Retrozap: Padmé Didn’t Die of a Broken Heart

[Nutso]

There’s something you missed.

I find it odd that one of the most pivotal and mysterious moments in the Star Wars saga is discussed infrequently, and when it is the case is closed. Some time between 2005 and now the greater part of people who’ve watched this movie have all come to the same conclusion, and all that is debated is if they like this course of events or not.

Of course, I’m talking about the end of Revenge of the Sith, one of my all-time favorite films. I haven’t been counting, but I’ve seen this movie 500 times, and I’m still finding new things to consider. The final hour of this movie is densely packed with information, but it doesn’t hold your hand. Where a lesser film would have wrapped thing up with an expositive voiceover, Revenge of the Sith demands that the viewer watches how things unfold, and then asks the viewer to put the pieces together themselves. Unfortunately, not everyone has put them together the proper way, and that leads to a lot of differing conclusions regarding the anticlimax of the movie.

I’m talking about Padmé’s death, the cause of which has been said by many to be “a broken heart.”

Yuck. Nope.

I’m here to tell you that this theory does not hold up, and I’m going to show you why. Listen to my case, consider the evidence, re-watch the movie, and rethink the flawed broken heart theory.

http://www.retrozap.com/padme-didnt-die ... ken-heart/

[Tsukiyumi]

I like it. Solid theory with logical backing evidence. Whether or not Lucas was capable of that much forethought in his writing is another question.

[Griffin]

Nice solid theory.

Also, canonically Palpatine can manipulate the force across light-years. He once force choked Dooku from across the Galaxy, as seen below:

[Captain Seafort]

I've heard much the same theory before, just after RotS came out, with the exception that it wasn't Palpatine who was responsible, but Anakin.

You'll have to scroll down about half way.

[Mikey]

I'll have to follow those links when I have more time, but let me just say... DUH! I don't have medical training, but I'm fairly certain that unless someone is talking about actual necrosis to cardiac tissue resultant from arterial blockage (i.e., a heart attack,) a "broken heart" is not an actual medical condition.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

I can see that, but I seriously doubt that was Lucas' intent.

[McAvoy]

Damn never thought about it.

[Mikey]

OK, now that I've read it... this guy is just another nut who can't distinguish wild hypothesis and conjecture from theory even loosely based on evidence. Yes, I know she didn't die of a "broken heart" because dying of a broken heart isn't really a thing. To make the leap of faith from that to "she was killed by Palpatine using a Force power that doesn't exist in any evidentiary manner" is just that - a leap of faith. Yes, it's one that may be attractive but it's no more based in any sort of evidence - even circumstantial - than the "broken heart" idea. I can in fact, off the top of my head, think of one evidentiary point against the idea:

OK, the droid wouldn't be able to "feel" Padme's excision from the Force at large... but someone who could and would - that is, a powerful Jedi master - was standing right next to the operating theater watching her, and he didn't even know she was dying until the droid told her! Surely, if the woman on whom Obi-Wan was concentrating his attention was suddenly excised from the living Force, he'd feel it - or at least feel something was wrong.

[sunnyside]

I'd never heard the "broken heart" hypothesis. Was that even a thing? I suppose I could see that. I mean I don't think that's actually a thing in reality, but this is the Star Wars universe. We've seen people simply will themselves and their bodies entirely out of existance.

Anyway, I figured there was a good chance it was a whack job by Palpatine. Quite possibly through the force, but he's devious and might have utilized some other means.

The other possibility was that Anakin's force attack caused damage in some manner that the droids weren't really able to understand or cope with.

Either way it was entirely reasonable that Anakin believed he was at fault. People are fragile. Just because you release the choke hold and they're alive for a while doesn't mean you might not have initiated various biological processes that will end in death, especially if you allow them to fall onto a hard surface. In the past I might have had to go on about that at length, but these days I figure even the Brits have heard about the whole NYPD cop chokehold thing.

The only reason I don't think it's simply that is because the droids didn't understand what was going wrong. And I'd expect they'd be able to understand that sort of damage. But Anakin never would have been aware of that quote.

[Jim]

I had always thought that it was "Vader" that did her in. They parallel the births and Vader getting worked on. Anakin is awake during that and obviously distressed. He had attacked Padme before. I just figured that he was flailing out with the force due to his extreme stress and fear... and as he had an obvious connection to Padme it assaulted her and did her in.

[Mikey]

Without, admittedly, analyzing much (or at all,) I had always figured that there was some residual damage from Anakin's attack on her - some lasting effect of oxygen deprivation, or embollism, or something like that. Sure, the med droid would have picked up on it, but fiat de author and all that. However,

I had always thought that it was "Vader" that did her in. They parallel the births and Vader getting worked on. Anakin is awake during that and obviously distressed. He had attacked Padme before. I just figured that he was flailing out with the force due to his extreme stress and fear... and as he had an obvious connection to Padme it assaulted her and did her in.

This makes at least as much sense as the "Palps killed her with a Force power that doesn't really exist" theory, and to my mind a great deal more. It just still niggles with me that someone - either Vader or Palps - killed her with some sort of assault through the Force and Obi-Wan - who I must reiterate was standing right there and concentrating on her - didn't notice a damned thing.

[Sonic Glitch]

Without, admittedly, analyzing much (or at all,) I had always figured that there was some residual damage from Anakin's attack on her - some lasting effect of oxygen deprivation, or embollism, or something like that. Sure, the med droid would have picked up on it, but fiat de author and all that. However,

I had always thought that it was "Vader" that did her in. They parallel the births and Vader getting worked on. Anakin is awake during that and obviously distressed. He had attacked Padme before. I just figured that he was flailing out with the force due to his extreme stress and fear... and as he had an obvious connection to Padme it assaulted her and did her in.

This makes at least as much sense as the "Palps killed her with a Force power that doesn't really exist" theory, and to my mind a great deal more. It just still niggles with me that someone - either Vader or Palps - killed her with some sort of assault through the Force and Obi-Wan - who I must reiterate was standing right there and concentrating on her - didn't notice a damned thing.

Well the prequel trilogy is filled with all sorts of references to how the Dark Side was blinding the Jedi. (Not saying it necessarily applies here, but one could stretch that to fit the argument)

[Mikey]

Filler at best. It wasn't that Obi-Wan happend by while Padme was in the operating theater; he was intently focussing his attention on her. If he couldn't notice the Dark Side concentrating an attack on her and was in fact "blinded" by it, then he would at least have noticed her absence from the Living Force due to her Force "signature" being masked.

[Jim]

Without, admittedly, analyzing much (or at all,) I had always figured that there was some residual damage from Anakin's attack on her - some lasting effect of oxygen deprivation, or embollism, or something like that. Sure, the med droid would have picked up on it, but fiat de author and all that. However,

I had always thought that it was "Vader" that did her in. They parallel the births and Vader getting worked on. Anakin is awake during that and obviously distressed. He had attacked Padme before. I just figured that he was flailing out with the force due to his extreme stress and fear... and as he had an obvious connection to Padme it assaulted her and did her in.

This makes at least as much sense as the "Palps killed her with a Force power that doesn't really exist" theory, and to my mind a great deal more. It just still niggles with me that someone - either Vader or Palps - killed her with some sort of assault through the Force and Obi-Wan - who I must reiterate was standing right there and concentrating on her - didn't notice a damned thing.

Well the prequel trilogy is filled with all sorts of references to how the Dark Side was blinding the Jedi. (Not saying it necessarily applies here, but one could stretch that to fit the argument)

Agree. The Jedi never had any idea what or who the Sith Lords were or what they were doing. Yoda and Mindu were around Palpatine a good bit and didn't have a clue.

[Teaos]

I though and still thin its broken heart.

From what I know that is a real thing as well, people can simply loose the will to live, maybe not a fully healthy adult dropping dead, but someone who is already weakened can simply give up the will to live.