Summary

• Bail Organa and Obi-Wan fabricated Padme's death and the twins' story to keep Luke and Leia hidden after the events of Revenge of the Sith.
• By maintaining the secret, the twins remained safe, eventually allowing them to orchestrate the Emperor's downfall and the Rebellion's victory.
• Only a select few people knew about Luke and Leia's true origin for the majority of the Galactic Civil War.

In Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Padme Amidala's death was not only tragic, but it was also suspicious to those who knew her. Some didn't believe that she just so happened to die the same week the Jedi Order fell and the Emperor rose to power. But as part of covering up her cause of death and the existence of her twin children, an easy-to-miss detail shows that Bail Organa lied to everyone to keep Luke and Leia safe.

When Padme confronted her husband on Mustafar, Anakin choked her to unconsciousness out of anger. While the act alone didn't kill her, Anakin's turn to the dark side was too much to bear. Holding on long enough to give birth to her children, Padme eventually passed away, having lost the will to live. Thus, Anakin's visions of her death came to pass, and Bail Organa and Obi-Wan were left to care for the children. However, they could not allow the general public to know the truth about the twins, especially about their parents. As a result, they orchestrated a daring plan that would keep the twins safe for years to come.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on March 25, 2024: The Star Wars franchise is expanding into new and exciting territories, with a collection of new films set to hit theaters over the next several years. From projects centered around the dawn of the Jedi to those depicting the rise of Rey's new Jedi Order and everything in between, there is no shortage of new stories in George Lucas's epic sci-fi universe. Even so, the finer points of the Skywalker Saga remain of great interest to fans, including the mysterious and controversial death of Padme Amidala.

A Tiny Star Wars Detail Points To Obi-Wan And Bail Organa's Cover-Up

• Padmé Amidala became the Queen of Naboo at the age of 14. Within a year, the Trade Federation invaded the planet, leading to the events of The Phantom Menace. She was about 24 years old in Attack of the Clones and 27 at her death.

Being such a notable figure in the Senate and the entirety of Naboo, Bail Organa knew Padme's death would raise suspicions, especially with the recent political upheaval in the Republic. Knowing that the lives of Luke and Leia were more important than the truth, he fabricated a new story about how and why she died and pretended that her children were left unborn. But to make sure it was believable, as Padme's body goes through the streets of Naboo, her stomach still carries a noticeable baby bump, as though she died before childbirth.

The subtle detail was confirmed to be intentional in the Darth Vader #10 comic, as the mortician who dressed Padme's body was tortured for information over 20 years after the funeral. His confessions reveal just how secretive Bail and Obi-Wan were, as before delivering the body, they hid Padme onboard Bail's ship and made her appear pregnant to the masses. And to add further tragedy to her funeral, the so-called Jedi Rebellion was said to be the cause of her death. That left only a select few knowing about Padme's true cause of death, including Mon Mothma, her good friend who later helped form the Rebel Alliance that would topple the Empire.

Hiding Luke & Leia Leads to the Emperor's Downfall and the Rebel Alliance's Victory

• Natalie Portman is one of the few main cast members of the Prequel Trilogy to have never reprised her role after the release of Revenge of the Sith. Other actors have returned in Disney+ series or voiceover roles in the years since.

Of course, Obi-Wan and Yoda couldn't attend the funeral, knowing that Palpatine was likely keeping a close eye on the proceedings. After all, keeping Anakin as Darth Vader relied on him believing he killed Padme, so the Emperor needed to ensure no part of the funeral suggested otherwise. But more important than avoiding the Emperor, if anyone caught wind of Padme not being pregnant, a manhunt would immediately begin for Luke and Leia, inevitably ending in their discovery by Darth Vader--leading to unpredictable circumstances across the board.

Thankfully, their heritage was hidden for 20 years until Luke appeared at the Battle of Yavin. And it wasn't until between Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back that Vader discovered his son's existence during the Darth Vader #6 comic. Yet, despite Vader finding out about his children too late, his connection to Luke finally returned him to being Anakin Skywalker. So, despite all the losses during Order 66, the hiding of Luke and Leia was a small victory that eventually led to a galactic victory for the Rebellion. While Obi-Wan and Bail couldn't save their friends, they could at least protect their children for long enough to make a difference.

Who Knew About Luke And Leia?

• The next Star Wars movie slated for release is The Mandalorian & Grogu, a continuation of Disney+'s The Mandalorian. The film will be directed by the series' creator, Jon Favreau, and is expected to hit theaters in 2026.

Surprisingly enough, Luke's and Leia's lineage remained a secret for much of the Galactic Civil War. Most of those who knew that the twins were Anakin and Padme's children were physically present at birth. Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Bail Organa kept the twins' existence a secret, only letting in those who needed to know. Bail's wife, Breha, most likely knew about her adoptive daughter's parents, just as Owen and Beru Lars knew that their nephew was the son of Anakin Skywalker.

Only a few others were aware of Luke and Leia's secret outside this core group. The droids C-3PO and R2-D2 were both aware of the truth, though the former had his memories erased shortly after the events of Revenge of the Sith. Interestingly, R2 was most likely aware not only that Luke was Anakin's son but also that he had a twin sister and that they were both the children of Darth Vader. Ever the secret keeper, R2 never reveals the truth to Luke, Leia--or anyone else. It would appear that Mon Mothma, Padme's close friend and confidant, was also aware of the Skywalker secret, though she likely was unaware of Darth Vader's true identity.

Luke and Leia's existence after the rise of the Empire remains one of the galaxy's most closely guarded secrets. Even Luke and Leia themselves didn't fully understand the truth about their origins until well into adulthood. This is partly thanks to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bail Organa's careful planning, which kept the children safe for two decades.