As tantalizing as the idea of Natalie Portman returning to “Star Wars” as Padmé Amidala sounds, finding a seamless way to make it work might be difficult, considering that the character is canonically dead within the series. Following a series of dark visions by Anakin throughout “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith,” the queen-turned-senator dies while giving birth to Luke and Leia at the end of the film.
Recent “Star Wars” media has been no stranger to resurrecting characters once presumed dead. The end of 2018’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story” revealed that Darth Maul (Ray Park) survived getting cut in half at the end of “The Phantom Menace,” while 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker” saw Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) make a comeback despite being taken out in “Return of the Jedi.” This approach will require some stretching of the imagination, but if enough thought is put in to not undermine her death in “Revenge of the Sith,” audiences could accept it.
Alternatively, delving deeper into Padmé’s origins could soothe many of these issues. Just as shows such as “Obi-Wan Kenobi” explore bits and pieces of Obi-Wan and Anakin’s time in between the prequel and original trilogies, it’d be fun to traverse different moments within Padmé’s life. Some de-aging work would have to be involved, but it makes for the most believable and viable option.
