Who Am I?
I’m Amelia! That’s not my real name. I don’t care to give out much personal information, especially not while laboring in the Star Wars discourse mines. I’ll say I’m young and think of myself as an amateur George Lucas historian. I made this site to post my niche, unpublishable essays about a female character I’m used to seeing dismissed. My hope is to foster fresh and nuanced conversation around Padme Amidala.
I aim to discuss everything about Padme—her politics, her fashion, her character progression, highs, lows—and give a comprehensive take on her place in pop culture. I prioritize accessible language and do both textual and meta readings. Sometimes I know George Lucas would’ve never thought of this particular interpretation. Sometimes I parallel Padme with various women in his life. Nothing is off limits.
This isn’t a hate site. No matter how critical of Lucas or Star Wars I get, it comes from a place of love and care. I aim to do what my tagline says: autopsy. Respectful, measured dissection. Any psychoanalysis I do should be taken loosely and not as the be-all end-all explanation for an artistic choice.
With Star Wars canon being so expansive and multi-authored, mischaracterization is rampant. This site focuses on the version of Padme presented in the films. Other versions are not ignored, but de-prioritized.
The Official Space Lolita Bibliography*:
The Star Wars Archives (Volumes I and II) by Paul Duncan
Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas by Dale Pollock
The Secret History of Star Wars by Michael Kaminski
How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise by Chris Taylor
The Empire Triumphant: Race, Religion and Rebellion in the Star Wars Films by Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr.
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock ‘N Roll Generation Saved Hollywood by Peter Biskind
Lucas: His Hollywood Legacy by Richard Ravalli
The Power of the Force: Race, Gender and Colonialism in the Star Wars Universe by John Paul Pianka
The Star Wars Heresies: Interpreting the Themes, Symbols and Philosophies of Episodes I, II and III by Paul F. McDonald
Star Wars Meets the Eras of Feminism: Weighing All the Galaxy’s Women, Great and Small by Valerie Estelle Frankel
*AKA, I’ve used these books for research and so can you. This isn’t necessarily a recommendation list but they’re all informative, accessible reads. Plenty of these books have dull and dated bits, along with the occasional baffling choice, much like Star Wars itself. My personal favorites: Skywalking, The Star Wars Archives and The Secret History of Star Wars.
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