16 Years Online - A/P Fan Tributes + Giveaway!

It's hard to believe that this Star Wars blog of mine has been around for just a little more than half of my life. AAHA has been through many different phases and adventures, but the one thing that has always remained the same is my love for Star Wars. I can't describe to you how much I wholeheartedly enjoy sharing with you the content that I create here on the blog and across social media. I feel that I just truly need to thank you all for your endless support and enthusiasm. You're all the best bunch of mynocks I could have ever asked to go on this journey with and I am so fortunate to call many of you my "friends".

To celebrate today I wanted to go back to the root of why I started this blog which was and is my admiration for Anakin and Padme Skywalker. So, I asked several of you to write about why you love this couple as a way of showing appreciation for two people who made such an impact on the galaxy both as individuals and as a couple. But before you sit back and enjoy reading these fantastic fan tributes, I'd like to announce a special giveaway!

GIVEAWAY

It seemed extremely fitting to offer one of my readers the Anakin & Padme Tsum Tsums from the newest Attack of the Clones character set. Just follow the directions using the Rafflecopter widget below. Please Note: This Giveaway is for those who have a U.S. address only. It will end on November 28th and the winner will be notified via email. May the force be with you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ANAKIN & PADME FAN TRIBUTES

Ever since ROTJ confirmed Darth Vader was Luke and Leia's father, I'd immediately wondered who was their mother. The only clue we got in the film was that she was "beautiful" and "sad."  I also realized that whatever this romance was, it had to have been tragic.

Fast forward ahead several years and finally we got a glimpse of that fateful relationship's foundation in TPM. It was sweet and innocent. Then AOTC came out and it was pretty much what I'd hoped for:  beautiful, epic, and full of angst. Their awkwardness was endearing. Here were two young people with far more power and responsibility than most people twice their age who were nonetheless inexperienced with the feelings that overwhelm them. The knife really twisted in our guts once the tragedy hit in ROTS. There were many touching moments in the film that show, darkness or not, Anakin and Padme genuinely loved each other. And in spite of what Anakin became and what Padme suffered, their thoughts were always on each other. It just seemed fitting that the product of that love was what brought Anakin back in the end.

Back in 1977, I would never have guessed that Darth Vader went down in flames for love and would be redeemed by love.  That truth made Star Wars that much more meaningful for me.

- Lazy Padawan

Anakin and Padme have always held a special place in my heart because they were the initial reason I became interested in Star Wars. One of the things I love most about Anakin and Padme is that they were devoted to each other. They were successful in their careers but willing to risk them to be together. Padme was willing to leave her position in the Senate to raise their child(ren) quietly on Naboo, and Anakin did risk everything in an attempt to "save" Padme (although we all know how that turned out). Things may not have ended well for then but not for lack of trying, and I admire their devotion.

-Christina

The reason that I love Anakin is because I greatly relate to him. Like him, I lost my mother at an earlier age which has given me an obsessive fear of losing my wife. I love Padme because I love strong women. My family has a lot of strong women in it, including my wife.

I love them together because they symbolize what could have been. Had it not been for Anakin's obsession of control, and had he trusted in the force they may have been able to live a long life together, or at the very least been able to raise their children in her memory. This helps remind me to trust God's sovereignty and plan.

-Nicholas

My love for Star Wars is owed to my dad. Like many others, my father fell in love with Star Wars the moment he went to see A New Hope in theatres back in 1977. And like many other parents, he introduced Star Wars to his kids. My brothers and I were brought into a far, far away world at a pretty young age and we quickly fell in love. The lightsabers, the troopers, the good vs. bad, the galaxy, Vader... We love it all. I remember playing with my brothers with our plastic lightsabers as we went off on a mission to destroy the cool but evil Vader and his Empire. And then, something amazing happened in 1999. The first prequel Episode was shown in theatres and I fell in love all over again. I was still a kid, about six years old, but I absolutely fell in love with the characters, the new trio especially. Then Episode II came out and I was even more in love and by the time Episode III was out, twelve-year old me was devastated as I finally witnessed the inevitable and heartbreaking fall of Anakin Skywalker, and the destruction and despair that surrounded not only my new favorite heroes, but also the entire Star Wars galaxy. The relationship between these three characters however, particularly Obi-Wan/Anakin and Anakin/Padmé, was what made me love the prequels and Star Wars even more. Today we talk about Anidala, as we celebrate this awesome anniversary for your blog. Now I’ve loved Anidala since I was a kid. Sure, it gets awkward in the beginning with the age difference (especially in Episode I), but there is no denying these two were destined for each other. Just like Obi-Wan/Anakin, I felt like Padmé and Anakin foiled each other rather well. Anakin was always the mysterious, foreboding, dark character driven by his immense need to love, to protect, to help others in need and by his passion and his emotions, which always got the better of him. Then there was Padmé, who quickly became my favorite Star Wars leading lady. A Queen at 14, and then a Senator for the Republic, Padmé always showed strength, intelligence, compassion, a strong moral compass, and like Anakin, a need to help others. Together these were an ultimate power couple, always looking for ways to help others and always wanting to do what was right, while perhaps taking different approaches. While their ending was tragic, I love their relationship and it means a lot to me as a fan. I always cry over what could have been if only Anakin hadn’t fallen to the dark side, if only Padmé had survived. They would have been amazing parents to their little twins. But their story is both beautiful and tragic and it’s always great to see what parts of each of their personalities their children exhibit and how each of them, while maybe not always knowing, followed each of their parent’s footsteps for the better.

Congratulations again on your anniversary and may the force be with you!

-Natalia

It is difficult, for me anyway, to pin point exactly what I love most about this fictitious pair, but I will start at the beginning with the “Forbidden Love” trailer. The first time I saw this trailer, I knew I would love Attack of the Clones and this couple. Their relationship is comprised of so many classical motifs: the knight errant and his lady fair, Romeo and Juliet, romantic films from the 1940s, etc. Anakin and Padme are also reminiscent of Jane Austen’s works: they engage in discussions as a couple and learn more about each other as people before they are married. Besides the high romance, I think what I love most about Anakin and Padme is they actually work on their relationship. They are depicted on screen as having struggles both before and after they are married. They have problems, they work through them and they become closer as a couple. Granted, their biggest problem isn’t resolved until Anakin saves Luke, but the point is they make their relationship. They are passionate and completely committed to each other, which is wonderful to see in popular media. That, and they are so cute together!

-Kathryn

I was always very intrigued when I first heard Rick McCallum first describe Attack of the Clones as a love story. I wasn’t too sure on what to make of that or what that meant for this Star Wars film which I and I’m sure others had been assuming would be focusing on the Clone Wars. Little did I know that the love story between Anakin Skywalker & Padme Amidala would become my favourite aspect of the Prequel trilogy. The love story between Anakin & Padme, particularly in Episode’s II & III feels like a Shakespearean costume drama mixed in with a style of dialogue not seen since classic Hollywood movies of the 1920’s & 30’s which makes the whole story feel like that of a courtly love belonging to this other ‘more civilized’ era. One of my favourite scenes in Episode II is where Padme is packing her suitcases and beginning to get ready to leave Coruscant for Naboo with Anakin acting as her Jedi Protector. I think this scene is a perfect showcase for their personalities. Anakin is showing his bravado by flirting (or attempting too) with Padme, showing off his force abilities by levitating a small sphere by the window and since he's not around Obi Wan he is really trying his best to show her that he’s not that 9-year-old boy she met on Tatooine. His line, “Sometimes we must let go of our pride and do what is requested of us.”, is something that has stuck with me in real life and showed a wisdom in Anakin that went beyond his years whilst Padme on the opposite end is almost all business in this scene, absolutely dedicated to her political life and goals, something Anakin obviously respects in her and mentions specifically later in the story. She is much more focused and professional than Anakin is, when she is ‘on the job’ so to speak, though even here she is beginning to speak to Anakin as a person rather than the way a Senator might address a Jedi as she was previously in the film. It’s these types of juxtapositions between their personalities on display that make them two of my favourite characters in the Star Wars Saga and I hope we see more stories with both of them in the future (Padme novel/comic & Force Ghost Anakin in the Sequel Trilogy please!).

-Andy

Anakin loved Padme from the first moment he saw her, calling her an angel. His love only grew the older he got, never being able to escape how he felt about her. When he becomes her security personnel you see he cannot fight it at all. Little does he know Padme feels the same about him. Once they recognize they can’t fight it, they spiral into a love that’s so beautiful.

I love their relationship at the beginning because it was so innocent and romantic. He would move heaven and hell just to be with Padme.

This blog first off represents the love they had at the beginning. The soft side of their star crossed love. I love that Jenmarie has taken those aspects and created this into a place to talk about different Star Wars creations and her own ideas. She keeps up with all things Star Wars, and is quick at uploading new information weekly keeping everyone in the loop.

Congratulations on 16 years!

-Jennifer

I love  the courtly love, the fairytale aspect of their pairing, the forbidden desire and love that can never be. And then, there is the tragedy. The fact that Anakin loved her so much he was willing to sell his soul to the devil to keep her alive. The way she pleads with him to stay with her but is unwilling to bring him back. It's a love that literally destroys the galaxy - and brings it back together again, because the love's never completely destroyed.

-Cidy

I have never truly understood why I love Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker the way I do; I guess I could say that my love for these two characters has been one of the few constant things in my life. There are many reasons why I hold them dearly to my heart, but ultimately, the most important reason is because it is them, and I have never loved two characters in cinematic history more than those two, despite my life-long love affair with film. Their relationship is not perfect, and that is what I love about it. They loved each other enough to risk everything they had in order to be together, even if it was only for a minute amount of time. Often what I love most about them are the small, unobserved details: the way they look at each other in appreciation before Padme realizes who Anakin is when they are first reunited in Attack of the Clones, the fact that whenever I watch Attack of the Clones I can hear their thoughts like they are my own thanks to the incredible film-novelization by R.A. Salvatore, the inkling that I’ve always had in my gut that there was something more between Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman during the filming of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, the palpable chemistry between Hayden and Natalie when Anakin and Padme are reunited in Revenge of the Sith, the list goes on. Both of these characters mean the galaxy to me separately, but together, they mean the absolute universe to me and have lead to the realization of my ultimate dream to work in film in more ways than one. Basically what I’m saying is, I may not understand why I love these two fictional characters as passionately as I do, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

-Brittany

I think what I like the most about Anakin and Padme is the devotion they have for each other. How they trusted one another and how they were willing to give up things for one another. Even by themselves, I love how they believed in something and how they dedicated their lives to it. We know how this ended, but I can't help but imagine if everything worked out. I know they're characters, but that's how much they mean to me.

-Mariana

"Love that we cannot have is the one that lasts the longest, hurts the deepest, and feels the strongest."

Within this quote exists what I believe to be the most poignant and descriptive way to describe the relationship between Anakin and Padme. What began as a simple seed planted by the genius of George Lucas blossomed into a love affair that has divided opinion throughout the Star Wars Universe.

"Are you an angel?" the phrase that started it all, such a simple use of words which unbeknownst to us all would become the bedrock of this forbidden relationship.

The Young Jedi Knight learning his craft, possessing a power many could only dream of, yet also possessing feelings and emotions which ran deeper than even the great Anakin Skywalker himself could comprehend. Feelings and emotions are seen as a blessing and a natural part of life, but for the chosen one, it was to be his downfall.

Blinded by love and rage Anakin would make the ultimate sacrifice, which meant he would lose the one thing he had sworn to protect.

Love really and truly does travel Across The Stars...

-Gary

I love the idea that they are soul mates. That they would do anything for each other. I mean, Anakin fell to the Dark side for her! He sacrificed everything for her. Sure, he had his own demons, but the decisive bit, the ultimate drive was his love for her. It didn't work out very well. It even made him turn on her. And her death forever haunted him. His dreams were filled with her grieving shadow. Padme loved him just as much. She took the opposite, and complementary choice: she didn't blame him for it. She forgave him, and kept on believing in him. Some viewers think Padme was put in a passive position at the end. That's not true. Faith is an active choice, and her will was carried on by her son. I believe that the love between them literally crossed stars, time and galaxy, and brought Anakin back in the end.

"The dark is generous and it is patient and it always wins – but in the heart of its strength lies its weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back. Love is more than a candle. Love can ignite the stars." (Matthew Woodring Stover)

-Melina

ANAKIN SKYWALKER
When I think of the Star Wars franchise, I think of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. I love Anakin because his character really touches me. When I rewatch the movies, I feel his pain, anger, fear, and goodness at the same time. I feel for him and cry everytime after ROTS. Anakin's rise, fall and ultimate redemption is the fate of the galaxy. Let his life show as a true testament that no matter how far you fall into darkness, you can always come back to the light. Through this tragedy, he found the greatest within himself. Anakin Skywalker is the Star Wars Story!

PADME AMIDALA
Padme Amidala is one of my favorite characters in the Star Wars saga. I love Padme because she transcends out of the gender barrier and prove that a woman's beauty is defined by her intelligence and abilities, not her looks. Although, she is beautiful, Padme represents an overall picture of a strong, independent, kind and courageous woman. I also love her wardrobe and hairstyles. Not only is she the best dressed in the galaxy, this galactic Queen/Senator brought on her savvy leadership skills to play and wasn't afraid to use a blaster. I always believed that she did not die of broken heart. The Darkside of the Force killed her. I will hold on to this elusive theory and no one will ever change my mind.

-Gabby