Sometimes it’s best to just let sleeping dogs lie, and this, unfortunately, applies to Star Wars too. Not all characters in a galaxy far, far away should or could be brought back, and fans are getting tired of the idea being thrown around for every new film or series.
While Disney saw some success with returning characters such as Luke, Leia, and Han, they aren’t willing to put up with old faces being forced into every new story set in the Star Wars universe. Even The Book of Boba Fett was able to disappoint a lot of fans, as it just didn’t live up to the hype. It looks like it’s finally time for Disney to stop using the old movies as a crutch. The fans have spoken and they don’t want to see every legacy character come back to the franchise.
In a discussion on the Star Wars subreddit, one poster asked what fellow fans thought about Natalie Portman reprising her role as Padme in future projects.
Fans gave a unanimous ‘No, thank you’ as a response to the idea, with some saying they were sick of seeing characters from the same era pop up again and again. Others aptly pointed out that it would be difficult for her to return considering the character is dead.
There were those that wouldn’t mind a flashback scene that could add to the story, similar to how Hayden Christensen played young Anakin in the Disney plus series, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Although some were concerned that Portman would be too old to play the character in flashbacks so it may be better to just cast another actress to play her.
There was some good old well-deserved mockery of The Rise of Skywalker, with the lazy explanation for Palpatine’s return being repurposed for Padme instead.
There were those who actually did want to see Portman return, and even discussed their ideas for stories that Disney could adapt into a series. Although a majority of those who did want to see her character return were mostly just interested in seeing more Natalie Portman rather than actually wanting to see the character of Padme.
The discussion demonstrates the mindset of the fan base right now, and Disney would be wise to pay attention to what they are saying. If we could stop banking on nostalgia and rely on new material like The Mandalorian and Andor to carry the Star Wars franchise, it would be so much better.
