Did Lucas make a mistake with Padme being QUEEN in TPM??

This is one subject ive never really seen discussed.
Do you think Lucas made a mistake having Padme being Queen of Naboo in TPM? There are few reasons why I think this just didnt work right.

1. The 'PRINCESS'' Leia scenario.
I believe that Lucas originally concieved this as a reason why Leia is a 'Princess', her mother was a 'Queen'. It turns out that this was not ANY reason why Leia is known as a Princess (thats because of her Alderaan conections). So this became redundant when AOTC was released and Padme was no longer Queen.

2. Convoluted and unessesary plot point.
I still dont see why Lucas had to add that Padme was no longer Queen, and then have an unessesary concersation with Anakin about WHY she was no longer Queen in AOTC. Why not just have Padme begin life as a Senator in TPM? Does anyone think he changed his mind between films and having her as Queen just didnt serve the rest of the story? He even had to explain this in the opening crawl!

3. Her Accent
Often discuussed and always the hardest part for me to watch. Why does she talk in that ridiculous regal accent whenever she has her Queen outit on? I think this becomes worse when we see the second Queen in AOTC seemingly talking in her normal voice!

Her sudden change in status was a strange piece of storytelling to me, and I dont see why Padme was not just made a Senator from Naboo in the first place? Do you think Lucas originally concieved this as the reason for 'Princess' Leias name and then changed his mind when he realised that Palpatine was now Chancellor so there he was left with no-one to represent Naboo in the Senate?

I just didnt see the point of not carrying Padme's Queen status through the films. And here's hoping that he re-dubs Padme's silly Queen accent in TPM Saga Edition DVD's!!

 

I agree with your three arguments Jon_Bon_Kenobi.

I think the notion of a 14-year old girl being elected to Queen was a hard pill to swallow in the first place. I believe that she could have been a hand maiden instead. In #2, she could still have become Senator considering her heroics in the battle and the rest of the story would have continued unaltered.

 

I agree.I think she shouldnt be even senator.Have you ever seen 24 years old senator?Such responsibility to someone so young?Especially in GALACTIC senate?
I would like if she was just queens handmaiden.

 

I do not object to her being Queen. But the Youngest Queen ever elected !!!hmmm.

 

I hate it when people try to impose standards of "normal" here on Earth on the GFFA.

The Naboo treasure the innocence of youth, much like we treasure life experience here on Earth. One can't really argue that "a 14 year old would never be elected the leader of a planet" since Naboo is an alien culture, no matter how human the population is. Alien culture = different rules, social expectations, morals, etc...

This argument applies to her appointment (remember, she was appointed and not elected) to the senate based on her service as Queen.

Threads like this make me wonder how many people really understand the basic tenants of fantasy.

So, to answer the initial question: No, GL did not make a mistake with Padme.

 

A mistake would be something that hurt the story. This didn't.



Queen Amidala is a wonderful concept
/LM

 

Listen to Jango you will

 

Naboo was a peaceful and beautiful planet. I guess in the times of a millenia of peace people COULD elect people so young to office.

As for her being called Queen but being elected I'm ok with this. In Britain the queen is the overall ruler and has the power to force elections in the event of an administration . leader trying to extend their term (ala palpatine). On Naboo they call their elected 'commander and chief' (ala george dubbya bush) king or queen as a ceremonic term of respect instead of president.

Naboo just has many strong female figures in the public eye at the point of the films. Who's to say what education and IQ etc is like on Naboo? Perhaps what we see as children are proper members of society with equal influence there. The EpIII queen is even younger- atleast the actress is anyway.

To strengthen my point Britain had an 18 year old PM I'm pretty sure. Then Tony Blair is the 2nd youngest at 40-something in '97. Maybe Naboo generally has older rulers. Or maybe not. I don't think it's really an issue that damages the story though.

EDIT: tying in with Jangos comments. I think the term senator is just a logical one, not a true reflection of the post as we know it. Obviously they are not senators as such because every system in the republic won't have the same form of government. Alderaan, for example, has a British-style democracy with the queen as a figurehead with little actual day-to-day power (From the OS I think) and Naboo has a US-style democracy...atleast top tier with the King or Queen acting as a president.

The Galactic senate is merely a collection of appointed officials from planets who act within a senatorial structure in deciding galaxy affecting events. It's not a true senate in that everyone has the same basic ideals. Also, Palpatine, and I'd assume Padmé, represented several planets with shared ideals and interests, not just their home planet of Naboo.

A democratic system on such a wide concept won't be like government as we know it at all.

 

Remember, also, that she had her prime minister person and her little council and all of them were older folks, so it isnt that unacceptable that she was the queen.

 

"I do not object to her being Queen. But the Youngest Queen ever elected !!!hmmm. "


Erm...in AOTC she specifically said, "i wasn't the youngest queen ever elected, but..."

 

I originally thought she'd be queen through all 3 prequels.

 

I still dont see why Lucas had to add that Padme was no longer Queen, and then have an unessesary concersation with Anakin about WHY she was no longer Queen in AOTC.

It was no mistake. It is suppose to contrast Padme being a good ruler but turning down another term as Queen with Palpatine being a corrupt ruler and staying in office long after his term has expired. And the conversation was not unnecessary. Anakin said, "I heard they even tried to amend the constitution so you could stay in office". Contrast that with Chancellor Palpatine staying in office and gaining more power.

 

I'm not really seeing the big deal, here. There have been numerous child rulers throughout Earth's own history - so why not on a planet from a galaxy where their extremely well educated from a very young age? Makes a whole lot more sense than the times it's occurred in our history, when youth simply inherited the throne. May I also point out that Ambidala had her own misgivings about becoming Queen so young, despite the fact that she wasn't even the youngest elected to begin with.

(To be fair, by our standards, Leia is far too young to be as involved in heavy politics as she is.)

 

He didn't make a mistake. Your dealing with a fantasy world with a totally different culture and rules from our own. So the definition of a Queen will differ in the fantasy world of Naboo compared to the reality world of Earth.

 

Too unnatural for a 14 year old to be Queen.


What, and the lightsabers, a nine-year-old who is the only person to pod-race and is a mechnical genius, little green froglings and mechanical hands are day-to-day activities? Don't get me started on "sound in space". It's a movie. Take it as such.

1. The 'PRINCESS'' Leia scenario.

Well, since it's known in the OT that Leia was adopted by the royal family, this doesn't make sense. Padme was an elected queen in her own right; Leia was adopted and was always a Princess since the moment the Organas took her in.

2. Convoluted and unessesary plot point.

Padme needed to be within Anakin's age range by the time of AOTC, so having her as, say, twenty, in TPM would have just weirded us all out. Padme needed to be incredible and a match for a severely gifted Anakin. Being Queen and then Senator at a young age... well, that's pretty damn good.

3. Her Accent

It's not unusual. One, deeper voices are harder to distinguish from one another, so this would have helped when she had to pose as a handmaiden and Sabe took her place. Two, we are, as humans [and probably other beings] more likely to take people more seriously if they have a deeper, more commanding voice.

People change their voices all the time. When I get really pissed, my voice gets deeper, more precise, and takes on a very slight London accent. It's just how I operate, whereas other people get higher-pitched, more nasal, etc.

 

Have you ever seen 24 years old senator?

Leia was a senator at 18. When she is captured by Vader in New Hope, she says she is "a member of the imperial senate, on a diplomatic mission".

To which Vader replies: "You are part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor. Take her away!"

 

Good pickup, YodaOz. When I was watching AOTC last night, that exchange between Padmé and Anakin stuck out like a sore thumb. It's amazing how watching the movies in order now make so much sense, now that the saga is complete.