Star Wars books and comics in the current storytelling universe have explored the backgrounds of a number of characters, major and secondary, but one in particular hasn’t received enough attention: Padmé Amidala Naberrie. The queen, senator, and fighter is an intelligent leader and skilled politician. She deserves more attention, and she’ll be getting that in an upcoming Star Wars young adult novel.
Jedi-Bibliothek (via Making Star Wars) shared a look ahead at Star Wars titles coming in the first half of 2018, courtesy of German publisher Panini, and the list includes a Padmé Amidala focused YA book from an unnamed author. This title hasn’t been confirmed, but Jedi-Bibliothek has been on the money with their discoveries before.
We don’t have any details about the potential setting, but I hope it’s between the events of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Some of Padmé’s activities between Episodes II and III were documented in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, so I’d rather visit a new era for her. Maybe even the time before she became Queen Amidala. The story of Naboo’s monarchy, Padmé’s training, and even the ins and outs of House Naberrie has all kinds of potential. This is a character worthy of a story, and given that we’ve already seen YA novels focused on Leia and Jyn Erso, Padmé’s a natural next step.
And before you say anything, don’t knock the fact that it’s a YA novel. Most of the YA stories released so far–Lost Stars, Rebel Rising, Leia: Princess of Alderaan–are among the best in canon.
What would you want to see in a Padmé Amidala novel? Would you prefer it to be set in between Episodes I and II or earlier on the timeline? Make your ruling in the comments.
Images: Lucasfilm
Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. She likes Star Wars a little. Follow her on Twitter.
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