Being a queen is tough – not that I should know.
But when your monarchs are all around fourteen years old or younger,
they're going to need all the help they can get!
Thankfully, Naboo's rulers are never far removed from their Royal Handmaidens...
...who fulfill a multitude of different tasks –
some of which may just surprise you.
So with that in mind,
let's take a closer look at the varying duties of each aide,
as well as uncover exactly how far they would go to protect their queen...
Welcome to TheCancrizans' Star Wars Lore Episode 196 –
The Royal Handmaidens of Naboo
Aside from aiding their sovereign with every day tasks,
such as hair, makeup and clothing,
the Naboo Royal Handmaidens fiercely protected their queen from any and every threat imaginable.
In fact, having been trained by Captain Panaka of the Royal Naboo Security Forces,
each of the young, handpicked women were sufficient in both self-defence and marksmanship.
Some even acted as a decoy for their queen,
thus reducing the risks of a successful assassination attempt.
Such practices continued throughout the troublesome years of the Clone Wars,
and even beyond the tyrannical reign of the Galactic Empire.
Perhaps the most renown Naboo Royal Handmaiden,
and certainly the most important member of Padmé Amidala's entourage, was Sabé.
Not only was she one of five handmaidens that served during the Naboo Crisis,
but she often switched roles with her queen so to mask Amidala's true identity.
This saw her reject Viceroy Nute Gunray's treaty for a “peaceful” resolution to the conflict,
and spearhead an attack on the Theed Royal Palace.
Unfortunately, acting as a decoy was every bit as turbulent and dangerous as it sounds.
Sabé's successor, for example,
was targetted and destroyed by bounty hunter Zam Wesell in 22 BBY.
Though her death did not undermine Padmé's strong opposition to the Military Creation Act.
Serving as Amidala's aide in the subsequent and pan-galactic conflict known as the Clone Wars,
Teckla Minnau often assisted the senator as an important sounding board.
In return, Padmé cited her family's poor living conditions on Naboo...
...as an example of the immense suffering Republic military spending caused its many people.
Ultimately, their combined efforts led to the downfall of a bill designed...
...to open new lines of credit between the Galactic Republic and the InterGalactic Banking Clan.
Yet this failed to prevent Amidala's continued involvement with the latter organisation.
In fact, Amidala hoped to secure a loan from their headquarters on Scipio...
...so to aid refugees displaced by the ongoing war.
Little did she know the dire consequences involved with such a seemingly routine transaction.
Indeed, Padmé and her handmaiden quickly became involved with a ruse...
...to expose the InterGalactic Banking Clan's fraudulent behaviour.
To do so, thus acquiring the necessary financial records,
they needed to destroy a power generator linked to the snow-covered world's primary vault.
Minnau, bravely and heroically, set off the explosive charges herself -
like a badass!
But before she could escape,
bounty hunter Embo gunned her down in cold blood.
So while she could not live to tell the tale,
her efforts greatly aided Amidala in uncovering a dastardly embezzlement scheme.
And just like Sabé and Cordé before her,
Teckla showed exactly just how far the Naboo Royal Handmaidens would go to serve their queens.
Now it's time for this week's question:
which Naboo Royal Handmaiden is your favourite?
Let us know in the comments below.
Remember to vote for next week's episode by participating in the card poll on-screen now.
Also, to have your say in future lore videos, head on over to TheCancrizans.com and get voting!
If you learned something new from today's video, be sure to leave a like.
And for weekly lore content,
press that subscribe button and notification bell to keep it locked here to TheCancrizans!