Star Wars: Padme Amidala Returns for 'Thrawn: Alliances'

The Star Wars saga is full of remarkable female heroes, with Padme Amidala rarely earning the praise she rightfully deserves. After debuting in the prequel trilogy of films, many Star Wars fans view her as the mother of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa while forgetting her military prowess. In the upcoming novel Thrawn: Alliances, Padme stands alongside Anakin and Thrawn for a heroic mission, as depicted in the poster below for the Barnes & Noble exclusive edition of the novel, which hits shelves on July 24th.

In the novel, "Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader ally against a threat to the Empire in this new novel from bestselling author Timothy Zahn. The sequel to New York Times bestseller Thrawn, Thrawn: Alliances will continue to follow the rise of Grand Admiral Thrawn to the heights of Imperial power—and accompany him into the past, witnessing his first encounter with the man who will one day become Darth Vader."

The upcoming novel is sure to please fans of the prequel trilogy, with an exclusive version of the novel being sold at San Diego Comic-Con which depicts Thrawn standing alongside Hayden Christensen's likeness of Anakin Skywalker.

Despite the prequel trilogy establishing that Padme was Luke and Leia's mother, actor Mark Hamill confirmed earlier this year that he has yet to meet actress Natalie Portman in the decades since her Star Wars debut.

Hamill confirmed this detail when the official Star Wars Twitter account offered birthday wishes to Portman, with the actor sharing the message while noting, "Fun Fact: I've never met this woman." Later that week, Portman appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and addressed Hamill's comments.

"It's such a shame, I would love to meet him. Mark, I would love to meet you, come over!" Portman gushed. She did, however, wonder if Hamill himself had wished her a happy birthday, with the actress adding, "That would be a good first step."

The upcoming novel, written by Timothy Zahn, will prominently feature Thrawn's partnership with Anakin Skywalker, though it's unclear how strongly Padme will factor into the narrative. The release of a poster depicting the character would likely mean she has more than a passing mention, though the cover being adorned with Darth Vader likely means a majority of the story takes place after her death.

Thrawn: Alliances hits shelves on July 24th.

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[H/T StarWars.com]