Theory: Anakin Subconsciously Took Padme's Life Force, Facilitated By Padme's Will To Help Him
Credit: Ludovic Bourgeois
The ending of Revenge of the Sith tugged at our heartstrings on a certain level. Some of us sympathized with Anakin Skywalker when he discovered that, after all the sinister things he had done in the name of saving the love of his life from certain death, he was the ultimate cause for her death. Some of us young ones might have laughed at the emotional “No” uttered by the black armor-clad Darth Vader back when the movie first released in 2005. As an adult today, with slightly more experience, we can now understand his pain a little bit better. Today’s discussion is not about the pain he experienced, though. We will be looking at a theory concerning how Padme’s life force helped heal Anakin, thus causing her death.
Many theories have come out in regards to Padme dying despite the medical droid insisting that she was medically and physically healthy. She appeared to have “lost the will to live.” The most common theory states that perhaps Palpatine used Padme’s life force to heal the barely alive Anakin. Evidence In support of this theory includes how Padme appeared to die right when Anakin/Darth Vader’s life-saving procedure was over. Palpatine claimed to have learned the secret of life from Darth Plagueis, although we have yet to discover the specifics. His strong connection to the Dark Side of the Force allowed him to shroud the Jedi’s view of the Force. He was even able to sense Anakin’s anguish on Mustafar. Thus, it was not completely out of the question for him to affect Padme through the Force.
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Furthermore, how was Palpatine aware of Padme’s status right at that exact moment? The two were far away from her location. As seen in later films, their lack of knowledge of the birth of the twins showed that they did not receive news of everything that went on with Padme, and that they had only sensed her death through the Force. Piecing all of these clues together, the conclusion was that Palpatine had channeled Padme’s life force to heal Anakin, thus resulting in her death. This would not be unlike what Kylo Ren/Ben Solo and Rey were doing in The Rise of Skywalker. (I have to admit the life force going back and forth between the two was a little amusing.)
Building on this original theory, u/Nightmare2828 brought up a point that we might not have thought of before: it was not Palpatine siphoning Padme’s life force to use on Anakin after all. Maybe Anakin was subconsciously doing it, facilitated by Padme’s will to save him. As demonstrated in The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo and Rey were able to heal each other due to their connection as a Force dyad. It appears that a very strong connection in the Force is required for such transfer of life force between individuals, especially across great distances.
Going back to the theory mentioned above, there is no connection between Palpatine and Padme. Even after he became Supreme Chancellor, and she stepped up to become senator of Naboo, they did not seem to be very close. Their relationship can probably be described as colleagues at best, if not just politician acquaintances.
On the other hand, who had a strong bond with Padme? u/Nightmare2828 further pointed out that through this strong emotional bond, Anakin was subconsciously pulling Padme’s life force in order to stay alive. At this moment, he was deep in the Dark Side of the Force. His anger and rage kept him fighting through the painful procedures Palpatine put him through in an effort to keep him alive. As with the selfish nature of the Dark Side of the Force, it did not care where the power came from. Through his connection to Padme, Anakin must have subconsciously sensed the metaphorical rope hanging above him, and the hungry Dark Side of the Force grabbed it without hesitation, and kept pulling on it.
Despite Anakin choking her on Mustafar, Padme still believed that there was good inside of him. When the Dark Side of the Force demanded it, she gladly offered her life force to him. Her love for Anakin, and the tiny glimmer of hope she felt for his redemption, further facilitated the transfer across great distances. It was not that Palpatine actively forced the process. The only thing he did was set the medical team on repairing Anakin’s injuries, and tortuously keep him awake through it. The transfer of life force happened subconsciously through the bond between the two.
There was probably a connection between Padme’s death and Anakin’s healing. Why else would Lucas show both scenes simultaneously in Revenge of the Sith? Was it just a poetic representation of what was happening? This particular theory is another unique angle to look at the particular scene. Maybe future Star Wars works will tell us more.
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