The forbidden romance between Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala is just one of many iconic staples of the larger Star Wars saga. Without it, we wouldn’t have Luke or Leia, Vader or even Han Solo as we know him. Thanks to a new excerpt from E.K. Johnston’s upcoming Star Wars novel Queen’s Hope, we now know Anidala (that’s Anakin + Amidala) will be a large focus of yet another story within a galaxy far, far away … but told from Padmé’s perspective this time.
In today’s excerpt posted on StarWars.com, Padmé reflects on her choice to marry Anakin on the morning of their wedding day, which may not end up going exactly as they planned.
"“For so long, her life had revolved around other people’s perception of her. What she should do and how she should dress. How her decisions would affect masses of people she had never met. It was a tremendous burden, and she’d carried it since she was a child. She hadn’t minded—at times she had reveled in the responsibility—but with the freedom of being unknown in front of her, she felt a surge of excitement. Anakin was going to be hers, and she was going to be his, and almost no one in the whole galaxy would share that with them.”"
And it’s all going to end as happily as it began. Naturally.
Not long after this reflection, however, the current Queen of Naboo approaches Padmé and asks her to embark on a secret, probably dangerous mission to rescue a group of Naboo artists from behind Separatist lines… before the sun sets. What could possibly go wrong?
Padmé promises to be back by the end of the day, which seems like quite an ambitious goal post for something involving the Separatists, but nothing at all out of character for Senator Amidala.
We all had to know their wedding day couldn’t have possibly gone down perfectly. This is Anakin and Padmé we’re talking about. It’s becoming increasingly likely that the final scene of Attack of the Clones actually takes place mere minutes after the couple returns from their impromptu space endeavor.
This seems extremely on-brand for these two, considering they end up spending much of their married life spending short spans of time together between far-off battles and senatorial assignments, respectively. An on-the-fly ceremony just fits their style.
Johnston’s latest two Star Wars books, Queen’s Shadow and Queen’s Peril, took place in the early days of Padmé’s Naboo reign as well as her preliminary adventures as a Naboo Senator. Queen’s Hope will take place during the rise of the Clone Wars. While this series isn’t an “official” Star Wars trilogy, readers will have no trouble lining them up together on their bookshelves. They’ll each make up a small piece of a larger whole, which in itself fits seamlessly into the bigger ongoing story Star Wars is telling.
Get ready to cry. This one’s going to hurt so good.
Queen’s Hope will be available on April 5, 2022, and is now available for pre-order. And for more, follow the Star Wars books category.