Star Wars: How Old Padm Is Compared To Anakin In The Prequels

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Star Wars

Episode II - Attack of the Clones set against a background of stars

The relationship between Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker is essential to Star Wars, but they had a bit of an age difference during the prequel trilogy. While audiences were already familiar with Anakin before the prequels came out, George Lucas' second Star Wars trilogy introduced everyone to his childhood crush and future wife, Padmé Amidala, played by Natalie Portman in all three Star Wars prequel films. One of the things audiences noticed was that Padmé's age and Anakin's age were largely different, but a romance bloomed nonetheless.

The Queen of Naboo first met Anakin during a trip to Tatooine, and it didn't take long for Anakin to become enchanted by her. This crush didn't stop there, as Anakin was still infatuated with Padmé when they crossed paths again a decade later. Padmé and Anakin's tragic love story is at the heart of the prequels, even if the execution of the arc and the chemistry between Portman and Hayden Christensen didn't always work, and many aspects of Padmé's character made no sense. But, one aspect of the relationship that is often discussed is how old Padmé is compared to Anakin.

How Old Is Padmé Compared To Anakin In The Prequels?

Padmé was born in 46 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin) and Anakin's miraculous Force-created birth came in 41 BBY, so Padmé was five years older than him. They did not meet until Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, which took place in 32 BBY. This makes Padmé 14 years old during the events of the movie, while Anakin Skywalker was just nine years old. At this stage, Anakin's crush on the girl he thought was an angel was rather harmless and not reciprocated by Padmé.

Anakin and Padmé were reunited a decade later in 22 BBY during Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. This time jump made Padmé a very mature 24 years old, while Anakin was still a Jedi Padawan and teenager at the age of 19. They were married by the end of the movie, forcing them to spend the next three years loving each other secretly, until Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. When the prequels picked up with their story in 19 BBY, Padmé was 27 years old, while Anakin was 22 years of age.

Padmé & Anakin Significant Events

Date

Padmé's birth	46 BBY
Anakin's birth	41 BBY
Padmé and Anakin meet	32 BBY
Padmé and Anakin's wedding	22 BBY
Padmé's death	19 BBY

How Old Were Padmé and Anakin When They Got Married?

At the end of Attack of the Clones, Anakin and Padmé escaped from Geonosis courtesy of a Jedi strike team and the Grand Army of the Republic. While the Jedi High Council believed that Anakin was only escorting the Queen back to her home, the two were actually getting married at Varykino, a lake retreat on Naboo. Given that the events of Attack of the Clones happened in 22 BBY, Padmé's age was 24, and Anakin's age was 19 at the time of their marriage. While Skywalker was on his way to the Dark Side, Palpatine's promise to save Amidala from death was ultimately what swayed him.

How Old Was Padmé When She Died In Revenge Of The Sith?

Padme laying in her coffin in Revenge of the Sith

The age difference between Anakin and Padmé was ultimately immaterial, given that Padmé's death at the end of the Star Wars prequels brought an end to her story at just 27 years old. She spent her final moments giving birth to Luke and Leia before losing the will to live. Anakin thought learning about the Dark Side could help save Padmé, but his turn ultimately proved to be what caused her to give up on life.

Padme looking concerned in the center, with her in her casket to the left and crying to the right in a combined image

19 Years After Revenge Of The Sith, I'm Still Convinced Padme's Death Was A Big Mistake

While Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is an excellent movie, the manner of Padme's death was nevertheless a major mistake in Star Wars.

Padmé's death at the end of Revenge of the Sith caused quite a bit of controversy following the film. According to the movie, she died of a broken heart after finding that Anakin had made his full transformation into a Sith. So, despite being medically healthy, she dies because she "loses the will to live." Padmé's death may have been necessary for the Star Wars prequels, but how she died seems like an unfortunate misstep in the plot.

How Old Would Padmé Have Been In The Star Wars Original Trilogy?

If Padmé had survived to see her children grow up during the Dark Times and into the Age of Rebellion, she would have been 46 years old when the 19-year-old Luke Skywalker took down the Death Star with the help of Leia Organa and Han Solo. There's no doubt that Padmé would have been an active part of this effort, with a deleted scene from Revenge of the Sith having shown how Padmé was one of the senators to form what would eventually become the Rebel Alliance. Senators such as Bail Organa and Mon Mothma were also present.

Revenge Of The Sith's Padme Deleted Scene Is Officially The Birth Of The Rebellion

A deleted Revenge of the Sith scene featuring Padmé Amidala was officially canonized as the true Birth of the Rebellion in the Star Wars timeline.

Padmé would have been 49 when Luke confronted Darth Vader and learned the truth about his father, though if Padmé had been alive, it's likely that Luke would have already known this truth long before. The mother of Luke and Leia would have then been 50 years old when Palpatine was finally defeated, and the Galactic Empire began to crumble. If she were still alive at that time, it's very likely that she would have been a leading figure in the rise of the New Republic, given how much she was respected during her career in the Republic Senate.

Of course, many things would have been different if Padmé had survived to see the events of the original trilogy. She was such an influential character in the Skywalker saga that it's hard to imagine all the things that could have changed should she have survived, most notably Darth Vader himself. Much of his rage and his allegiance to Palpatine had to do with the fact that Padmé had died, and Vader was still clinging to his hope that he could bring her back somehow, or at least take his anger out on the galaxy. Padmé may have changed that.

There's a fair amount of controversy surrounding the age difference between Padmé and Anakin, especially considering how young they were when they first met. Amidala and Skywalker didn't let a five-year age gap slow them down, though, and Anakin was sadly allowed to make up the age difference after Amidala's unfortunate passing. Despite the controversy about their ages, Padmé and Anakin's relationship was one of the most deeply tragic love stories in all of Star Wars.

Star Wars

Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.