Dissecting Padmé Amidala’s Death in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

The beauty of Star Wars is the extensive universe of glorious moments and some heartbreaking ones. Padmé Amidala’s death in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is no different.

Padmé Amidala’s cause of death has been debated by Star Wars fans. Was it from a broken heart? Was it from The Force? Was it something else entirely?

Padmé and Anakin’s relationship was as passionate as it was dangerous. It started rocky due to the consequences that would follow if they got caught. Regardless the two grew to accept and act on their strong feelings of love for each other. Anakin did not love Padmé because of her position as Queen of Naboo and later as Senator of Naboo. He fell in love with her for her kindness, courage and yes beauty.

Padmé did not fall in love with Anakin because he was a Jedi but because of what he stood for as a Jedi. He was strong, just as brave and was willing to do what he had to, to save those he cared about.

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Flashing back to that tragic scene towards the end of the film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Padmé was about to give birth to the twins Luke and Leia at the asteroid base Polis Massa while Anakin Skywalker is saved with extreme measures turning him into the infamous Darth Vader. Padmé was medically healthy. Even the medical droids were perplexed as to why she was dying.

It was a race against time to save the babies before her death, which as expected was a success. With both Luke and Leia born, soon to be separated, their father took his first breaths as Darth Vader. As the film comes to a close, Padmé’s funeral is a brief but powerful scene.

It revealed an astoundingly large crowd present for this tragedy proving how beloved she was. In her hands laid the necklace she made from the carved japor snippet Anakin had given her as a child in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Darth Vader is angered that his wife is dead, blaming himself thanks to Darth Sidious’s lie. Together they overlook the construction of the Death Star seemingly unaware that Luke and Leia were alive.

What makes her death stand out so much compared to the countless others was how unexplainable it was. That says a lot considering this is a universe that continues to expand with new people, places, weapons, creatures and developments in The Force. Padmé did not die by a lightsaber as Qui-Gon Jinn did? She did not die by the hands of a Clone Trooper? Nor die in a destroyed starship. Her death was very quiet and mysterious.

Photo Credit: Lucasfilm

This could have been the very point; that there is no definitive reason leaving it open for interpretation. Can you really die of a broken heart? Well according to one website, www.heart.org in “Is Broken Heart Syndrome Real?” it states, “Broken heart syndrome, also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy or takotsubo cardiomyopathy, can strike even if you’re healthy.” Imagine that, Padmé was medically healthy.

Did she die so Anakin could live? Well, from what audiences learned earlier in the film, Sheev Palpatine knew an awful lot about the force. Especially under his master Darth Plagueis. It’s easily as believable that he siphoned Padmé’s life force into Anakin to save him. He needed Anakin alive and if it meant Padmé dies in the process then his last obstacle would be out of the way.

Whether Padmé died of a broken heart from learning that the man she loved was gone (Anakin’s horrific actions even involved killing younglings) or Darth Sidious was behind it so his Darth Vader could live is anyone’s guess.

For more background on Padme Amidala visit her page here. How do you think Padmé Amidala died? Leave your answer in the comments section below! I’d love to read them!