As any fan of Star Wars would know, Darth Vader had a rough life.
From the minute he was born as Anakin Skywalker, the odds were somewhat stacked against him. Anakin was born into slavery to his mother, Shmi Skywalker, on Tatooine.
He finally caught a break when he was dubbed the “Chosen One” by the light and dark side’s leaders alike. Armed with his impressively high midi-chlorian count (20,000 per cell) and the drive to be the best, Anakin joined the Jedi Order as a Padawan.
There, the youngling thrived. He became a Jedi Knight in ten years, whereas most Padawans took twice as long. Naturally, as a Knight, Anakin continued to do outstanding things for the Galactic Republic.
This was when things took a turn for the worse.
Anakin lost the two women he loved the most: his mother, Shmi Skywalker, and his wife, Padmé Amidala. With that said, did Anakin ever visit Padmé’s grave?
Keep reading as we address this question and much more.
Table of Contents
The Backstory of Anakin’s Lost Loved Ones
Anakin tended to break the Jedi Code. Whether this was because of his growing ego, or simply because he did not believe in all the ridiculous rules, is up for debate.
Still, his blatant disregard for the rules made him a pariah among the Order. This led to mistrust arising between him and the Jedi Masters (Mace Windu in particular).
The slight discord between Anakin and the Order gave Chancellor Palpatine an opening to stoke the fire. Palpatine got to work grooming Anakin into thinking that he was the only one he could trust.
Then it happened. Anakin’s mother was brutally tortured by Sand People on his home planet. Rushing home to hopefully save her, Anakin was too late and all he could do was hold her in his arms as she took her last breath.
It was at that point that the Jedi vowed to grow powerful in the Force so he could get his revenge and protect those he loved. This plan grew in importance when he fell madly in love with Padmé Amidala.
Of course, the predatory Palpatine took this opportunity to convince the broken and gullible Anakin that the only way to protect his wife would be through the dark side.
Believing the lies, Anakin became Darth Vader, but sadly, Padmé still died.
Who was Padmé Amidala?
Before we get into Padmé’s death and its effect on Anakin, we should get a brief understanding of her life.
Padmé Naberrie was born in 46 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin) on the peaceful planet of Naboo to parents Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie.
From a young age, Padmé displayed her talent for politics, which led to her later becoming the ruler of Naboo. It was at that point that she adopted the name “Amidala”.
As the time of the Galactic Republic drew to a close, Padmé became a senator, speaking on behalf of the Naboo people.
This outstanding senator used her position to campaign for the continuation of democracy. Furthermore, Padmé did what she could to lobby for the peaceful end of the Clone Wars.
Because of her clear inclination to want positive change, Padmé had attempts made on her life. As such, she was placed under Jedi protection.
Her security detail was none other than Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker, and that was the beginning of their love story.
Spending a significant amount of time together, the pair grew closer every day.
Now, falling in love was against the Jedi Code, as the attachments and emotions involved were seen as a one-way ticket to the dark side. Even so, Anakin did not care, as he had fallen for Padmé and would do whatever it took to protect her.
How Did Padmé Die?
It is a common misconception that Senator Amidala died of a broken heart, but that isn’t the case.
You see, Anakin was fooled into believing that once he became a Sith Lord, he would have the power needed to prevent his wife from dying in childbirth.
Shortly after learning of her husband’s transformation into the Dark Lord, Padmé gave birth to twins Luke and Leia Skywalker and died of what was presumably a broken heart.
While it is easy to see how the assumption of her death was made, there was a lot more happening behind the scenes. Especially since many fans consider her instantaneous death to be confusing and rushed.
So how did Padmé actually die?
Unsurprisingly, Emperor Palpatine had something to do with it. After Darth Vader sustained extensive injuries during his battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi, he was on the brink of death.
He was in desperate need of a life support system that was being created for him. Lord Vader didn’t even have enough life left to wait on the support system.
For that reason, Palpatine siphoned the life force from Padmé into Darth Vader to help him cling to life long enough for him to acclimate to his suit.
This explains why Padmé died without any detectable physical ailments.
Padmé’s death in relation to her finding out about Anakin’s transformation to Vader made her dying of heartbreak a plausible explanation. But it simply wasn’t true.
When Does Darth Vader Visit Padmé’s Grave?
Despite Naboo’s tradition of cremating the dead, a mausoleum was created to be the final resting place of their Senator and former Queen Padmé Amidala.
Senator Amidala’s corpse was encased in a tomb embossed with the Naboo Royal Crest. Behind it stood a beautiful stained-glass window projecting Padmé’s image into the mausoleum.
Finally, there stood two stone columns on either side of the sarcophagus. On top of those columns rested stone pots that housed vibrant red flowers.
Needless to say, Padmé was given a beautiful final resting place.
After his transformation into the armored, mask-clad Sith Lord, Darth Vader went on a mission to find out how his wife died and who hid his son Luke from him.
Journeying to Naboo to search for answers (in Darth Vader Comic Four), Darth Vader pays a visit to Padmé’s grave.
There, the Sith Lord is understandably filled with rage, grief, and deep regret for the part he played in his wife’s demise.
One can imagine that this experience was especially painful for Vader since Palpatine told him that he had murdered his wife in a fit of rage.
Conclusion
Darth Vader was no stranger to hardship and loss.
He lost his mother to the Sand People on Tatooine, and he lost many friends along his journey to the dark side.
This made the Sith Lord desperate and willing to do (and believe) anything if it meant he could protect the last person he held dear, his wife, Padmé.
As a result, Vader’s emotion-driven, panicked naivete led to him blindly trusting the lies of Emperor Palpatine. Specifically, that becoming a Sith Lord would give Darth Vader the power he needed to prevent his wife from dying.
Sadly, this wasn’t the case, and she still passed away. As expected, the Emperor was behind Padmé’s death, and to make matters worse, he convinced Vader that he was the one who murdered his wife.
To that end, the grief-stricken, guilt-ridden Darth Vader had a chance to say goodbye to Padmé when he visited her mausoleum.