Padme'--Force Sensitive or Force Agent?

Originally posted on May 11, 2006

Are you an angel? Anakin to Padme', TMP
Obi-Wan...There's still good in him. I know. There's still... Padme' to Obi-Wan, ROTS

I have been thinking about this topic for a while, especially over the past few days with entries by bloggers such as amidalooine, anakinside1, and Kenobi-fan, who address the forgiveness of Vader and the presence of Padme' with Luke as he confronts Vader in Cloud City and on Endor. Some wonderful ideas and discussions ensued regarding Padme's role in the redemption of Anakin and the saving of the galaxy from the rule of the Sith. These discussions got me to thinking:  Was Padme' Force sensitive or an agent of the Force?

In a way, I believe that she was a little of both. Anakin's first words to Padme' when they met in Watto's junk shop on Tatooine were Are you an angel? It is here that I get the feeling that there is more to Padme' than the "newly elected Queen of Naboo," as Senator Palpatine so eloquently introduces her to the Senate. From the beginning, Anakin senses something in her, something deeper than just another human--a something that will eventually help him regain his soul.

Throughout the PT, I get the impression that Padme' senses things, things she may not be fully aware of why they are there, leading me to believe that she possesses Force sensitivity. In TMP, she finishes Anakin's statement about missing his mother...then goes on to say that she doesn't need the snippet to remember him. She also "knew" where to find the Viceroy during the Battle of Naboo. In AOTC, it was almost as if she knew the ship would be attacked, even as Typho said he was wrong..."I guess there was no danger." Later, she appeared to know there was more to Anakin's dream about his mother than he was telling her...and she knew he would eventualy need her support when they left for Tatooine. During the Battle of Geonosis, she knew that Anakin was in trouble in the hangar...she had to get there right away. It has also been argued that the look on her face during their wedding was one of foreboding--that she knew that this relationship would have dire consequences for both of them...and I agree with this. It may have been a maturity difference between Padme' and Anakin, but I believe that she knew what was to come. In ROTS, she knows Anakin is reaching out to her as they stare across the Coruscant landscape...and that he is troubled by his thoughts of losing her. As she is watching the Temple burn, I believe that she is sensing the horror that is occurring and fears that Anakin may be involved on a deeper level. She cries when 3PO tells her that "the Chancellor's office has indicated that Master Anakin has returned to the Jedi Temple" not out of fear that he has been killed in the fire, but that her worst fear of his involvement has "come true." As she stares out the window of her cruiser after arriving on Mustafar, she appears to be reflecting on the past and the words of Obi-Wan, hoping they are not true--although she knows that Anakin has changed. These are just a few examples of her Force-sensitivity and are by no means meant to be exhaustive.

Padme' could also be an Agent of the Force. She was a strong leader, both as a Queen and as a Senator. She fought hard for her beliefs and stuck by her convictions even if they were in conflict with the majority. She, as a Force-sensitive being, knew that the actions taken by the Senate against the Separatists were going to lead them to war. She fought hard to maintain peace, but eventually saw that war was inevitable and reluctantly agreed to go against her beliefs and convictions and allowed the Chancellor to gain power during the Clone Wars. She, along with approximately 2000 other Senators, believed that the Chancellor had gained too much power and petitioned to have control returned to the Senate. She was a leading force behind the Rebellion and was not afraid to let it be known. She was able to hold onto life long enough for her children to be born and to instill her belief that there was still good in Anakin. Whether this was the result of Force sensitivity or Force agency is up for debate--however, to me, it is a little of both. Following her death, she continued to make her presence known...through her fellow Senators and through her children. She may not have discovered the "secret" of "eternal life" that Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Yoda did; however, her spirit lived through others. As both Kenobi-fan and amidalooine said in their entries...Padme' was with Luke when he confronted Vader in Cloud City and again on the bridge on Endor. Padme' also made herself known through Leia--when she was able to sense Luke in Cloud City and again when Luke asked her about her mother on Endor. Padme' never left Anakin--she was a driving "force" behind his redemption and the destruction of Darth Vader.

Going back to Anakin's first words to Padme', Are you an angel?, the feeling he may have experienced may have been more of her ability to be and agent of the Force rather than her ability to be Force sensitive. However, in her life, Padme' was able to express a role as both a Force-sensitive being and an agent of the Force.

Thoughts? Anyone?
May the Force Be With You