Well, first of all, I never claimed she was perfect. You’ll never find a perfect role model, because such people don’t exist. What she is, however, is a good and admirable individual. She’s a legitimate role model for young girls. One of the many interesting things about Padme is, as you said, she doesn’t yet understand the depth of the Senate’s corruption. However, I think “complacent” might be too strong a word. She isn’t complacent, which implies an apathetic self-satisfaction. She is more than aware of corruption, and sets herself against it. The problem lies in the fact that Padme is unaware of the depth of that corruption. She believes the corruption of the Republic comes from the Senators who misuse and abuse their power, and has yet to look more closely into how the Republic’s very structure and nature might be disadvantageous. She believes in the institution, if not the people running it. Hence, in the Revenge of the Sith novelisation we find this quote:
“The Senate gave him these powers,” Padmé said. “The Senate can rein him in.”
Giddean Danu sat forward. “I fear you underestimate just how deeply the Senate’s corruption has taken hold. Who will vote against Palpatine now?”
“I will,” Padmé said. She discovered that she meant it. “And I’ll find others, too.”
I am willing to present this to Palpatine, but I am losing faith in the Senate’s readiness, or even ability, to rein him in.
This realisation changes everything for Padme.
Regardless, I think she would have realised the corruption sooner had it not been for Palpatine’s influence. Canonically, Padme worked as a “senatorial adviser” to Palpatine when she was eleven. She also knew him even before that when she was a very little girl, around three to six years old. She looked up to him and considered him a trusted friend and mentor. As a consequence, she did believe him, and allow him to influence her, more than she should have. Most people don’t mistrust authority figures they’ve looked up to since childhood. They’d been, as far as she was concerned, allies for years. This does provide her with a blind spot. We observe in the RotS deleted scenes, however, that Padme is starting to see through him. She has a meeting with Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and a couple other senators, and the idea is raised that Palpatine himself may be the issue. Padme is initially horrified, because she loves and trusts Palpatine. Nevertheless, when she is confronted with the truth, she does not shy away from it, (which is vastly to her credit), but tries to ascertain its veracity. Hence, she delivers her petition to Palpatine. When she sees his reaction to it, she washes her hands of him, and realises she needs to look deeper into the problems of the Republic. Had she lived, I think we would have seen a far more self-aware, and pro-active Padme. The last thing she does politically is give Bail Organa advise that ensure the survival of the Rebellion, because now she sees more clearly into the machinations of the Senate and Palpatine. He thinks he can get a motion in. She knows better and is already planning how to take down Palpatine, and this time she isn’t fighting with such a handicap.The only thing that prevented her from doing this sooner was that she did, ultimately, believe in Palpatine. It blinded her, but it’s a wholly understandable position for her to have been in.
I’m afraid I must disagree with you about her being able to do more regardless. Padme is not a perfect politician, but she is a good one, and she couldn’t have done more than what she did against Palpatine. It has been established in canon that Palpatine was able to clamp down on anyone who actively opposed him. He also held a “super-majority” that even Padme’s petition could not stand against. If Padme had tried more than what she did, she’d have been silenced. There was no standing against Palpatine by the end of the war. Moreover, Padme isn’t as popular as you seem to think she is. She is respected for her accomplishments when she was Queen, and her drive is also acknowledged. She is considered to be a formidable politician. However, as you say, people found her too idealistic which wasn’t a popular thing in a Senate so corrupt as that. People weren’t willing to back anyone not in line with Palpatine, as that was where the power was. By RotS, Padme wasn’t backing Palpatine, and that labeled her, in the eyes of many, as a traitor. Furthermore, her opposition to the war had been deemed “unpatriotic” right from the start. Loathe though I am to say this, you’re giving Padme too much credit. Padme was good; therefore she was respected, but not popular. In TCW we even have this exchange:
Onaconda Farr: You must give the speech in his place.
Padmé Amidala: But they’re expecting to hear from the great Bail Organa. He carries a certain weight. He’s seen as a voice of reason.
Onaconda Farr: You are very respected.
Padmé Amidala: As a partisan. I’ve been against this bill from day one. If they didn’t listen to me before, why would they listen now?
Teckla Minnau: Because you do listen. You understand what the people are going through. Please… your people are waiting for you.
Just to reiterate, Padme is a good politician in terms of talent, and her willingness to try and do what’s in the best interests of her people. However, that can be hit and mostly miss with the rest of the Senate. Perhaps, you’ll say then that she should have used the GFFA version of social media? However, that too would be impossible, as Palpatine is in control of all communications systems. What’s more is the GFFA Republic is far more like the Roman one then modern ones. Communications were unreliable, and expensive. The average citizen would not have access to the HoloNet. Padme really did all she could, and it’s more than a mere petition too. What Padme was going, according to Bail Organa in the deleted scenes,is:
“Make as much noise as you can—keep Palpatine watching what you’re doing in the Senate. That should provide some cover while Mon Mothma and I begin building our organization—”
In other words, Padme was sussing out politicians who might be willing to join a rebellion against Palpatine, and was also drawing fire from Palpatine to protect Mon and Bail who were planning logistics behind the scenes. No one had the political power to stop Palpatine by the time they realised it was necessary. This is not Padme’s fault, and it speaks greatly to her character she was willing to take the stand to oppose him the way she did with the Delegation, especially when she had once considered him to be such a close personal friend. What’s more is, even if she’d seen through Palpatine earlier, she never would have been able to stop him. This is ultimately why Padme helped found the Rebellion, so yes, she was a good politician.
(Finally, I am horrified you think the best thing for Padme would have been to die! Just because she’s “too principled for her own good,” as if this were a crime. That is terrible. Padme would have done so much good if she’d lived.)
