Great new for Star Wars fans who crave more Padme Amidala swag in the form of shirts! I’m not sure why, but Amazon has just dropped six new tshirt and tank designs featuring the Queen of Naboo herself. That’s right, it’s Padme Amidala shirts for whatever you fancy!
Perhaps it reflects a renaissance of the prequel trilogy in general. After all, the Phantom Menace turned 20 years old recently. In addition, there Disney Plus series Kenobi will be out shortly.
Update: Padme was never mentioned by name, but her prescence was certainly felt in the series. Obi-wan talks to Leia about her mother and father, which naturally would make fans think of her.
There is also the most anticipated game of the year, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga which will feature Padme Amidala as a playable figure. Update: the game is very cute, and Padme and Anakin’s stories are told in Lego form.
Padme Amidala is a beloved figure among many Star Wars fans. While some fans despise her for marrying Anakin after he killed the Tusken people, I see it as an example of her complexity. Keep in mind that Padme had grown up living her life for other people. It’s not a healthy state of mind, especially for one so young. At some point, you need to be a bit selfish.
Anakin — or rather her love for Anakin–was something she saw as existing for herself only. She was to afraid to let that go. It’s why I think she chooses to ignore his crimes against Tusken people. She was too afraid to lose the one thing she had that was hers.
But ultimately, Padme did turn out to be right about Anakin Skywalker, just like her son Luke would be. There was good in him after all. Padme was intelligent, warm, and caring. She could see the good in others. But she was human, and flawed too.
For those fans that celebrate and love this complex character, there are at least six new shirts available now feature Padme Amidala. Some have just Padme, other shirts feature her alongside other characters.
By far, my favorite Padme Amidala shirt is the one in the upper left corner.
I believe in the next few weeks, we shall see even more shirts featuring prequel characters such as Anakin Skyalker and Obi-wan Kenobi. In the next weeks, we’ll even get a new prequel-era book by Mike Chen, Star Wars: Brotherhood
I don’t know that Padme Amidala will feature too heavily in this book as Obi-wan and Anakin will. However, it is unlikely that she will not be mentioned. Anakin has been madly in love with Padme for years.
Update: She is definitely in this book. And furthermore, the book is phenomenal. In fact, it’s one of the best Star Wars books of 2022, and one of the best media to feature Padme at all.
You should absolutely read it.
If you are interested in Star Wars shirts featuring a more Anidala theme, check out this post I did for Valentine’s day!