# Does Padme ruin Star Wars continuity/story? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571 "2009-07-20T00:12:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/21 "2009-07-20T16:46:26Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > I’ve always been more amused by the people who can’t imagine the concept of an elected Monarch. Hell, half the kings in history were elected (usually informally). The elected part doesn’t bother me - the 14 year old part does. However Leia is a 18 year old Senator in Part IV, so it probably all stems from Lucas’ teen age power fantasies. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/22 "2009-07-20T16:47:25Z")
Maybe the founders of Naboo’s government were a bunch of pedos. See if the elected ruler is a 14 year old girl, it’s alright to screw them. Padme herself did some cradle loving. > [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Cute, furry, living teddy bears…that are cannibals! Han Solo’s a Ewok? ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/23 "2009-07-20T17:01:52Z")
I’d actually argue there’s a lot of really creat character work in Attack of the Clones between Padme and Anakin. It’s best if you imagine that both of them are emotionally developmentally delayed… because honestly they probably are (child politician/warrior monk). If you watch their scenes and imagine them being 13 or 14, it actually works a lot better. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/24 "2009-07-20T17:07:42Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > And near the top of that list is Jar Jar Binks. The worst thing that Lucas ever did with Star Wars can be encapsulated into three words: Han Shot First The cynical “this is what I really wanted to do in the first place” retconning nearly destroyed it for me. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/25 "2009-07-20T17:57:19Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > …what with being dead and all… Considering the performance Portman gave, this would not have been a significant disability. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/26 "2009-07-20T18:27:35Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > It’s often remarked that Padme and Anakin’s portrayal in the animated **Clone Wars** cartoons is superior to the actual actors’ performance. I actually think the show is better than all the prequels. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/27 "2009-07-20T18:39:21Z")
> [@Annie](#): > > Someone had to birth them twins. Why? It was established that nobody had to father Anakin. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/28 "2009-07-20T18:58:59Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > The general consensus is that _George Lucas_ ruined the Star Wars continuity/story. Padme is probably like 117th on the list of things he did to mess things up. #1 on the list, of course, is why the hell R2-D2 and C3PO don’t recognise the names “Luke Skywalker” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” when they spent a year (or 15-ish, in R2-D2’s case) trucking across the galaxy with Obi-Wan and were there when Luke was born. > [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > I’ve always been more amused by the people who can’t imagine the concept of an elected Monarch. Hell, half the kings in history were elected (usually informally). Yes, but they weren’t teenage girls, and they were elected for life terms. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/29 "2009-07-20T19:30:34Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > The elected part doesn’t bother me - the 14 year old part does. However Leia is a 18 year old Senator in Part IV, so it probably all stems from Lucas’ teen age power fantasies. It’s definitely a Lucas thing. Remember that in the story meetings for Raiders of the Lost ark, Indy was supposed to have raped Marion when she was 12. Suddenly his alienation from his old professor becomes more understandable. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/30 "2009-07-20T19:37:06Z")
> [@](#): > > The elected part doesn’t bother me - the 14 year old part does. However Leia is a 18 year old Senator in Part IV, so it probably all stems from Lucas’ teen age power fantasies. Well, originally, she was 16. She wasn’t 18 in the first one until retroactively, when she turned out to be Luke’s twin. > [@](#): > > #1 on the list, of course, is why the hell R2-D2 and C3PO don’t recognise the names “Luke Skywalker” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” when they spent a year (or 15-ish, in R2-D2’s case) trucking across the galaxy with Obi-Wan and were there when Luke was born. C3PO’s memory was wiped at the end of _Revenge of the Sith_, as you’ll recall. As for Artoo, he just had the sense to know when to keep his piezoelectric buzzer shut. ---
**Author:** ![2ply](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/b2d939/32.png) [@2ply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2ply)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/31 "2009-07-20T19:48:54Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > I’ve always been more amused by the people who can’t imagine the concept of an elected Monarch. Hell, half the kings in history were elected (usually informally). Yeah, but when monarchs are elected, it’s only other nobles who vote, and it’s for life. Having a popular election with a set term doesn’t make any sense and I have a feeling that was added in after Episode I for Lucas’ clumsy Iraq War analogy in Episode III. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/32 "2009-07-20T20:09:47Z")
Wait, Amidala was 14? I thought she was 17? CRAP! Now something I thought was preposterous has been made preposterous[sup]2[/sup]. **Max the Immortal** said: > [@](#): > > The general consensus is that _George Lucas_ ruined the Star Wars continuity/story. Padme is probably like 117th on the list of things he did to mess things up. WIN!!! **Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor** said: > [@](#): > > Cute, furry, living teddy bears…that are cannibals! Where did Ewoks eat other Ewoks? **smiling bandit** said: > [@](#): > > I’ve always been more amused by the people who can’t imagine the concept of an elected Monarch. Hell, half the kings in history were elected (usually informally). **Really Not All That Bright** said: > [@](#): > > Yes, but they weren’t teenage girls, and they were elected for life terms. And the title was hereditary afterwards. The election was only a stopgap to get over some crisis preventing the hereditary path to proceed. **2ply** said: > [@](#): > > Yeah, but when monarchs are elected, it’s only other nobles who vote, and it’s for life. Having a popular election with a set term doesn’t make any sense and I have a feeling that was added in after Episode I for Lucas’ clumsy Iraq War analogy in Episode III. I suspect this is more of a situation where Lucas was trying to retcon the mess he had already created. See, originally there was an Empire, so it made sense to have princes and princesses and such. But then eventually he wanted there to be an older Republic, and democracy. But that chokes on the notion of hereditary monarchy, so he tried to create a hybrid whereby he could have his monarchy and his Republic. Ergo, electing queens for set terms. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/33 "2009-07-20T20:21:47Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > …what with being dead and all… Body double for the end scene? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/34 "2009-07-20T20:27:15Z")
Padme doesn’t ruin Star Wars continuity. The PREQUELS ruin Star Wars continuity. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/35 "2009-07-20T20:44:11Z")
> [@Johnny\_Q](#): > > It’s definitely a Lucas thing. Remember that in the story meetings for Raiders of the Lost ark, Indy was supposed to have raped Marion when she was 12. Suddenly his alienation from his old professor becomes more understandable. Really? :eek: Now that I’ve never heard - not that I’m complaining about it. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/36 "2009-07-20T20:55:44Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Where did Ewoks eat other Ewoks? I think he meant that Ewoks eat humans–where else did they get a dress Leia’s size so quickly except from a previous victim? I’m sure there must have been some very mixed feelings about our heroes arriving since (a) they did get to meet their God incarnate (though did he have to be so gay?), while (b) they lost out on a huge feast of not only the girl human but her friends, too. > [@Tanbarkie](#): > > Again, the fault here is in Lucas’s writing and directing. Both Portman and Christensen are fine actors in other contexts. Actually, as time continues to pass, this is turning out to be less and less true. I can think of one genuinely good, impressive performance from each of them to date, which leaves a lot of non-SW performances that, while not as abysmal as in the prequels, is certainly nothing to brag about (though Portman has been far more successful in skating on her cute/pixie charm, which is not quite the same thing as good acting). ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/37 "2009-07-20T21:01:52Z")
> [@2ply](#): > > Yeah, but when monarchs are elected, it’s only other nobles who vote, and it’s for life. Having a popular election with a set term doesn’t make any sense and I have a feeling that was added in after Episode I for Lucas’ clumsy Iraq War analogy in Episode III. I agree with your other point, but what you and Irishman said here is defintely not true. It was quite common for the monarchy to be routinely decided not by inheritance law (and most nations never had a clear or respected one if they had one at all) but by political influence. Usually this was limited to members of the ropyal family, but hardly always. Now, as far as the monarchy in Star Wars, that was something I loved about it. Look! It’s a strange foreign political system which doesn’t make sense to us. Well, duh! Most political systems make no sense to an outsider. It’s the nature of politics. Hell, that was the most science-fictiony thing in the entire series! _Sigh_. This is the “Bald Centauri Women” scenario all over again. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/38 "2009-07-20T21:12:41Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Padme doesn’t ruin Star Wars continuity. > > The PREQUELS ruin Star Wars continuity. I don’t think this is entirely fair. Ewan McGregor absolutely _nailed_ Obi-Wan- he had Alec Guinness dead to rights. Just about everything else in the prequels was appalling, but I enjoyed Ewan McGregor’s performance. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/39 "2009-07-20T21:19:46Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > Now, as far as the monarchy in Star Wars, that was something I loved about it. Look! It’s a strange foreign political system which doesn’t make sense to us. Well, duh! Most political systems make no sense to an outsider. It’s the nature of politics. The danger is when you create a foreign (yet familiar-looking) system with words and titles that have specific associations and meanings, and then decide to rest the entire 3-film story on the shoulders of the various machinations and “intrigues” within that political system. That things are different from us and go unexplained is fine with me–but then to be so dependent on the specifics of such a system so as to labor to incorporate them into the story without satisfactorily reconciling these associations and assumptions is simply distracting. He does this everywhere. The Jedi cannot love (oh, but they’re not really monastic, despite their wardrobe). Slavery is bad (oh, but a grateful Republic couldn’t possibly rescure your mommy from such a fate). Clones are…good? Bad? Normal? Frowned upon? Who knows? With all the talk of trade embargoes and votes of No Confidence and heads-of-state stupidly travelling incognito (as themselves?), there’s a persistent insistence on using everyday words or concepts, but throwing them into a new context without ever thinking the premise through as it applies in the SW Universe. ---
**Author:** ![Arglefraster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@Arglefraster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arglefraster)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571/40 "2009-07-20T21:20:19Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > C3PO’s memory was wiped at the end of _Revenge of the Sith_, as you’ll recall. As for Artoo, he just had the sense to know when to keep his piezoelectric buzzer shut. Even before the prequels came out, I though it was pretty clear in episode IV that R2D2 remembered Obi-wan (as opposed to only seeking him out because Leia told him to). After seeing the prequels, I figure R2D2 knew exactly who Luke was (and who his father was) in episode IV as well. He simply chose not to contradict Obi-wan’s story about Vader killing Luke’s father. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-padme-ruin-star-wars-continuity-story/503571.md?page=3)