PT Did Padme believe Anakin about the Jedi taking over & Obi-Wan telling her that Anakin was a Sith

In Revenge of the Sith when Anakin told Padme that the Jedi wanted to take over the Republic, she asked how did he know that? He mentioned seeing Mace Windu trying to kill Palpatine, do you think at that moment she believed him 100% without a doubt?

Later on when she was in the Senate watching Palpatine's speech when he re-organized the Republic into the Galactic Empire, she tells Bail Organa "So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause."

When Obi-Wan goes to her asking where Anakin was, she obviously lied at first saying she didn't know, even though Anakin had told her he was going to Mustafar. After Obi-Wan told her the truth about Anakin turning to the dark side, killing the younglings, and Palpatine being the mastermind behind the Clone Wars, she still didn't want to believe him.

Even though I thought it looked like she didn't believe Anakin about the Jedi taking over the Republic based on what she said to Bail, was it her love for him why she didn't want to believe what Obi-Wan told her?

 

No. She had doubts and knew for certain when Obi-Wan showed up.

 

Well, would you want to believe that the love of your life had just helped their equivalent of Hitler take over the galaxy and commence wholesale genocide against an entire group of people -- personally??

Would you want to believe that the love of your life, someone whom you thought would never do something like this -- that while imperfect and having several issues, would never turn their back on everything they fought for, everything they stood for -- did exactly this? Exactly the thing they would never do?

I think her response, "From the Sith?" is telling. It's probably her vain hope that maybe, somehow, Anakin was possessed* by the Sith and has no idea what he's doing and thus can be saved. Maybe he doesn't understand what's really happening?

* Like some Sith power took over his mind and body, let's say.

She'd believe anything, anything other than what Obi-Wan tells her -- That Anakin Skywalker did this 100% of his own volition. It isn't until she actually meets Anakin again that her worst fears are confirmed.

My speculation/half-baked theory is that maybe she'd have been more willing to help Obi-Wan if the latter didn't imply that yes, he was going to have to kill Anakin.

 

That makes me wonder what would have happened on Mustafar between Anakin and Padme, if Obi-Wan didn't sneak on board her ship?

When Anakin was telling her how they could both rule the galaxy and he could overthrow Palpatine, I thought he was in control of his thoughts and emotions. It wasn't until he see's Obi-Wan when he accuses Padme of brining him there to kill him, and he starts to force choke her.

 

He was still capable of hurting her because she mentioned Obi-Wan. It was the very idea that she was rejecting and everything that he did for her that was driving him to the point of lashing out. Seeing him just sped it up.

 

Good points! I think Padme was definitely skeptical when Anakin told her about the Jedi wanting to take over, but she didn't want to doubt him entirely. And yeah, her love for Anakin probably played a big role in her not wanting to believe Obi-Wan's truth about Anakin's fall to the dark side. She was in denial, hoping that the person she loved wasn't capable of such evil.

 

I think part of her didn't want to believe Palpatine when he said how the Jedi tried to overthrow the Senate, since she tells Bail "So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause " after he created the Galactic Empire.

However, maybe on some level she wanted to believe it after Obi-Wan comes to see her, since she lied by telling him not knowing that Anakin went to Mustafar.

 

It's basically her worst nightmare come true on every level.

A long time ally in the Chancellor becomes dictator, and she must realize a large part of that is her decision to make a vote of no confidence.

Anakin turns his back on both Jedi and Democracy. Not to mention killing children.

One might argue that she should have known because of The Sand People massacre, but that was an act of passion after his mother died. The slaughter of the younglings here is completely emotionless and knowingly wrong all in HER name.

Now the Jedi and Democracy are both done for and she has little avenue to improve things.

I prefer the head canon that Palps absorbed her life force to keep Anakin alive because I feel like she would have stayed alive for her kids despite the circumstances normally.

 

I don't think Padme should feel bad about doing that, because she was trying to help Naboo.

Let's not forget that Palpatine had also manipulated Anakin who was a Jedi Knight, into becoming a Sith and joining the dark side.

So, if Palpatine was able to manipulate Anakin, that's why I don't blame Padme when she was also manipulated by him.

 

She may have wanted to. She certainly seemed conflicted.
The fact that she didn't phone the police the moment Obi-wan showed up at her apartment indicates to me she knew things didn't add up and he trusted her old friend.
But as is often the case in real life when loved one's come to blows sometimes a person's natural instinct is to avoid taking sides at all. It just wasn't possible in the end.

 

Wouldn't the Police on Coruscant and across the galaxy be the Jedi, where the majority were just killed due to Order 66.

 

Uh, no.



Plus the Clone Shock troopers have been shown working with the police as well from time to time.

 

...Why would Padme call the police that one of her dear friends decided to drop by to check on her?

Coruscant Police: "1138 Emergency Operator, what is your emergency?"
Padme Amidala: "Hey, um, one of my best friends decided to drop by to see how I was after...well, the carnage I witnessed at the Temple."
Coruscant Police: "Is he a filthy traitor Jedi?"
Padme Amidala: "Ummm.... no?"
Coruscant Police: "Is he harming you in any way?"
Padme Amidala: "No, he's just standing there, perplexed."
Coruscant Police: "...Never call us again."

 

I mean that's my point.

She was skeptical enough about Anakin's claims that she still trusted Obi-Wan as an old friend.

 

I am not saying she has any reasonable way to say it was actually her fault, but I don't think that would stop the arc from forming in your mind. "That was the first step... It was a con all along." I think I would blame myself in her shoes, however irrational that may be.

 

It's how the British officer who could've killed Hitler during WWI (they both met during a battle, but he didn't know who the German soldier was at the time) kind of blamed himself for what happened even though realistically, there was no way he could've known.

People do blame themselves for things outside their control.

 

I have to say - one of my biggest problems with the PT is - Padme didn't seem to give a ****.

 

Padme was in love with Anakin, so of course she was going to believe Anakin.

 

I think her immediate emotional response was denial, because she was so in love with Anakin...but in her mind, she feared there was at least some possibility Obi-Wan was telling her the truth. And when her husband's new behavior on Mustafar confirmed her suspicions, she struggled with her choice to leave him. That's why instead of just blatantly calling him names or getting right back in her ship, she said "You're breaking my heart! You're going down a path I can't follow!" And in a desperate plea to reach his better nature, she begged him outright to return with her, and practically screamed that she loved him...only for Anakin to see Obi-Wan and immediately holler back, "Liar! You're with him! You brought him here to kill me!"

 

this. She wants to believe Anakin but also wants to believe Obi-wan. And my take on it is she feels like she’s being gaslit by both to a certain degree so she decides to go to Anakin directly, confront him and in her last moments of desperation beg him to go with her hoping that her love and their child would bring him back from where he was.

 

remember a perfectly healthy sign of an angry human being is to slaughter men, women and children

psych 101 with Padme Naberrie