Few characters have had the same level of impact on the Star Wars universe as Padmé. Not only was she the mother of Luke and Leia, but Anakin’s love for her is what drove him to transform into Darth Vader. Yet, despite her significance, fans haven’t always appreciated her. In fact, when the prequels were truly hated, she and her relationship with Anakin received plenty of scorn.
These days though, public opinion on the prequel trilogy has softened, and Padmé now has far fewer detractors. Some even regard her as one of the more likable characters in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. It doesn’t mean the Padmé memes have stopped, though. People are still coming up with ways to poke fun at the character—only now, it’s with less venom.
Updated on January 9th, 2022 by Hilary Elizabeth: Although the perception of the Star Wars prequels may have improved over time, that doesn’t mean that viewers don’t still find ways to riff on some of the more memorable scenes of the trilogy. And because the films are an endless wealth of meme-ing inspiration, there are just too many hilarious Padmé memes to be ignored.
How Padmé Uses Gungans
Towards the end of The Phantom Menace, Padmé tries to ally with the Gungans’ to defeat the Trade Federation. In the process, she calls her people “humble servants” of the amphibious race.
Yet, as this Padmé meme points out, her actions don’t align with her words. Once the alliance is made, she makes her new allies distract the Trade Federation in the Battle of Naboo. Meanwhile, her forces take back the capital. Leaders aren’t usually cannon fodder for their servants. Perhaps this trickery proves that Padmé is among the most intelligent characters in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
A Fashion Statement
Padmé is known for many things, but the most memorable aspect of her character for most Star Wars fans is likely her outrageous fashion statement pieces. And despite the incredibly basic styling of the Jedi, Anakin must love a bit of dramatic flair as well given how taken he was with Padmé right off the bat.
But frankly, it’s incredibly, improbably convenient that Padmé can dress in outfits that would put a peacock to shame in most instances, while wearing much more utilitarian and relaxed outfits every time she finds herself in an unexpected dangerous situation where she actually needs to act.
A More Down-To-Earth Problem
Actually, to be more specific, this Padmé meme pretty perfectly captures a classic American problem of health insurance not necessarily resulting in actual healthcare. Although, perhaps that point of a view is a little too ethnocentric, and this can be applied to a more interstellar cultural issue.
After all, despite the fact that Padmé was literally the queen of a seemingly outrageously wealthy planet, she still didn’t even have access to medical assistance that was adequate enough to enable her to survive childbirth.
There’s A Pattern
Perhaps the most infamous scene from the prequels is when Anakin kills all of the younglings. The moment is shocking for both viewers and Padmé. The latter can’t even believe it when Obi-Wan tells her the grim news. But, this Padmé meme shows why his wife shouldn’t be too surprised.
She’s married to a guy who’d already killed a bunch of children before they were wed. Yes, his first victims weren’t younglings, but, morally, that shouldn’t really matter.
A Family Embarrassment
It seems that when it comes to style, those Skywalker genes are far more dominant than the innate Naberrie fashion sense. Sure, Princess Leia at least sported some unique looks, but Luke was always outfitted in the most basic clothing options in the galaxy, and Kylo Ren was even more simple with his consistent Vader-esque uniform.
Padmé would have been frustrated with Ben Solo for much more serious reasons than his wardrobe choices, but his incredibly mundane taste would have added insult to injury.
Bad Parenting
Something that never really makes sense about Padmé is her death. Near the end of Revenge of the Sith, a medical droid informs everyone that despite being healthy, she’s dying because she’s lost the will to live.
Obviously, this is caused by Anakin’s turn to the dark side. However, she’s pregnant at the time, so fans would think that this would give her something to live for. But, no, for some reason, she doesn’t see her children as reasons to go on. It’s an aspect of the movie that’s heavily mocked by certain fans.
Alternate Theory
While people like to poke fun at the idea of Padmé dying simply because she’s sad, fans in recent years have come up with a more logical reason for her demise. They have theorized that Palpatine actually uses her life force to revive Anakin.
It makes a lot more sense, and, as shown in this Padmé meme, some viewers have now accepted it as canon. When watching the movie, there are some little hints that it could be true. However, the clues aren’t big enough to confirm that it’s what the writers intended.
Deflecting Blame
By the time that Anakin turns on Padmé, he is clearly not in his right mind. However, his ability to deflect responsibility for the nuclear implosion of his marriage is so over the top it’s almost funny (and this Padmé meme manages to make it genuinely funny).
But, perhaps that’s not giving Anakin enough credit. Maybe he actually had enough insight to realize that Padmé would end things with him on account of the Jedi-child genocide and just wanted to dump her before she got the opportunity to dump him first.
Anakin Correcting His Wife
One of the most heartbreaking moments in the prequel trilogy is when Anakin Force chokes the pregnant Padmé. It’s a display of anger that shows how warped and evil Anakin has become, and it’s the final moment that the formerly happy couple ever share.
One fan clearly didn’t appreciate the sadness of the scene, so they added some humor. Instead of Anakin being blind with rage, he’s able to deliver a little quip before almost killing his beloved.
Padmé And Rey Have Similar Tastes
There are plenty of comparisons that can be made between Anakin and Kylo Ren. They’re two angry and extremely powerful beings who have a preference for black clothing. Plus, they both engage in romances with the main female character of their respective trilogies.
So, clearly, Padmé has similar tastes to Rey when it comes to partners. Unfortunately, neither romance goes perfectly. Maybe they both should’ve chosen more mild-mannered guys like Obi-Wan and Finn.
Padmé Is A Fashion Inspiration
One way Padmé stands out from the rest of the characters in the franchise is her choice of clothing. She wears some incredibly fancy outfits throughout the prequels, some costumes which look great, while others are a little odd.
Nobody in the sequel trilogy can match her fashion sense, but that might not have been the case if Kylo Ren admired her the same way he does her husband. If he tried to follow in his grandmother’s footsteps, he would’ve looked fabulous.
Six Degrees Of Separation
Actually, considering that Palpatine was cautious enough about outing himself as a baddie that he managed to essentially conquer the entire galaxy before anyone realized that he was evil, it should come as no surprise that he put so many steps between himself and his attempt to assassinate Senator Amidala.
But fans have to wonder if his attempt on her life was even legitimate, or was just a ruse designed to make his future Sith apprentice closer to Padmé.
If M. Night Shyamalan Directed The Prequels
Famous director M. Night Shyamalan has never made a Star Wars movie. But, this meme envisions how it would’ve been if he was behind Revenge of the Sith. The Padmé meme’s prediction that Shyamalan would’ve included a huge twist makes sense—that is what he’s most known for, after all.
However, Padmé being a ghost seems a little far-fetched even for Shyamalan, and it may have angered the Star Wars fanbase more than anything else the franchise has ever done, and that covers a lot of ground.
Anakin’s Flirting
Attack of the Clones has one of the most awkward flirting scenes in the history of cinema. The infamous sequence sees Anakin rambling about his hatred of sand while speaking to Padmé. Naturally, after seeing this moment, people assume Anakin is the most unsmooth person on earth.
But a scene in Clone Wars proves he can flirt with the best of them when he’s hitting on the Zygerrian queen. The Jedi is undercover at the time, yet Padmé still has a right to be annoyed that she didn’t see that side of Anakin when they first met.
Padmé Watching The Original Trilogy
The disgusting kiss between Luke and Leia in The Empire Strikes Back is often overlooked by fans. After all, upon first viewing, there doesn’t seem anything wrong with it, as neither the audience nor the characters know that they’re siblings.
But this Padmé meme considers Padmé’s perspective. If she’s watching them from the afterlife, she must be sick to her stomach seeing what her children are doing to each other. Perhaps separating them and not informing them of the other’s existence was a big mistake on Yoda’s part.
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