Queen Padmé Amidala displays wisdom beyond her years in her Star Wars debut, 1999’s Episode I: The Phantom Menace. But just how old is Padmé in The Phantom Menace?
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Padmé Amidala’s Age in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Explained
Padmé Amidala is 14 in Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace. This is never explicitly stated on screen; all we know is that baddie Darth Sidious considers Padmé “young and naive.” It’s not in George Lucas’ Phantom Menace shooting script, either. So, as with almost every Star Wars character, you’ll need to consult the franchise’s wider canon of licensed media to learn Padmé’s exact age in The Phantom Menace. One such source is 2023 tome Star Wars: Timelines, which pegs Padmé’s birth at 46 BBY – or 46 years before Star Wars: A New Hope‘s Battle of Yavin. As The Phantom Menace takes place in 32 BBY, it’s not hard to reverse engineer Padme’s age in the movie.
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That said, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Padmé is slightly older in The Phantom Menace. Not only does the future Mrs. Darth Vader’s range of ceremonial outfits dramatically age her up, but she also looks more than 14 when dressed down as a handmaiden. There’s a real-world reason for this: Padmé actor Natalie Portman was actually 16 during The Phantom Menace‘s 1997 shoot. By contrast, Portman’s quasi-love interest in The Phantom Menace, Jake Lloyd, was a year younger than his character, nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker. So, if the (relatively innocent) scenes between Portman and Lloyd make you uneasy, their eight-year age gap is probably why!
How Old is Padmé Amidala in Other Star Wars Media?
That’s Padmé Amidala’s age in The Phantom Menace covered – but what about her appearances in other Star Wars movies and TV shows? Here’s a breakdown of how old the one-time queen is every time she shows up on the big or small screen:
- Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace – 14
- Star Wars – Episode II: Attack of the Clones – 24
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars Seasons 1-7 – 24-27
- Star Wars – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – 27
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Interestingly, prior to the prequels’ release, Star Wars continuity indicated that Padmé was older than 27 when she died. While Revenge of the Sith depicts her dying in 19 BBY moments after giving birth to Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, Return of the Jedi strongly implies she lived long enough for Leia to remember her vaguely. This would presumably mean she survived another two or three years, dying at around 30. That’s not how events ultimately played out, though, and Lucasfilm still hasn’t definitely explained Leia’s memories of Padmé.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is currently streaming on Disney+, as part of the platform’s Star Wars collection.
Published: May 21, 2024 07:13 am