Why I think Padmé didn't "run" in Episode II

Started by KommissarReb, July 16, 2019, 10:56:46 AM

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I need to vent about something.

I've noticed a lot of people whining that Padmé didn't "run" from Anakin in Episode II after he told her that he slaughtered a whole Tusken Raider camp indiscriminately. They try to draw parallels between that scene and her reaction to him killing jedi initiates (younglings) in Episode III shortly after becoming Darth Vader.

Why haven't these people considered the fact that those jedi younglings were "good" as in they are on her side and will grow up to be helpful librarians, custodians, frontline support troops, and guardians, as opposed to the Tusken Raider children which are just going to grow up to be terrorists like the adult Sandpeople? Has it ever occurred to these critics that maybe Padmé isn't going to cry over the fact that the guy she's dating just chalked off a whole clan of "enemy combatants" that were good for nothing but killing potential taxpayers? I'm just surprised she didn't go on to tell them that the Separatist Council secretly orchestrated his mom getting kidnapped so he'd go and "end the war" (even though those of us who know how the story ends we know that'd be useless).

Actually, this reminds me of a scene from Babylon 5:
Quote
Mr. Morden: "Ambassador. You wanted to see me."
Londo Mollari: "Yes! What have you done?!"
Mr. Morden: "Only what you asked me to do. You had a problem with Quadrant 37, we took care of it for you."
Londo Mollari: "Yes, but you killed ten thousand Narn!"
Mr. Morden: "I didn't know you cared. Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million, what's the difference? They're Narn, Ambassador, your sworn enemy."

-- Ambassadors Morden and Londo in Babylon 5:"Chrysalis"
Maybe part of the problem is Padmé fooled the audience in thinking she's more innocent and naïve than she actually is.
In the Soviet Army, it takes more courage to retreat than advance.

Padme is usually portrayed as a thoughtful caring person that values life (established when she is upset over her double being assassinated, fear for the welfare of citizens in TPM).
It may be argued that she ought have had a stronger reaction to the murder of tusken raider innocents, regardless of their limited social prospects.

Further, Padme is a rather liberal minded politician / monarch and would sooner strive to improve the lives of fringe communities such as the tusken raiders than have them executed for their actions.

Also I hate being a pedant, but Tatooine isn't in the Republic, so the raiders aren't killing her potential tax payers.

The flippant answer is that George Lucas is bad at dialogue / script writing and botched Padme's reaction
(indeed Padme is given little reason to like Anakin considering he is largely portrayed as a creepy and frustrated with a poltical perspective completely different to Padme's).