As Padmé Amidala’s head of security and one of her most trusted inner circle members in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Quarsh Panaka was a key figure in the Star Wars prequels. However, the once-loyal soldier later went on to betray the former Queen-turned-Senator and all she stood for, while subsequently nearly doing the same to her daughter, Leia Organa. Despite never moving against her directly, Panaka ultimately undermined the cause of freedom that Padmé Amidala fought for in life.
Captain Panaka was a member of Naboo’s Royal Security Forces and always harbored strong and unwavering opinions that were often contradictory to those held by Queen Amidala, but defying orders was never in his vocabulary. He outwardly disagreed with the methods of Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, during the dispute with the Trade Federation, and he was not afraid to voice his concerns. The only moment the head of security showed any kind of joyful emotion on-screen was when he announced in The Phantom Menace to Padmé that Palpatine had been nominated as Chancellor of the Republic. In Queen’s Shadow, Panaka is said to have been a supporter of wanting a stronger military presence on Naboo, a stance that was in direct conflict with what Padmé wanted, but as such was in direct alignment with Palpatine and the way of future Imperials.
Though he was a steadfast protector of the monarch, Panaka ultimately allied himself with Star Wars’ ruthless villain, Emperor Palpatine, leading the people of his native Chommell sector as a Moff, which included the Naboo system. In Legends, Panaka became a part of the very thing that the person he had once protected was fighting against, and his role as a Moff was later canonized in Claudia Gray’s 2017 novel, Leia, Princess of Alderaan. In the novel, Panaka made an attempt to warn Emperor Palpatine that Leia Organa was in fact the daughter of Padmé Amidala. However, this plan was consequently foiled by Saw Gerrara’s militant insurgent group, the Partisans, when they killed Panaka by planting a bomb in his chalet on the planet Onoam. Throughout the main cinematic saga and supporting materials, many hints were dropped along the way as to where Panaka’s allegiances lay, and such thoughts led to his eventual betrayal of Padmé and almost Leia as well.
Panaka’s support of now-Emperor Palpatine endured into the rise of the Galactic Empire. Riding on the heels of Padmé’s funeral in a sort of twisted irony, his loyalty to the self-proclaimed ruler of the galaxy was rewarded, as when the Governor of Naboo, Sio Bibble, retired from the position, Panaka was appointed as the Imperial Moff of the very sector in which Naboo resided. Had it not been for Saw Gerrara’s extreme methods in planting a bomb at the former Captain’s chalet, Panaka may have outed Leia’s identity to Emperor Palpatine, which could have changed the entire trajectory of the Rebel Alliance.
Panaka appeared to be a very peripheral character in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, but his militaristic approach, which Palpatine surely picked up on, was exactly what the future Emperor was looking for in a Moff who could rule over their native, peaceful planet of Naboo. In both Star Wars canon and legends, Palpatine influenced many characters, but Panaka made the choice to betray the very person he swore to protect and very nearly did the same to her daughter. What Panaka did functions as a tragic reminder of how the Empire enabled even the most minor characters to do horrible things that could have rippling effects on the greater story.
Key Release Dates
Rogue Squadron
Release Date:2023-12-22
