DEATH BE NOT PROUD

 In the past few years much has been written about the final sequence to the brilliant, “​Revenge of the Sith; " Lucas's final opus that brings closure to the story of Anakin Skywalker. However, Padme's demise has sparked some debate on just exactly what happened. On the surface, the medical droid attends to Padme as she gives birth, but is confused as to why she's dying- it mentions she's 'lost the will to live;” some ascribed it to mean, she died of a broken heart, but THAT was never mentioned in the film. (if it had, it was a trope as old literature itself and would have been fine, after all, Tolkien was hailed when used and Uncle gets flogged for even flirting with it- go figure!)  What is mentioned is the droids confusion and Padme's final words of, “there's still good in him.... I know....”
 Odd, considering, her last meeting resulted in a force choke- their last physical meeting....  Before I dive in, I will expound on the popular theory that seems to be taking hold of Palpatine killing Padme. It could work, but Palpatine never before killed anyone through the force. His kills were with his light saber and two attempts with his force lightning he used on Yoda and Luke. As for Force choking, death by just the Force, we didn't see it. Even those dumb Neimoidians who deserved a force choke, escaped it. Good movies do not pull things out of their proverbial buttholes- they foreshadow big things and unless I missed it, there was no foreshadowing of said activity before. Vader of course force choked constantly, Sith, ANH, ESB, but none for Palpatine.  I'm split. Fan in me says, yes, movie critic in me says no. I like it, but got to say NO!  I have no empirical proof of course other than what is on screen, but I think Anakin doing it fits.
  As SITH comes to an emotional and sober climax- Anakin has decimated the Jedi order, but lies on a table, massively injured by a lava bath, worked on by medical droids trying to stabilize his condition....while Padme is giving birth to her and the Chosen One's offspring….  As Anakin fights for his life, Padme struggles….
  My theory begins here as Anakin has always been known as as needy and fearful of Padme's well-being, his connection to her is obvious...remember how they felt a connection in SITH looking out the windows across the city from each other? (foreshadowing is neat!)....him feeling her anxiety- her feeling his fear and rage. The finale of ROTS keenly illustrates the symbiotic, mirrored fates of Anakin and Padmé. Intercut are scenes of each of them in crisis; he survives, she fades away....

 He feels her connection, he also fights for his life, and he fears what is to come and inadvertently kills her by sucking her "Life Force” from her. As stated earlier, Padme's final words of ​“there's still good in him.... I know...,” have an eerie resonance as their last meeting resulted in a force choke- the last physical meeting; in her final moments; she felt his presence, his turmoil and forgave him resulting in those words....  

Harrumph! Harrumph! 

 Well.... if Palpatine's theory can say that why not Anakin? He was infinitely more powerful as the Chosen One, but had not yet, tapped into his full potential and said potential was blunted once he was injured from the lava bath. His emotions always amplified his powers.  Palpatine saved Vader sure, but it was Vader who lived from and through his emotions- his hate fueled him all those years and later- only the ​love​ for his son saved him- an intense emotion for sure on the opposite end. ​Padme was the one thing he loved the most, he feels is slipping away scares him so he uses all his powers to save her yet has to save himself first.... his act of survival turns into one of selfishness that turns into a 20 year campaign of hate, regret and destruction. Why else would have a secret hideaway Castle on Mustafar to endure masochistic, self-destructive behavior to be just Palpatine's servant?
 ​ It might be a bit of a stretch, but not really. Anakin's entire undoing was his hubris and fear- “I'm the greatest Jedi ever” (ego inflated by the other jerky Jedi) and his constant fear of losing Padme.... ​“I must save her,"- he murders Mace Windu at the goading of Palpy and THOSE are the first words out of his mouth-  even though nothing had happened to her yet; he was basically crippled and ruled by fear it might. So it's not hard to imagine in a time of crisis, he'd reach out to Padme and in doing so he zapped her life force. Think of Anakin as a drowning victim, clawing and scratching to survive- his only life preserver was Padme...  Anakin was unhinged at that point and being panicky and needy he would do anything. In his crisis state of mind, he unwittingly kills her. Yes it's irrational and yes it's near pathological, but thus is Anakin. Jedi creation, Sith Monster approved.

   I came to this conclusion by what Palpatine tells Vader. The first thing Vader, all suited up, asks, “Where is Padme?” Palpatine says, “You killed her.”   Why did he say this?  It reeks of Greek tragedy is why!  By telling Vader that, it made him even more susceptible to Palpatine's control and sent him into a furious tailspin killing Anakin one final time. I doubt he'd buy that lie so easy if he didn't know it was true. Palpatine would have lied in either scenario as both serve him. Palpatine being who he is would have preferred Vader felt he killed Padme himself thus exploiting his emotions and playing him like a cheap fiddle. Far more safer and set into the long game as it behooved Palpatine not doing it. Opposed to him doing it and Vader hating him and possibly overthrowing him later, Hmmm?   Anakin buys it because he feels it and knows it’s true. He was the one who loved her the most- he was the one that killed her. In an act of desperation, he killed her to sustain his life. Padme and Anakin both died that day, giving rise to Lord Vader.