Luke to be trained as a Jedi until Ben turned on his uncle and his fellow students.  Before Han died, he and Leia made up as they ‘grieved’ for losing their son to the same essence that stole Anakin from Padmé.

Conclusion

The evolution of Padmé and Leia became a vital part of telling their story on-screen in any format in Star Wars. This includes the Star Wars novels and comics in which they appear in. Both women are known for their honesty and their willingness to what’s right for their side of the argument. They were large-hearted and looked out for the smaller people who didn’t have a strong enough voice to tell others what they were feeling.