Who Is Sabé From ‘Star Wars’?
Sabé, born Tsabin, was a female human from Naboo, best known for being Padme’s body double during the Invasion of Naboo by the Trade Federation. As far as the movies are concerned, that’s where her story ends, but the Darth Vader comics offers greater insight into who she was and what she did. She would become an adversary of Darth Vader, eventually starting to piece together his past identity as the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, which led to further complications down the line.
Born into a family of hallisket (basically a seven-string guitar) players, Tsabin studied music at the Theed Conservatory, though she hated following the path laid out for her. Thus, when Captain Panaka approached her to wait from seeking an apprenticeship until after the election and after discovering her resemblance to Padme Naberrie, she understood her destiny. Tsabin became the first of Queen Amidala’s handmaidens, serving as a confidant during the period before her Day of Ascendancy, appearing at her side when that day came, and even changing her name to Sabé for security reasons.
RELATED:
When the Trade Federation began its Invasion of Naboo, Sabé was chosen to act as a decoy queen for Padme. She served from the capture of Theed as the Jedi arrived and brought them off the planet. Conferring with Padme, disguised as a simple handmaiden, she agreed to go to Coruscant and stayed onboard during the detour to Tatooine. The two would switch places, but the deception would only be revealed during the return to Naboo, and the negotiations with the native Gungans, after which Sabé aided her Queen by deceiving them into thinking they’d captured the wrong person, enabling Padme to capture Viceroy Nute Gunray.
After Padme’s term was up, Sabé continued to serve the now Senator Padme, working to free slaves on Tatooine, before breaking off from her once she realized how much her former queen had changed. After Padme’s death, Sabé sought to figure out why it had happened, eventually starting her own resistance cell, the Amidalans, and encountering Darth Vader multiple times, with her resemblance to Padme letting her live. She soon pieced together why; Vader was actually Anakin Skywalker, husband of Padme. We don’t know if she survived the Galactic Civil War, but we should figure it out soon enough.
Sabé was played by Keira Knightley, who was chosen for her resemblance to a young Natalie Portman, who played Padme. Her role was kept a secret by The Phantom Menace’s marketing department. That is who Sabé from Star Wars is, both in-universe and out.
READ NEXT:
Source(s): Wookieepedia