Padme not real royalty. Bother anyone?

No Luke is not royalty. Leia is because Bail took her as his own child.

 

I'd guess it has something to do with Naboo's government before it joined the Republic. It was some sort of moncarcy and when it joined the Republic decided to keep the Queen or King title as the head of their democratic government. Sort of like how England has a Parlimentary government yet still has Kings and Queens to follow it's tradition. However I do have issues with it's governemt when it comes to electing kids as it's leaders. What kind of crap is that?

 

AdamBertocci:


"You can't really elect someone to be a Queen (a King's wife).
Please tell that to actual nations on this planet that have elected their Queen.
And while we're on the subject, you don't need to be a King's wife to be a Queen. Poke around in the history books and you'll find an unmarried Queen or two."


Good point, man. Well, I'm bad in history and the thing I said was the thing I only know. But, I'm pretty sure most of the Queens are the King's wives. But still, it's Naboo, not Earth. The word "Queen" there might have a littile different meaning from here.



"It's another universe? oh oh yeah. sorry, forgot. normal rules of good, coherent, clever storytelling need not apply
Please explain how Amidala as an elected monarch affects the storytelling."


Agree with you for this one I do. Well, always great Star Wars story is.

 

I agree, it does seem funny that here we have a monarch, yet it's a democracy. It's like saying, yeah we can have this royal Queen but she's also democratic, because as we know, democracy = good, and monarchy = bad.

Anyway, does it actually say anywhere in TPM that Amidala is elected? I think it's only mentioned in AOTC.

Of course, I don't think an elected queen is stupid, it seems insignificant to me.

Also, I was thinking, do the King's have to wear the white facepaint and red lipstick? Because it's kind of feminine looking. Maybe it's a bit different for the men.

 

maybe they only elect queens, like its a position that has always been filled by a woman. Just a thought. I still think it is unecessary. At the same time I agree that it is insignificant. I don't like the movie, but if I did I don't think that it would hinge upon this topic.

 

"Anyway, does it actually say anywhere in TPM that Amidala is elected?"

"To state our allegations, I present Queen Amidala, recently elected ruler of Naboo, who speaks on our behalf."-Palpatine during the Senate scene.

 

*surprised no one has even mentioned the UK yet*

Cometgreen, who has one heck of a post for dsk2 tomorrow morning

 

There HAVE been elected Queens in our reality BUT it was still a bad story telling decision because it confuses the common person who is not aware of this and who has also been brought up to associate the word Queen with strict monarchy.

 

I wonder if Leia was elected Princess...

 

"*surprised no one has even mentioned the UK yet*"

I did.

 

SW3TheHolidaySpecial, that sounds like you have to have a certain IQ before you see a film though.

 

I agree it is "different", but I don't really think it makes a giant difference. Yes she was pretty young..but I think she did a pretty good job being the head of government. She went way way out there to defend her planet. She might of been young, but very brave, and did all she could to defend those people she served over. Not only cause Naboo was her home planet with her family being there, but she knew she had to take action, just not sit around on her throne and play with toys, so to speak.

As for her wearing all those fancy clothes, well it was pretty "dramatic", but I suppose she wanted to show a powerful presence, maybe capture peoples attention fully so they would take her seriously. I don't know if it was in the Queen "doctrine" to HAVE to wear that apparel or not though. In my opinion I thought her outfits were pretty nice, very elegant looking.

But as far as her having the "Queen" title in a democracy, it's just the way they do things on Naboo. Every organization is different. (ex. President, Chairman, Queen, Emperor, King, etc..)

I think that she did such a good job as Queen that she should have continued on with it. I can understand why she felt she had to stepdown (not go for another term), but I felt she was a very good leader that took appropriate action when deemed necessary.

 

maybe they only elect queens, like its a position that has always been filled by a woman

This is EU, but I believe in most books and such, that before Amidala, there was a King Veruna or something. I'm wondering how it would look to see an old, wrinkly man with red lipstick, beauty marks, and a white painted face.

 

Think in terms of Chinas royality I guess.

 

I'm wondering how it would look to see an old, wrinkly man with red lipstick, beauty marks, and a white painted face.

[image=http://www.peterwilkinson.karoo.net/michael%20jackson.jpg]


Rick McCallum loves you!

 

No wonder Palps wanted to invade the place.

 

Palpatine isn't real royalty either, yet he's referred to as the Emperor, which implies a monarchy. Does this bother anyone?

 

It is a different governing system. I still believe that Palpatine was behind getting her elected in the first place.

 

Anyone here ever heard of the Dalai Lama?

 

Hmm. I think I saw somewhere that the Amidala name, is a play on names, from Dalai Lama.

 

Wow! That's cool! The play on names there never even crossed my mind!

 

Palpatine isn't real royalty either, yet he's referred to as the Emperor, which implies a monarchy. Does this bother anyone?

Does the name Augustus Caesar ring a bell?

History is full of Kings and Queens who have been "chosen" or "elected" by other people. Maybe Naboo is similar to the UK, they keep titles and name for tradition's sake, while turning towards a democratic society.

And the whole point about her fancy dress and make-up is well... gimme a break, it's a fantasy film, personally I still find the visuals of Queen Amidala very striking and timeless.

 

it's a fantasy film, personally I still find the visuals of Queen Amidala very striking and timeless.

Better said than I ever could!

kenobikenobi: Not to get overly political, but there was a write-up, over the similarities between Amidala and Dalai Lama (rolls of the tongue deosn't it? ), that being the TF is China and Naboo is Tibet.

Read into that what you will.

 

Augustus rose to power through military victory and a precarious relation to Julius Caesar.

 

I found this very interesting argument on the problematics of a:

Royal Election?

From a cultural and political point of view, one of the most puzzling aspects of The Phantom Menace arises from the offhand statements indicating that the Queen of Naboo is somehow "elected". What is the nature of this "election"?

All governments consist of a mutually-restrained balance between permanent apolitical officers and impermanent partisan influences. Not all offices of government can be filled by competitive election. To subject a monarch to popular election would be no more prudent than holding elections for the judiciary, the military or the civil service. It would amount to the creation of a "president-for-life".

Popular election in the sense commonly used on Earth is inimical to the dignity and independence of a monarch. A monarch is most effective when she is removed from the political sphere and is representative of all of her subjects, not merely those who would vote one way or another. Competitive electoral processes necessarily politicise the candidates and polarise the electorate. Elections cater to and create political operators and partisan behaviour; and candidates inevitably develop debts to special interest groups or political movements. Succession through birthright precludes the purchasing of influence and the development of immodest and divisive aspirations. since nobody can control the fatal quirks of birth and death. Politicians need to be ephemeral and numerous to counterbalance each other, but a monarch needs to be singular, permanent, independent and impartial in order to inspire and restrain all the politicians. Ideally, a constitutional monarch is an apoliticial guardian of responsible governance and a symbol of unity for her people. To produce a monarch by a simple contentious electoral process would destroy her impartiality, her unifying role, and her value as a constitutional referee obstructing the excesses and ambitions of ordinary political players.

At the same time, the presence of an active elected monarch who had risen to power through choice and effort would also be a burden on the government she presides over. The existence of such a figure would vex the government with a clash of mandates, resulting in sporadic executive and legislative gridlock or failures of restraint whenever one side gains dominance over the others. Giving a lifetime tenure to a person motivated and egotistic enough to seek popular election would be a recipe for despotism, no matter how pure the original intentions.

Our glimpses of Naboo show an ancient society blessed with stability, despite the hidden deviousness of manipulators in their midst. For this stability to persist it is obvious that Queen Amidala cannot have been elected to her throne in the same manner as terrestrial politicians elected into office. How then can we rationalise what we've heard about the Naboo system of government? In what sense was she "elected"? Were there any voters, and if so then who were they? An election is not necessarily a contest; was there just one candidate, or were there many? How do they qualify? Do candidates have any choice about their participation? How often does this kind of election occur? How exactly did the election affect her status?

The simplest possibility is that Amidala is a symbolic Queen, or at least has royal status, in the normal apolitical hereditary fashion, but she has also been elected to a parallel position of executive leadership. It may be that she is both titular Queen and elected prime minister of her world. Or, she may be a traditional regional monarch who was elected to a greater form of global leadership. The abundant and frequent use of the prefix "royal" for institutions and vehicles associated with Amidala implicitly reveals that at least some aspects of her position are hereditary. Indeed her eventual son and daughter are prince and princess by birthright, as indicated in the profile of the recent Princess Leia (Ceremonial Dress) action figure from Hasbro:

"Although she