I've seen a lot of blogs on here lately speculating on how Padme actually died, but very few of them do the topic justice, and almost all of them deal with only one theory. Tonight, I'd like to delve into several theories on how Padme actually died and discuss the pros and cons of each theory in turn. Did she die of a broken heart? Did Anakin actually cause her to die? Was it somehow part of Palpatine's plot? I think we can answer all of these with a little logical thinking...

Let's begin with the theory that is most supported: Padme died of a broken heart.

Many of the people who doubt this state that she cared deeply about her children and never would have willingly died while they still had a chance to live. But let's look at exactly what happened to her- she was basically betrayed by a man she thought the world of. To her eyes, Anakin was a war hero, someone who cared deeply for others and wanted the best for everyone. To her, he was the man that was going to make the galaxy a better place and someday he would show the council why love should be allowed for Jedi and together the two of them would travel the universe helping people.

She never saw the events that led Anakin to the darkside. So when she found out she couldn't believe it- and she was led to Mustafar where she saw it for herself- the love of her life and the man of her dreams cared only for his own power, beyond the point of even listening to her. Having fallen to the darkside, the hero of her life suddenly became the villain and the respect she had for him suddenly turned to a belief in his power. As he threw her to the ground, she probably believed fully that he could and would come to rule the universe. That's simply what she knew Anakin as- someone who could achieve anything. So why would she want to bring her kids into a world where democracy was forgotten and a single man ruled with an iron fist? A world where they would be instantly corrupted by power? Her dreams were shattered, and the future of her children was not anything she had ever wanted. By dying, perhaps she believed she was doing them a favor, escaping a world in which she could not live with the man who meant everything to her. She could not betray Anakin, and yet what he wanted was against everything she believed in.

So could she have died from a broken heart? I definately believe so. It works story wise, and it has that romantic flare that Lucas seems to enjoy.

So let's move on to the next theory I've been hearing a lot about: Palpatine killed Padme.

I've read a lot of things to support this- It would be in Palpatine's best interest to kill Padme because she was the only one Anakin was loyal to aside from him. The kids, if born, would be a threat to Palpatine's power. She was a strong and well known supporter of democracy and would have been instant and direct oppostion for Palpatine's new empire. So obviously, Palpatine would have had a motive. So the tough part of this theory would be the execution (no pun intended).

I've read a few things about him possibly using a "force drain" but I find this extremely unlikely. The force drain has existed only in the SW videogames and is found no where else in the saga. In addition to this, of all the force powers we have seen, there has been nothing that directly effects either life or death. Lightning can injure, but it doesn't directly kill. Plus, Palpatine was nowhere near Padme at the time of her death. So if he did have some kind of force drain, then he could have used it on anyone at any time, destroying the necessity for many of his schemes. Personally, I believe in the force as a spiritual energy, and much like God, I think Lucas has purposefully designed the force to be the only thing with direct power over life and death.

So perhaps Palpatine killed her some other way. After all, he did know of her death without ever seeing her die or dead. Maybe he poisoned her over time, or used a more physical aspect of the force against her. Again, while I suppose this is possible, I find it very unlikely. It's just not Palpatine's style to get his hands that much into things, and I don't believe he would have felt it necessary enough to do it in this manner. I think he would have been more likely to attempt to use Padme and her kids to his advantage later.

So, personally I don't think that Palpatine killed her directly. I'm more prone to believe that, like the Jedi, Palpatine can see glimpses of the future through the force, and his foresight was not "clouded by the darkside". Thus, he could see possible futures and did what he could to direct the present in one way or another, and he could keep an eye on Padme much the same way that Yoda later "kept an eye" on Luke, thus knowing when she died.

So could Palpatine have killed her? I find it unlikely, though he may have directed things in that direction.

And with that, I'm going to wrap up for tonight. This blog has gone on a lot longer than I thought it would, and I have now covered half of the theories I wanted to cover. Tomorrow night I'll finish this off with "Killing Padme pt. 2" and delve into the theories that the force itself may have taken Padme's life and that it could have actually been Anakin's violent actions. There's a pretty cool conclusion to all of this, so I hope you'll all be back to check it out!

Part two is now online! Check it out here!