From Attack of the Clones (2002). Image via Lucasfilm/Disney.
19. Padmé Amidala
Padmé could be a really great character. We say could because she could have been used a lot better than she was in the prequel trilogy.
Just watching the mainline films does not really make a great case for Padmé and Anakin Skywalker’s relationship. “I hate sand,” anyone? Is that something you’d say to your romantic partner of choice? Would you then follow it up with a pretty clumsy attempt to talk about how smooth this other person’s skin is? (It’s not something we would say, and it, in fact, makes us cringe.)
That’s one of the things we’d like to see in a spinoff featuring Padmé: better dialogue that actually presents the relationship as believable in some way, shape, or form, before they get married. Thus, we’re excluding what was already shown in The Clone Wars, since it comes after the wedding.
Alternatively, we wouldn’t say no to a political thriller with Senator Amidala at the heart of events. Her job mostly seems to be there to give her some meetings to go to and some speeches. We’re told she’s a great politician. We’d like to see more of that. Of course, this isn’t asking for something like House of Cards, just in space, but something that at least embraces a similar genre while still being engaging.