21 Years Later, Star Wars Has Finally Fixed One Of George Lucas' Worst Mistakes

Published Sep 23, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT Once head of Screen Rant's Star Wars coverage and co-lead of Superheroes, Tom Bacon now works with the movies and books teams. He's a lifelong fan of the fantasy and sci-fi genres, and loves franchises such as Doctor Who and Marvel. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon, on LinkedIn @tabacon, or on Muckrack under tombacon. Tom has a wide range of interests, and he continues to serve his university as a volunteer chaplain. He's heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he's into British politics too. Sign in to your ScreenRant account After 21 years, Star Wars has finally fixed one of George Lucas’ prequel trilogy mistakes. The prequel generation has come of age, and the trilogy’s reputation has improved tenfold — as Lucas always knew it would. Prequel stars like Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, and Ahmed Best have all returned to Star Wars in recent years, and they’ve been treated like royalty. Even the prequels’ greatest defenders have to admit the movies have their problems, though. One of the greatest issues is undoubtedly the handling of Natalie Portman’s Padmé Amidala. The gun-toting action hero of Attack of the Clones was abandoned in Revenge of the Sith; Lucas dropped an idea that would have had Padmé fight back against Anakin, cut a scene where she helped establish the Rebel Alliance, and had her die of a broken heart. And yet, for years now, Disney has worked carefully to secure Padmé’s legacy — and the effort is now complete. Star Wars Has Made Padmé Key To The Rebel Alliance The foundation was laid in Matt Stover’s novelization of Revenge of the Sith, all the way back in 2005. Foreshadowing the sequel era novelizations, this is an extended version of the story that even incorporates deleted scenes into it. It restores a scene where Padmé talks with senators opposing Palpatine, and thus establishes her as key to founding the Rebel Alliance. When senators like Mon Mothma and Bail Organa figured out how to oppose the Empire, they were working from Padmé’s playbook. Disney rebooted the canon shortly after acquiring Lucasfilm, meaning that the novelisation is no longer quite canon. But Disney’s Star Wars wasted no time in dropping references to that meeting, bringing it back into canon. Tales of the Jedi revealed Padmé’s funeral was a key moment in rebel history, with Ahsoka Tano meeting Bail Organa there. Star Wars comics introduced an entire rebel movement on Naboo inspired by Padmé, known as the Amidalans. Then came Andor. It quickly became clear there was a strong connection between Stellan Skarsgård’s rebel leader Luthen Rael and Naboo; Luthen's antiques shop was absolutely packed with Nahooian artefacts. A flashback scene in season 2 confirmed this, revealing one of Luthen’s first attacks against the Empire took place on Naboo. Star Wars’ New Andor Tie-In Improves Padmé’s Story So Much Credit: Penguin Random House Rebecca Roanhorse’s new Star Wars novel, Reign of the Empire - Edge of the Abyss, completes this in a smart but subtle way. Set immediately before Andor season 1, it reveals the various rebel cells coordinated via a library in Theed. It’s a staggering choice, given Naboo was the Emperor’s homeworld, and strongly suggests the Amidalans were important to this earliest phase of the rebellion. But it’s even more significant than it seems at first glance. The Library is positioned as a first attempt to work together, a deliberate forerunner of the Rebel Alliance itself — the unified movement that would finally form years later. It is surely significant that this first attempt took place on Naboo, in the capital city of a world whose rebel cell operated in honor of their fallen queen. Through this subtle change, Star Wars has quietly reinforced the sense the entire Rebel Alliance is Padmé's legacy. One Lucas mistake has been fixed at last. Reign of the Empire - Edge of the Abyss is available now from Amazon. TV Show(s) The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions Video Game(s) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords, Star Wars Battlefront (2015), Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (2005), Star Wars: The Force Unleashed , Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor First Film Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Cast Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal Created by George Lucas Movie(s) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order