Though Padme Amidala is a pivotal character in the Star Wars mythology, she never really took center stage in the prequel trilogy. That will change with the upcoming novel, Queen's Shadow, in which writer E.K. Johnston will focus on Padme as a central heroine of her own story. Now with the book on the way, Johnston has opened up and explained how the Star Wars prequels never fully fleshed out the inner intelligence possessed by the character. In a recent interview, Johnston said:
I think a lot of what Padmé does in the movies goes on inside her head. So, her brilliance and her political acumen, you don't necessarily see it play out in the movies. Because she's so smart, she doesn't explain what she's doing. Getting to kind of get inside her head a little bit, and write from the perspective of inside her head, you sort of see how smart and how talented and how deeply compassionate she is. In a dress that weighs 80 billion pounds or in a suit for sneaking around or whatever, she has it covered because she knows herself and she knows her friends so well.
By virtue of her status as a secondary character throughout the prequel trilogy, Padme Amidala didn't get to showcase too many of the strengths that defined her personality. Yes, she routinely showed herself to be a crack shot, a shrewd negotiator and a talented warrior, but per E.K. Johnston' remarks during a recent interview with StarWars.com, with the character largely built upon internal strength and "brilliance," the prequels seldom got a chance to show off the qualities that needed showcasing because there was no room for internal monologue.
These remarks actually make quite a bit of sense when we look at the history of the Padme character in the Star Wars lore. Despite her affinity for outlandish outfits, Padme was seldom one to hog the spotlight or force herself into a position in which she was the center of attention. She was frequently known to use body doubles and decoys, which served as subtle ways of showcasing intelligence and strategic prowess, but compared to the more technical, CGI-heavy action that made the prequels what they were, it was arguably difficult to give her many moments to shine.
Of course, that leaves us wondering what the future may hold for the character. The odds of Natalie Portman returning to the role arguably seem pretty slim when we consider the fact that Padme died in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, but it could be possible to see other live-action adventures for Padme if the role was ever recast. As the very existence of Queen's Shadow tells us, there's room to explore her beyond the movies she debuted in back in the 2000s.
CinemaBlend will keep you posted with more information related to everything coming out of the Star Wars franchise as further details associated with the galaxy far, far away are made available to us. As for right now, you can head over to our movie premiere guide to see what else is on the way this year and then watch out for the release of Star Wars: Episode IX next year on December 20, 2019, while Queen's Shadow will hit shelves on March 5, 2019.
