PT I think Padme's death is the weakest plot in PT

She didn't suffer fatal injury but "lost the will to live" when she got 2 newborn children to take care of? That does not fit a strong woman figure she was in EP I and II.

True, but they needed some way to kill her off. Not even Anakin could actually do it.

I mean, they had to choose whether to follow the OT and have her live a few years, or kill her off immediately to make more sense in the current situation.

Let Anakin directly cause the fatal injury, or let Palpatine do that by some force ability.

Saying she dies because she lost the will to live, which I still believe is a bull answer. She's perfectly healthy, she can't just say "I want to die" and die. It doesn't work that way.

Having Anakin kill Padmé is also not good, because although he already thinks he did, Luke would probably have to be way less forgiving. Luke thinks his mother died when Leia was little, not that Vader/Anakin killed her.

Either having her die from disease or something before ANH, or having the Emperor telekinetically kill her would make more sense. Heck, if the Emperor kills her a few years after ROTS, all our problems are solved.

Part of the issue is, I feel, related to the fact that Padmé is completely unmentioned in the OT until ROTJ where she's given only a few lines in passing -- about how she was beautiful, kind, and sad and died when Leia was very young. Considering her significant role in the PT, I don't think Lucas really could have not had her death occur in ROTS. To have her live and go into hiding would have made no sense plot-wise and given us no true resolution to her character.

Tied to this, then, is that Anakin had to be responsible for her death but not outright kill her. I think this was Lucas' way of showing that love itself does not cause a person to turn to the Dark Side -- Anakin would not have attacked her if that were truly the case. At the same time, though, I think Lucas was attempting to show that Anakin never intended for her to die and he still loved her (although that love had become unhealthy and twisted). With that in mind, then, he wrote in the Force choke which is also thematically relevant since Padmé is the first person we ever see Anakin choke, chronologically, in any of the films.

In regards to Padmé's death and her "losing the will to live," I've always wondered what people wanted her to do exactly -- go into hiding with her kids? Because as far as I can tell, that would only have put them into greater danger than they already were. Do you really think Anakin would have stopped looking for her? Especially since the guy's first words, upon burning alive and undergoing surgery, are to ask if she is safe and okay? Do you imagine that he would have let her go?

At the very least, by dying, Padmé can provide her children with some cover. Her husband can sense her presence with the Force (as we see during the "Padmé's ruminations scenes) but he's unable to sense his children -- hence why Padmé had to actually tell him that she was pregnant instead of him being able to discern it right away.

Honestly, though, I think she was weak and frightened in those moments -- where would she have gone? She can't go back to Coruscant, she can't see her family, and anyone she hides with she will place in significant danger of feeling her husband's wrath. She still believes that there is good in Anakin, but she's utterly failed to pull him back from the Dark Side and he won't listen to her anymore.

Sorry for the double post, but the Mayo Clinic also gives us this as a possible answer: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/broken-heart-syndrome/DS01135

Broken heart syndrome is a temporary heart condition brought on by stressful situations, such as the death of a loved one. People with broken heart syndrome may have sudden chest pain or think they're having a heart attack. These broken heart syndrome symptoms may be brought on by the heart's reaction to a surge of stress hormones. In broken heart syndrome, a part of your heart temporarily enlarges and doesn't pump well, while the remainder of the heart functions normally or with even more forceful contractions.
The condition was originally called takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Today, it's also referred to as stress cardiomyopathy, stress-induced cardiomyopathy or apical ballooning syndrome.
The symptoms of broken heart syndrome are treatable, and the condition usually reverses itself in about a week.
The exact cause of broken heart syndrome is unclear. It's thought that a surge of stress hormones, such as adrenaline, might temporarily damage the hearts of some people. How these hormones might hurt the heart or whether something else is responsible isn't completely clear. A temporary constriction of the large or small arteries of the heart may play a role.
Broken heart syndrome is often preceded by an intense physical or emotional event. Some potential triggers of broken heart syndrome are:

• News of an unexpected death of a loved one
• A frightening medical diagnosis
• Domestic abuse
• Losing a lot of money
• A surprise party
• Having to perform publicly
• Physical stressors, such as an asthma attack, infection, a car accident or major surgery

How is broken heart syndrome different from a heart attack?
Most heart attacks are caused by a complete or near complete blockage of a heart artery. This blockage is due to a blood clot forming at the site of narrowing from fatty buildup (atherosclerosis) in the wall of the artery. In broken heart syndrome, the heart arteries are not blocked, although blood flow in the arteries of the heart may be reduced.
Broken heart syndrome affects women far more often than men.
In rare cases, broken heart syndrome is fatal. However, most who experience broken heart syndrome quickly recover and don't have long-lasting effects.

Well if we put the EU and view the story as whole, maybe it's better to let Padme die later. But as for RotS they need to bring the climax, to let Anakin become Vader, so she has to die in the movie.

She still got 2 children to take care of, mother's love is probably the strongest emotion of woman. She could also easily fake her death and hide her presence by go to some place with strong force like Yoda did.

how is any of that different from witness protection or escaping violent ex partners?


in fact the GFFA is very big compared to a place like Earth

What does she do if Anakin takes drastic action though by, say, carpet bombing a planet until she reveals herself? I don't necessarily know if he'd do it, but considering he already betrayed and killed the Jedi for her sake, don't you think Padmé might be scared of that? To what lengths might her husband go to find her? And would she be able to successfully lie to him about their children should she be caught?

Also, I don't know if this has really been considered, but don't you think it's possible that Padmé feels guilty for what has happened? That she feels as though she is in some way responsible for the death and destruction that her husband has wreaked, in part, for her sake. And that if she survived, all she would do is legitimize his turn because it would have succeeded in preventing his visions from coming true. Just a thought.

The last point is so true. I still feel if Palpatine just told Vader she died, that would be fine. He would believe Palpatine, like he has before. She could be long gone to Dagobah or wherever. Yoda could help shield them, with the assistance of the cave of evil.

I feel his betrayal against Padmé and Obi-Wan finalized his turn, and plus the symbolism of fire marking the transition. That's my opinion though.

I doubt Vader would cause anything damage to find her, it would probably just make her push him away further, and he would know that. She might be frightened, but if Vader proves himself that would change. I think she would try to at least meet with Vader before he began to hurt anything. Of course, It would only be her. She would protect the twins to no end.

I would like to think that she would give in, or commit suicide. I doubt she would continue running. If Vader still has good like she believes, she could probably just stay with him. I think he would be ruined by his actions, before he would betray her again. The case of the twins is difficult. Even if Vader was told about their existence I do not know whether he could hide them from Palpatine once the truth came out. Again, if Vader has good, he would attempt to hide them, if not, they would be subject to the dark side. In the latter case, Padmé would most likely attempt to flee again or send the twins away.

Another aspect I would like to bring up is how Palpatine would react to Vader gaining a part of his humanity again. Many AU's I have read have depicted him as a sadistic man who wants Vader to suffer as much as possible, which I have always believed true. Would Palpatine hold Padmé hostage? Kill her? Turn the twins against her? or would he let Vader stay with her?
In the last case, Vader would most likely find a way to overthrow the Emperor. This is why I lean towards the case where Vader would have to convince Padmé to stay hidden, whether the twins were discovered or not. This act on Vader's behalf would probably be seen as some sort of love/protection to Padmé, and she would begin to trust him somewhat.

Her guilt is a difficult subject, and this one is pretty much person to person. I feel her guilt is repairable, however I have friends who think that it was the cause of her death. If she turns and joins Vader, it could really go either way. If he has regret and offers forgiveness, her guilt is most likely temporary. It would be a long road to repaired hearts, and they probably would never be completely the same. If he had no remorse, she would probably not forgive herself for allowing him to become more power-hungry.

Again, if she was worried about that her last words wouldn't be, there is still good in him,


and the "don't you think she feels guilty" obviously she doesn't feel guilty that her healthy young children has to live life without his - her mother[/quote]

That's why she must fake her death, just like she did to her children. Even if Vader discovers, Padme could threat him by her own life(Of course she would need someone like Obi Wan to tell Vader the info). If Palpatine wants her out he would make it, but Anakin is different, he loves her and does not want her hurt, not to say death.

Well sure, but she just became a mother and got 2 babies. Yoda and Obi Wan are good people but they could not do a mother's job. I believe no mother would believe other women would treat her children as good as she is, either.

There's quite a difference though, when your husband essentially is the new government. Not to mention having an entire galactic military at his disposal. And the power of the Force. Also, look at my previous post -- what does Padmé do if he threatens to bomb Naboo unless she shows herself? And would she be able to conceal the existence of their children from him? Because that's an awful risk.

Moreover, you talk about a protection program -- what greater protection could Padmé have offered her children than by dying? She essentially wiped the slate clean for them and erased any trace of their existence. You won't get a better cover than that.

That still doesn't address the problem, though, @PiettsHat. I agree that Padme needed to die in ROTS, leaving the ultimate fate of such a major character to the EU would have been a huge mistake and would have resulted in a much bigger mess, but the method used to kill her was just the laziest, weakest, most insultingly stupid option imaginable. Kill her off for sure, but do it via realistic injuries instead of a second-rate Shakespeare imitation.

I've seen many examples in fiction, women, usually the protagonist's mother chose to suicide when she lost her man or someone important when she got a child to take care of. I guess those authors underestimated the power of mother's love.

Umm...just because she believes there's still good in Anakin doesn't mean she isn't acknowledging his crimes nor the fact that, if he keeps going along the path he's on, he's going to commit more crimes. Otherwise, she would have joined him immediately when he requested it of her on Mustafar.

Also, yes her children will have to live without their mother -- but I don't have great difficulty in seeing how she might believe that they would be better off without her, especially since she is surrounded with friends who will have the ability to protect them.

How exactly is she going to fake her death? Anakin has the Force -- all Palpatine has to do is tell him that she's dead and he believes it because that's the truth: "search your feelings, you know it to be true." He's also able to sense her presence and, as we see in ROTJ, his range is pretty immense. She'd have a hell of a time trying to conceal herself.

Anakin doesn't know what his children "feel" like in the Force though -- he couldn't tell she was pregnant, he didn't know they were having twins, and he never recognizes his children when he first meets them. The films make that abundantly clear. He's extremely familiar with Padmé's presence in the Force though. So concealing them is a simple matter but not in the case of their mother.

And Padmé, of course, has to consider to what lengths Anakin will go to get her back if she goes into hiding. He's already killed for her before. How many more will die as he searches?

interesting aboutthe article on broken heart syndrome

however she was PERFECTLY healthy

I agree with Draconius, why not kill her off with complications with the force choke?

why couldn't she die from child birth?

why couldn't she have hit her head on the lamp shade while looking at her babies?

anything!

How about not die.

BTW, what did Padme think happened to Anakin. Did she think as Obi-wan thought that he was dead. Did she bother to ask? It seems odd she didn't even ask "what happened to Anakin" if she woke up and he wasn't there.

Besides its not like she thinks him find her would be a bad thing necessarily. Remember what she said "There is still good in him". She might have gone and look for him in fact. Still trying to turn him.

And Anakin couldn't have killed her or he would have crossed the metaphorical moral event horizon. He would have been irremediable by then.

See, that's the thing though -- who says Padmé didn't die out of love for her children? How are they not better off without her? She can't take care of them -- they would have to live in fear and concealment. They would never be truly safe and she would have no ability to support them.

Do you know what we tell women who are in that situation? That they should put their kids up for adoption -- that they should do what's best for their kids because they're either too young or too poor or too unstable to take care of them. And that's really what Padmé does -- she entrusts her children to people who will be able to provide for them in a way that she's no longer able to. While giving them protection from the Sith.

Except for the problem that a sizable and vocal segment of the fanbase tends to insist that important plot points must be covered in the films and that they shouldn't have to go to an external source to understand the story.