#so this is how liberty dies. with thunderous applause.

[americankimchi]

padme “i can change him” amidala lost her damn mind in aotc and for what. to get choked out by her baby daddy and subsequently give up the ghost

what a stupid death by the way. she could’ve died from medical complications due to the birth or from injuries sustained by getting force choked by the chosen one while surrounded by an environment lifted wholesale from hell. but no.......... she dies........... bc she lost the will to live................

justice for padme bc either her character was done dirty due to plot necessity or if her character is true to creator intent then we need to get her outta that toxic ass relationship for her own and the galaxy’s health

[mangolon]

My favorite part of Revenge of the Sith is when Anakin hears Palpatine tell him a story about a Sith Lord with reverence and slight smugness, and doesn’t think anything behind it.

[soughtreasure]

there   are   few   that   padmé   amidala   considers   to   be   true   friends   on   coruscant,   where   the   politics   and   power   often   clouded   peoples   feelings   and   twisted   their   motivations.   she   had   vowed   never   to   be   like   that,   but   the   rest   of   the   planet   had   made   no   such   obligation.   @withoutpeer​   is   one   of   the   exceptions.   obi-wan,   so   cautious   and   suspicious   of   the   young   queen   and   her   handmaidens   had   found   a   place   in   the   senator’s   heart   today.   “   master   kenobi,   “   the   one   thing   she   could   rely   on   during   this   war   was   the   dedication   of   the   jedi   fighting   on   the   front   lines,   risking   their   lives   so   that   their   galaxy   would   live   in   peace   once   more.   “   i   must   admit,   i’m   surprised   they   let   you   back   from   the   outer   rim.   are   ahsoka   and   anakin   with   you   ?   “   

[lastminutestarwarsfan]

I've already mentioned this in a previous post but felt the need to clarify. One thing that George Lucas absolutely mastered in the prequels is the politics and the foreshadowing of what was to come.

I know the prequels get alot of hate (at least they used to until the sequels came out and we learned to count our blessings). And yeah they have their flaws. For me the biggest thing is I wish the romance between Anakin and Padmé had been better developed. They have great chemistry and I don't think the dialogue was that bad, sure it was awkward but realistic. He's been in love with her for 10 years, worships the ground she walks on. I just wish we could have spent a little more time watching their feelings for eachother grow, but tbh that's my only real complaint. They're fantastic together in ROTS when they're established.

But God overall those films display such a masterfull understanding of real life history and how domino's fall, one after the other, seemingly randomly and meaninglessly until they all come together and it clicks ans it all makes sense and you start to recognise this world you're watching morph into the world from the original trilogy. I will never forget those last 20 minutes of Revenge of the Sith. How Darth Sideous' plan that's been years in the making comes together effortlessly, flawlessly. It's at once tragic because it seems so preventable, but simultaneously feels like what was destined to happen since Episode I.

The dread starts to kick in when Obi Wan leaves Anakin to "be the hero" at the start pf the film, seeing how he's grown comfortable leaving Anakin with Palpatine, and builds steadily until the horrifying realisation that is Order 66. You realise how everything has come together, Palpetine slowly but surely amassing power in the senate, orchestrating a war in order to be able to use "special powers" you know as soon as mentioned he will never lose. Its so earily similar to how dictarships come about in real life. So like the "special powers" Hitler amassed, the Night of the Long Knives where he eliminated all his opponents.

Freedom is lost slowly, insidiously (pun intended) with the people often encouraging it, not knowing what they cheer for. It is like Padmé said, "This is how liberty dies. To thunderous applause"

[gffa]

“Empires need enemies.  They need a justification for all those weapons... for all those soldiers.  A reason for their subjects to be afraid, so the people will tolerate a level of control they would never otherwise allow.  Palpatine was very good at finding enemies.  First the Separatists during the Clone Wars, then the Jedi during the Purge.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he created the Rebel Alliance himself just to keep the game going.” “Well, she’s got that much wrong, at least.” “I suppose.  But even if he didn’t start the Rebellion, he absolutely used it.” I KNOW IT’S KIND OF OBVIOUS BUT LIKE YEAH.  That’s the whole point of, “So this is how liberty dies.  With thunderous applause.”  That’s the whole point of having Dooku lead the Separatists.  That’s the whole point of manipulating and lying about the Jedi.  That’s the whole point of using and lying about the Rebellion. He kept doing it over and over and over, because it worked every goddamned time.  Both on a macro and micro level--the galactic public were willing to not rise up against him because he created a series of strawman enemies, as well as Anakin Skywalker was willing to listen to him and kill Mace Windu before he could stop Palpatine because Palpatine created a specter of fear and enemies in Anakin’s mind just as much as he did the galactic public. It took Vader finally being willing to not care about himself anymore, to be willing to let go of that fear finally, to do something for someone else and not care about what it gained him, to stop Palpatine.  Just like it took the Rebel Alliance being ready to stop being afraid and realizing they had to stand up to fight back against him. Palpatine’s greatest weapon was fear, which he wielded masterfully.  And why he was never going to let any Jedi live, because the Jedi knew the dangers of letting fear bite into your heart.  It’s partly that they had the Force and Palpatine wanted to have all of its power for himself, but it’s also because the Jedi would always rise above fear no matter what, they trained their entire lives for it, their culture was built on it, that you don’t let fear control you.  You acknowledge it and let it go, they taught that from the younglings’ time on Ilum to even the Knights and Masters. Palpatine’s greatest weapon was fear and he took down the Jedi and the galactic public because the rest of the galaxy weren’t trained the same way, didn’t understand the importance of it, and because Anakin Skywalker couldn’t let it go. But that’s how dictators and fascists always are, they create enemies so that they can justify all that weaponry and fear and pain they want to inflict and people will just let them if they don’t stand up against it.

[seleniangnosis]

Character Aesthetic: Padmé Amidala Naberrie

Queen of Naboo and Senator of Naboo.

"So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause."

[delaccors]

Guys, I have never write anything serious, actually. But maybe this time I do it.

Tomorrow is the day where Presidential Election and also Legislative Election take place. And also coincidentally in the same day as Valentine's Day.

One of the candidates, the president was the one who kidnapped and killed a lot of college students back in the 90s, where Indonesia's New Order happened. His vice president candidate is the current First Son of the current President and also his uncle paved his way to be the candidate because he was one of judge in Constitutional Court of Indonesia.

Rumor has it, the President and the First Lady wanted him to be the candidate. Hell, even the President met with them at Sunday in a hotel where the campaign meeting happened.

In other words, a murderer and a nepo baby will have a big chance to lead Indonesia.

Because there are data that support their fraudulence in campaign period.

Even in quiet period like this where Dirty Vote, a documentary about General Election Commissions' skewness, was uploaded and revealed a lot of problems with it. Hell, they even stopped the exit poll for Indonesians who live abroad. The reason was to wait until February, 14th.

Bullshit.

I have never been this scared before. I remember Padme's word, "So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause." I really don't want Indonesia's democracy and freedom to die. I don't want my parents to suffer. I don't want my sister to suffer to lose a lot of her friends. I want to be free, to criticize my government without worrying that someone is watching me.

Especially rice's prices are rising now, due to be used as social assistance by Mr. President so the people will vote his son. It should be done in COVID-19 era, not at this time.

I know that Tumblr is always been USAmerican-centric, but this will probably the last chance Indonesia will have free democracy and its freedom. So, I don't know what I should ask you to do. Just pray for us that we will be fine is enough. Just support your Indonesian friends if you have any.

Thank you for reading this. I'm sorry if it's too long.

[iseathegalaxy]

almost 20 years later yet

"so this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause"

is still a line that goes so hard and is, fucking sadly, still so relevant

[twicedailyquotes]

So this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause.

Padmé Amidala Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

[sk1fanfiction]

One of the most interesting things about the prequels imo is how the main characters deal with morality (as well as represent democracy and dictatorship). For example, Padmé has a post-conventional view of morality, where universal ethical values such as democracy and peace are more important than anything else ("So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause"). This contrasts with Anakin, who has a very black-and-white (conventional) way of thinking about morality (count how many times he says something is "not the Jedi way/against the Jedi code" as a moral judgement). The picnic scene in which Anakin advocates for a benevolent dictatorship (and Padmé insists he's just kidding because obviously all dictatorships are bad) is perhaps the best example of this. It's also made explicit in AOTC when Obi-Wan references Padmé's sense of morality when convincing Anakin to make a choice for the greater good ("What do you think Padmé would do if she was in your position?").

Then, of course, there's Palpatine, who represents the pre-conventional view of morality, in which the rightness of an action is seen in terms of rewards rather than moral value (don't think I have to really explain this one). Throughout ROTS, we see Anakin's view of morality begin to get dragged down to Palpatine's level ("You have allowed this dark lord to twist your mind, until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy") as his fear of losing Padmé begins to consume him and he starts to lust for power ("I'm not the Jedi I should be. I want more, and know I shouldn't."). This descent into pre-conventional morality accelerates after Anakin helps Palpatine kill Mace Windu ("What have I done?" to "I will do whatever you ask. Just help me save Padmé's life. I can't live without her.")

[reconstructwriter]

Anakin's Choices Must be Of His Free Will

Narratively, Anakin’s Fall must come from within, by his own choices, because he has the same narrative as the Republic itself and the Republic Falls from within by its own choices. Anakin becomes Darth Vader at the same time as the Republic becomes the Empire because the prequels story is about the same tragedy played on a galactic scale and a personal one.

And a tragedy they must both choose. Liberty dies to thunderous applause so Anakin must kneel to Palpatine of his own free will. That’s the tragedy and horror inherent in the story. Sure, a Sith worms his way into the Republic, just as a Sith worms his way into Anakin’s confidence. But both the Republic and Anakin must choose to listen to the Sith.

Which they both do for the same reason – neither wants to go through the Hardcore Introspection of unearthing and fixing their flaws, the solution the Jedi offer. Palpatine offers the easy solution of ‘give me power over you and I’ll solve all your problems’. So they both do so, electing Palpatine as the Chancellor/their teacher and then their Emperor/Master. They both willingly reject the Jedi way and later turn against the Jedi themselves.

Anakin being mind-controlled or the Jedi Being Evil All Along or some outside influence doesn’t make sense in canon because that’s not how the Republic Falls either. Sure, you can write the Republic and Anakin Falling another way or not Falling at all and reporting Palpatine for being a Skeevy Sheevy. What is fanfiction if not exploring possibilities canon doesn’t. But don’t go around pretending canon Anakin didn't willingly make his own terrible choices.

*Gets off soapbox*

[of-naboo]

So this is how liberty dies? -

to a thunderous applause.

Independent Padmé Amidala from Star Wars, Semi-Selective, Original Characters & Crossovers are welcomed.

of-naboo • carrd • loved by Ember

[rphelperblog]

Padme Amidala Naberrie Skywalker Quote Rp Meme

“The Queen will not approve."

"I have no time for you now. I must first liberate the planet."

"One of us? What do you mean?"

“All mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults than we would like. It’s the only way we grow.”

“Don’t try to grow up too fast.”

“I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war.” 

“I will sign no treaty. My fate will be no different to that of our people.” 

“I truly… deeply… love you, and before we die, I want you to know.” 

“"Are you allowed to love? “

“You’re going down a path I can’t follow!”

“So this is how liberty dies… with thunderous applause.”

“I was not elected to watch my people suffer and die while you discuss this invasion in a committee!”

"So you're behind this, you poisonous traitor."

"Politics is an ancient and noble calling. Without politicians our societies would descend into anarchy and chaos."

“Sometimes, there are things no one can fix.”

"You're a slave?"

“There is good in him still I know it.”

“So that is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause.”

"I'm not claiming the system is perfect. Obviously there's room for improvement, when—"

"Of course he did. I believe that's his job description, isn't it

“To be angry is to be human.” 

"Sometimes there are things that no one can fix. You're not all powerful”

“I don't wish to hold you up. I'm sure you have a great deal to do."

"All mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults than we would like. It's the only way we grow."

"...I call it aggressive negotiations."

“This war represents a failure to listen.”

“Are you sure about this? Trusting our fate to a boy we hardly know.”

“If we do not act quickly, all will be lost forever. I ask you to help us… no, I beg you to help us.” 

“my place is with my people.”

“Hold me, like you did by the lake, so long ago when there was nothing but our love. No politics, no plotting, no war.”

“I don’t know you anymore! you’re breaking my heart! You’re going down a path I can’t follow!” 

“What if the democracy we thought we were serving no longer exists, and the Republic has become the very evil we have been fighting to destroy?”

“There’s always a choice! To live in fear is no life at all!”

“You are making fun of me.”

“If you follow your thoughts through to conclusion, it will take us to a place we cannot go, regardless of the way we feel about each other.”

“I’m not afraid to die. I’ve been dying a little bit each day since you came back into my life.”

[spell-cleaver]

The Protégé Chapter 6: I Need You To Trust Me

Luke and Sabé, as well as Luke and Leia, make a deal. Padmé has a mission for Pooja.

The skirt of the dress looked to be floor-length, with an exquisite red-purple colour to it. A shorter dress was layered over the top, a slightly bluer purple. The sleeves puffed at the wrists and the collar rose like a flower around the wearer's neck. Luke glanced into the box and drew out a scarf of the same colour, with several silver brooches to pin it in place.

Sabé stifled her cry, but not so quietly Luke didn't notice it. He glanced at where she was staring, her hand creeping towards her mouth, to see a silver headpiece still lying in the box. He lifted it up.

"It was one of my favourite dresses when I was a senator," Amidala said. "I wore it at the Proclamation of a New Order, and at Emperor Palpatine's coronation."

The headpiece, something between a disc and a crescent moon, burned in Luke's hands.

"'So this is how liberty dies,'" Sabé quoted, raising her eyes at Amidala, "'with thunderous applause'?"

Read the rest on AO3 or on FFN!

[queenlucythevaliant]

Okay, @laurelindorenan and @catkin-morgs were interested in my Star Wars thoughts, so here ya go. No particular order, just gonna ramble. Idk what all to discuss exactly, so this will be pretty broad-strokes.  

I am an Original Trilogy girl at heart and I do maintain that all three are actual masterpieces. All other Star Wars media, good bad or otherwise, is secondary in my book. Not an unusual opinion or anything, but maybe a little out of step with a lot of folks my age. I didn’t actually even see the prequel trilogy until the runup to The Force Awakens. 

And I just. I can’t even articulate the fondness and joy and giddy love that I have for those first three movies. For Luke, Leia, and Han. The whole supporting cast. The sound of Darth Vader’s breathing. Wookiee noises. Lightsabers and blasters and the jump to hyperspace. The sets! Hoth and the Death Star and the Millennium Falcon and Cloud City and -- and-- they’re so immersive and tangible and lived in and it always feel likes I could just step into them. The music!

I adore every single solitary thing about the romance between Leia and Han, which was probably the first love story I ever encountered that fully captivated my heart. It’s not just the bickering, it’s the fact that they change each other! They’re fire and steel together, but also Han learns to stay and to care because he loves Leia and Leia steps away from the rebellion to go after Han. He’s blind and frightened and he asks “who’s there” and she replies, “someone who loves you.” 

The themes of family tragedy and legacy and love and REDEMPTION! Han coming back to the Death Star and Lando the rebellion general and “I’ve got to save you!”/”You already have.” Luke, Luke the boy who throws aside his weapon and says “I am a Jedi like my father before me.” Who risks everything on the foolish, stupid hope that his father can be rescued from the Dark and he’s right. 

Thanks heavily to the influence of my dad, I’m an old fogey Star Wars fan who vehemently rejects the special editions. I alluded to the fact that I switched over to the despecialized edition to show my roommate the original Han/Greedo scene, subtitles be damned. I plan to do the same with the ending of Return of the Jedi. Idk, maybe that’s a little too rigid of me, but I can’t help it. I’m my father’s daughter. 

My personal ranking of the current cannon:

The good stuff, in order of preference: Jedi Empire, ANH (tentatively- my favorite OT movie is the one I've watched most recently), Clone Wars season 7, rest of Clone Wars, The Mandalorian seasons 1 and 2.

Revenge of the Sith is compelling in spite of itself, but I can't quite bring myself to call it good. I’m ehhh on Rogue One and Obi-Wan. I have a complicated relationship with The Last Jedi.

I actively dislike Solo, Attack of the Clones, The Force Awakens, Phantom Menace, and The Rise of Skywalker (UGH), in ascending order of badness.

Haven’t seen Andor, Book of Boba Fett, or any of Rebels apart from like, 4 episodes. Waiting to watch Mandalorian s3 with my Dad over Christmas.

I also read a whole bunch of the old EU books as a kid and while the quality is highly variable, I still have very fond memories of quite a lot of it. I fully maintain that the sequel trilogy should have pulled from the New Jedi Order series. I miss Jaina Solo.

The prequels are. Um. They’re less than the sum of their parts. The opening to Revenge of the Sith is straight fire and you know I love me a good doomed romance and I swear I could get high on “This is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause.” But like. Sigh. They’re not good movies, guys. I know a lot of people my age will defend these movies, but I just. No. Y’all are nuts. The older crowd is right, the prequels are, in fact, bad, but hey, at least they gave us Clone Wars. 

On the other hand, the sequel trilogy is just a blot on the series. In a vacuum, I do rather like The Last Jedi as a movie, particularly the last hour, but in the context of the original films it's terribly unfair and cruel to Luke. It had some great themes and striking visuals, though. I never much liked The Force Awakens once the initial high wore off because it was super bland and not nearly interesting enough to distract me from the fact that it broke up Han and Leia!! Like what the heck. And of course The Rise of Skywalker is utter garbage. 

I wish Disney would stop it with all the new Content(tm), or at least slow down. It's just too much.

idk what else to say. I reblog Star Wars stuff on my other blog sometimes, but ironically (because it’s the biggest franchise in the world basically), Star Wars is really personal to me. I’m always, always, always gonna connect it with my dad.

[quolant]

characters: padme amidala

So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause.

— star wars (1977-present)