PT Why does Sabé tell Padme to clean R2?

I'm having(or going to try to have) a PT marathon today(and planning a OT one tomorrow). This question crossed my mind watching Ep1.

Why does Sabé(the decoy queen, bodyguard, and handmaiden) tell Padme(the real queen disguised as a handmaiden) to clean R2? Especially considering there are other handmaidens there. Padme is humble enough not to argue, nor feel ill will about it, but still.

I know storywise, they're trying to introduce Padme as a major character, without revealing she was really the queen, but in story, seems odd.

 

Well it would make the act more real.

 

I vaguely remember this being brought up in the Star Wars Episode I Journal: Padme book. I haven't got it (only read it once) but I think Padme thought Sabe was taking advantage of the opportunity to keep her from getting above herself- a queen can easily get arrogant, and taking the handmaiden role now and then (including doing appropriate chores) prevents this from becoming a problem.

 

That sounds pretty good(and glad they covered an explanation for it then). Thanks

 

If someone else has the book, maybe they can confirm or refute my rather hazy memory of it.

 

Sabe is the evil one!

 

I always took it as playful in a way, that they are friends. Only a friend could really get away with that. I kind of liked it.

 

That's an equally good explanation- and the EU does say they are friends, not just monarch and subject.

 

Padme always struck me as the type who would encourage this. She doesn't come across as being above "menial" duties that allow her to interact with common people.

 

I always thought that was just a ploy to get Padmé into her line of sight to see if she objected to anything Qui-Gon said. After all, as they are leaving Naboo, the decoy Queen turns to Padmé before making a decision about leaving and says "either choice presents great danger." In the scene with R2, Qui-Gon is describing how he wants to land on Tatooine so I was under the impression that Sabé would want to see if Padmé objected.

 

All well and good till she gets told to go and clean the crapper.

 

They needed Padme to run along as a handmaiden on Tatooine. Gotta keep that cover intact. Having Padme play droid cleaner before they land makes it mildly more plausible that she would be one of the random lowly handmaidens to have to tag along with Qui-Gon. She just cleaned the droid after all, kind of her job to do what the "Queen" wants her to do.

 

I think that Padme was calling the shots from behind the curtain. Kind of like how the "Queen" wished for Padme to explore the planet of Tatooine. Padme wanted to be involved in what was going on, so I feel that she wanted to give a personal thanks to R2 by cleaning him and have a personal experience with Tatooine by traveling with Qui Gon and Jar Jar.

 

It was just too good of a opportunity to pass up Sabe was probably banking on Padme being a good sport about it and their friendship so that she doesn't lose her job.

 

I have thought that it was simply to get Padme into her line of sight so Padme could give her signals as to what to do. You will note that when Panaka says that he didn't agree he turn so that he could look at Padme as well.

 

I'd forgotten about the E1 Journal explanation, but I've always thought Sabe's order was made in order to keep Padme's deception going in from of the Jedi as as part of security protocol (although it's clear that Qui-Gon wasn't fooled and knew exactly what was going on the entire time, Padme would've had no way of knowing that).

 

Because Lucas needed a way to confirm it is indeed R2-D2. And queens frequently thank inanimate droids minutes after 85% of them are blown to bits repairing the ship.

Or Sabe is seeing how far she can push the whole queen thing... "When I'm queen, I'm going to make you scrub toilets! Heeeheeeheee!"

 

I agree with SweetZombieJesus.... Sabe was just having fun being the 'queen'.

 

It sells the deception, I suppose.

 

Both of these work - I also thought it was kind of a way of honouring Artoo even more, by having the Queen herself clean him. He didn't know (or necessarily care, being a droid), but virtually everyone else did. It was a gesture as much for the benefit of those who were grateful as Artoo himself.

 

I never understood this move by Sabé. I haven't seen TPM in a long time, but don't they formulate their plans while Padmé is cleaning Artoo? This must have been Sabé's scheme for a coup d'état.

I also don't see why they are thanking Artoo, apart from the fact the viewers know him from the Original Trilogy. Except for Anakin and later Luke, no one in the Star Wars universe seems to care that much about droids.

 

She did it for the lols.

 

Which is what happens in The Dictator -- the real guy is (apparently) assassinated and the body double stooge takes his place.

 

Padmé, like her future daughter, never minded getting her hands dirty.