Did You Know In Both The Expanded Universe Legends And Canon Panaka, Guard Of Padmé In Episode 1, Became A Moff Serving The Empire?

I’ve always liked looking into the lesser-known Star Wars characters – especially the ones who barely get any screen time but end up having wild stories in the background.

Panaka was one of those for me. I remembered him as the no-nonsense guy from Naboo, and then I started reading more from both Canon and Legends. Let me tell you what I found.

From Naboo’s Head of Security to Imperial Moff

Panaka started off as a serious, by-the-book guy who took his job protecting the Queen very seriously. During the invasion of Naboo, he helped organize the defense, stayed close to Amidala the whole time, and even helped with the plan to retake the palace. After all that, he kept working for Naboo’s government, but things slowly changed as Palpatine rose to power.

Because Palpatine was also from Naboo, Panaka trusted him. So when the Republic became the Empire, Panaka didn’t resist. He actually stayed loyal and was made the Moff of the Chommell sector, which included Naboo. It’s wild because the guy went from defending his peaceful home planet to becoming part of the Empire’s ruling structure.

He Was Loyal, But Still a Decent Person

What stood out to me was that even after becoming a Moff, Panaka wasn’t like most Imperials. He wasn’t power-hungry or cruel. In Leia: Princess of Alderaan, there’s this really telling moment where Breha Organa says:

“Quarsh Panaka was by far the highest-ranking Imperial official we had any hopes on contacting someday, perhaps even working with. It would have been a risk – maybe one we’d never have taken. Panaka’s loyalty to Palpatine was great. Still, he was as good a man as anyone in the Emperor’s inner circle could ever be, and much better than most. Panaka was… an option I wish had been left open to us.”

That line stuck with me because it says so much about how people who knew him viewed him. He genuinely believed he was helping bring peace and order, and he cared about Naboo first and foremost.

There’s even a part in the book where Leia brings up the awful conditions in the spice mines, and Panaka actually promises to look into it and deal with the Imperial supervisors. Most Imperials wouldn’t even pretend to care, but Panaka seemed like he meant it. He wasn’t perfect, and yeah, he was loyal to Palpatine, but he wasn’t evil. Just a guy who chose the wrong side for what he thought were the right reasons.

He Met Leia and Realized the Truth, But… It’s Too Late

There’s a moment in Leia: Princess of Alderaan that hit me. Leia visits Panaka while wearing one of Padmé’s old gowns. The second he sees her, he figures it out – this girl has to be Padmé’s daughter. He doesn’t say it out loud, but it’s clear he knows. And what’s even more intense is that he plans to report it to Palpatine. Not because he’s malicious, but because he thinks it’s his duty.

Before Panaka could act on what he’d discovered, a bomb went off at his chalet. It was planted by Saw Gerrera’s Partisans. They saw him as just another Imperial and didn’t care about his past or his potential to help. The explosion killed him instantly.

Afterward, Leia’s adoptive parents, Bail and Breha Organa, talked about how they’d hoped Panaka could one day be an ally. Even Leia herself saw the good in him. It’s tragic because Panaka might’ve been one of the few people inside the Empire who could’ve helped the Rebellion – or at least shown compassion. But his death closed that door for good.

In Legends, His Nephew Had a Sad Ending Too

The Legends version adds another story about Panaka’s nephew, Gregar Typho, had worked as Padmé’s bodyguard too. After she died, he became obsessed with the idea that she was murdered. He followed that lead all the way to Darth Vader… and that’s where the story ends. No details. Just that his path led him to Vader, and that was it. I always thought that was a powerful way to show how much Padmé meant to the people close to her.

Fun Fact: Name Change in Brazil

In the Brazilian dub of The Phantom Menace, Panaka’s name was changed to “Panás” because “Panaka” sounds like “panaca” – a slang word for “dimwit” or “idiot” in Portuguese. This wasn’t the only time Star Wars names got a localization tweak. Dooku was changed to “Dookan” to avoid a similar issue, and even Sifo-Dyas became “Zaifo Vias” because the original sounded like a curse.