First Saturday of the month means a Shipping Saturday! Hurrah! Just so you know, this is going to be the most hardcore fangirling post yet...

Shipping Saturday: Anakin and Padme/Star Wars

Alexa Mintah

2 Comments

First Saturday of the month means a Shipping Saturday! Hurrah! Just so you know, this is going to be the most hardcore fangirling post yet. So hold on to your keyboards; it’s gonna be a crazy pod-ride.

And 3... 2... 1...

I LOVE STAR WARS!!!!

Seriously, I adore it. It’s my favorite fandom ever. Which is honestly kind of funny, because until I was ten, I didn’t know Star Wars from Star Trek. The only characters I could name were Yoda, Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and Luke Skywalker; and for some reason, I thought Luke turned to the Dark Side.

Yes, I know. I was painfully misinformed.

Then one weekend, my dad got A New Hope from the library. I didn’t plan to watch it, but the next day, I mentioned it to a friend (though, I was actually more interested in the princess movie I’d just picked up). She totally flipped into fangirl mode, attempting to explain the entire story and why it was awesome in all of twenty minutes. I was thoroughly confused, but since she was one of my best friends (and still is), I decided to try it out.

Boy, am I glad I did.

For those of you classic Star Wars lovers, I actually did watch all the old ones before I saw all the new ones, (though I think I did see Phantom between Empire and Return). Still..., don’t hate me, but I like the new trilogy better.

*runs and hides from flying projectiles* *peeks head out a moment later*

If you’re done throwing things, hear me out...

Okay, so I don’t actually have a reason; I just like the prequels better. Not sure why, but I do. 

And yes, I know the great and awesome Han Solo is in the old movies; and yes, I know Anakin’s actors were terrible. Well, I know people said that anyway. I thought they were pretty good. They had weak points here and there, but Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen both did beautifully overall.

Anyways...

I just like the new trilogy better. *shrug* Always have, and always will.

All right, I’m finished with the history of our relationship. Time to fangirl!

Aieee!!!!

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE these two together. They are my favorite fictional couple ever. There’s never been another who should’ve been together more, never been another that I adored so much, and never been another that I am more UPSET ABOUT HOW THEY ENDED.

WHY, LUCAS???!!! WHY?!!!

All right, technically, I know why. I know they’d already made the old movies, so the prequels had to follow that plot but... it just isn’t fair. Why make them so darn lovable then? Why tread all over my freaking feels when she’s just going to die and he’s just going to turn to the Dark Side and kill younglings?

*sighs* It’s just not right.

Admittedly, Anakin and Padme had their problems. They were both impulsive and they did dumb every once in a while. But they loved each other and they were so sweet together. They were the most perfectest... most beautiful...

And... cue the hyperventilation.

Okay. Deep breaths. I told you this would be hardcore fangirling. Perhaps I’ll talk about something else – like individual characters.

Okay.

Anakin is dumb sometimes. I will be the first to admit that. But he’s so adorably reckless and – yes – seriously hot, that until he turned to the Dark Side, you could kind of forgive him for it. Now don’t just stop here, thinking I’m one of those girls who only likes boys for their pretty faces or other aesthetic qualities (I mean, come on, which one of those girls would use a word like aesthetic?), but it is a factor in Anakin’s awesomeness. *shrug* Sorry. That’s just the truth.

However to prove myself not at all shallow but deep as the Marianas Trench, here are some other reasons why I like him:

1. He was a skilled swordsman.

When Anakin would stop and think instead of sprinting thoughtlessly for the unfortunate individual ticking him off, he was actually very good with his lightsaber. Think of such epic fights as Anakin vs Obi-Wan (even though he lost that one); his second conflict with Count Dooku; and any number of battles during The Clone Wars (which I haven’t seen all of, so no spoilers, please). This guy was seriously boss.

2. His Force skills were phenomenal.

I couldn't find one of him using the Force that I liked, but this one's still kind of epic.

We see Anakin’s skill with the Force multiple times, from the podracing at nine-years-old to the original movies where he freaking Force-Chokes a guy through a screen. THROUGH A SCREEN, I TELL YOU. You can’t tell me this man wasn’t powerful.

3. As Anakin, he genuinely cared about people.

Anakin would go to the ends of the Galaxy to protect those he loved, even to help people he didn’t know at all. For a while there, he had a good heart, filled to the brim with care and compassion.

Of course that is why he became Darth Vader in the first place, and inadvertently killed the one he loved most... But until he let that get out of hand, it was one of his best qualities.

Last, but certainly not least, 4. His voice.

Hayden’s voice is nice, and Jake’s was cute as a kid. But none of that compares to James Earl Jones as Darth Vader, delivering lines like, “Apology accepted, Captain Needa,” “I hope so, Admiral, for your sake,” and of course, the much-loved (and misquoted), “I am your father.” His iconic breathing hand-in-hand with that voice made Darth Vader one of the most epic villains ever created.

And I’d just like to point out that you can’t see his face as Darth Vader because he wears that mask all the time.

So there.

Now for Padme.

I always loved her because she wasn’t one of those kick-butt heroines (who are awesome in their own way). But Padme was different. She was a politician. A ruler. A queen. From the age of fourteen (even younger, if you follow the expanded universe), Padme held her own in the Senate, carried herself with regality and poise, and her people loved her for it; they even wanted to revise their constitution so she could stay in office. Now obviously she’s fictional, but seriously, how many politicians (real or imagined) can say that?

None, that’s how many.

So in my opinion, Padme was the perfect heroine: fierce, fearless, and always fighting for what she believed in.

Plus, she was pretty handy with that blaster. After all, a girl’s gotta know how to defend herself.

The only time I didn’t like Padme was at the end of Revenge. Call me heartless, but I thought losing the will to live was a sad way to die, especially for a character like her. Padme always seemed like this super-strong woman; she could stand alone, didn’t truly need anyone. But Ani turns to the Dark Side, and suddenly there’s nothing to live for. Now I totally get being heartbroken (I was too) but how about, I don’t know, LIVING TO BRING HIM BACK????

But I read in the expanded universe that she actually died because Anakin crushed her larynx. So I’m going with that explanation.

As for other characters, I can’t talk about everyone, so let’s just go over my favorites:

Everyone knows Obi-Wan was amazing. He was one of only four characters to appear in every movie, was as good at fighting and as skilled with the Force as Anakin (if not more so), and he had his own wry sense of humor that popped up from time to time.

Overall, I think Leia was pretty cool, though I did find her annoying at points, and (up until the latter’s death) I liked her mom much better. Still, this princess was lightyears from useless: she fought fiercely for the resistance, she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty, and she, like her mother, carried herself with pride whatever the situation.

Luke, in my opinion, was too good for his own good. It’s why he got his hand cut off. All the same, who can not love the teenage boy from Tatooine who became one of the most powerful Jedi ever and saved the Galaxy?

Han Solo. Just say the name and you start to smile. He was indisputably the funniest character of all six movies, and I love how he turned from scoundrel to hero. Luke couldn’t have saved the worlds without him.

***

So I could keep going about everything else I love, but this post is pretty long already and my blood pressure is rising from excessive fangirling. So I’mma go ahead and stop here, leaving you guys with one last reminder:

I LOVE STAR WARS!!!

All right. I’m done.

So what do you think about it? Please, be honest. I don’t expect everyone to love it with the fervor that I possess.

Although everyone should.

Okay, seriously, I’m done now. Comment away!

You may also like