Sabé

Biography

Early life

Tsabin was born on Naboo in 46 BBY, within a family of hallikset instrumentalists. In accordance with family custom, she was sent to Theed Conservatory to pursue musical studies, much like her elder brothers. Despite her hidden feelings, she felt a strong dislike for the predetermined path, seeing no potential beyond a supporting role in a Naboo orchestra.

In 32 BBY, at the age of fourteen and eligible to vote, Tsabin was expected to begin an apprenticeship. However, she was approached by Captain Quarsh Panaka from the Royal Naboo Security, who requested she delay her apprenticeship until after the upcoming election, without providing any specific reasons. Tsabin, upon examining the candidates for queen, noticed her striking resemblance to Amidala and suspected Panaka's intentions.

Preparations

First days

After Amidala's victory, Tsabin accepted Panaka's offer to serve as her body double. Introduced to Amidala, she was entrusted with her given name, Padmé, and became the first handmaiden to the new Naboo Queen. They discussed Panaka's strategy for Tsabin to act as a decoy and bodyguard, and Tsabin suggested that the handmaidens' loyalty should be to the queen, not Panaka.

In the initial days following Amidala's election, before the official transfer of power at the Day of Ascendancy, Tsabin and Amidala shared a room in the palace. Despite some growing pains as Amidala struggled to balance her roles as queen and friend in her interactions with Tsabin, they quickly began planning how the handmaidens would protect and conceal the queen if necessary. Tsabin began teaching Amidala breath control exercises used by hallikset players to conceal emotions, and to mimic the queen's physical mannerisms. Panaka, meanwhile, worried that their plotting together without including him would make it harder to protect Amidala.

At the end of the week, Tsabin helped Amidala prepare for her Ascendancy, painting the royal symbols onto her face for the first time. While the new queen approached the former queen, her first handmaiden faded into the background in robes dyed to match her queen's dress. Tsabin and Amidala moved to the royal apartments that day, where the two intended to share the largest bedroom. There, Amidala pushed back against Panaka's security recommendations for the first time. After a tense moment, he agreed that her handmaidens would be her only guards in her rooms, and Amidala and the handmaidens would begin combat training.

All pieces in play

Two weeks after Amidala assumed power, Panaka presented four other girls, Rabene Tonsort, Eirtama Ballory, Suyan Higin, and Sashah Adova, to her as potential handmaidens as well, and the Queen took them to her apartments in the Theed Royal Palace for a private discussion. There, Amidala shared her personal name with them, and the girls decided what roles each would have in Amidala's service. At Tonsort's suggestion, the handmaidens changed their names as Amidala had for their privacy, some prestige, and so that Amidala going undercover as one of her own handmaidens would be less noticeable; with similar names, they would be more forgettable. The last to pick her new name, Tsabin became Sabé.

During a summit hosted by Amidala on Naboo for the leaders of the planet in the Chommell sector, Sabé met Harli Jafan the daughter of Jafan's planetary director, who had sent his daughter as an envoy in his place. During this time Sabé and Harli became close and developed romantic feelings for one another.

Later, Harli invited Sabé and her friends to see the band Neurotransmitter Affection, who were playing at the Theed Odeon. Although Harli most likely just meant Sabé's fellow handmaidens, Amidala also came in disguise, with the youngest handmaiden, Saché, staying behind at the palace due to a stomach ache. While at the concert Sabé danced with Harli, but eventually Sabé, the other handmaidens, and Amidala were forced to return to the palace as Panaka had learnt of the girls sneaking out from Saché, whose period had accidentally set off the blood-sensitive sensor in Amidala's bedroom.

The next day, the handmaidens were unable to remove the glitter on Amidala's hand from the glitter-lit that had broken on her the night before. As the handmaidens did not wish for anyone to know that the queen had snuck out and wearing gloves would be offensive to the delegates from Kreeling, Sabé was forced to fill in for Amidala as queen. At the end of the day Sabé received a hurtful note from Harli who had mistaken the disguised Amidala for Sabé and had attempted to kiss her only for Amidala to recoil. Sabé, realising what had happened, confronted Amidala on ruining her budding relationship by hurting Harli, which caused a temporary rift between the two.

Invasion of Naboo

Flight from Theed

Sabé was one of five handmaidens that served Queen Amidala during the Trade Federation's blockade and subsequent invasion of Naboo. As the blockade began Amidala gave Sabé her locket but instructed her to give it back once the crisis was over.

When Federation forces captured the Theed Royal Palace, Sabé switched roles with the queen, who posed as a simple handmaiden, going by her less commonly known name, Padmé. Sabé, pretending to be the queen, rejected Viceroy Nute Gunray's efforts to have her sign a treaty that would make the invasion legal. She and the rest of the royal retinue were then escorted by battle droids to a separate holding facility.

On the way, they were rescued by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. Proceeding to a nearby hangar, Jinn insisted that the queen be taken to Coruscant to plead her case to the Galactic Senate. After conferring with her handmaiden Padmé, the real queen, Sabé agreed. She subsequently left Naboo aboard the Royal Starship with the Jedi, taking Padmé, Panaka, as well as Eirtaé and Rabé, with her.

They eventually managed to get through the Federation blockade and leave the Naboo system. Sabé—as the queen—commended R2-D2 for maintaining their ship during its escape, and ordered Padmé to clean the astromech droid. However, the Royal Starship's hyperdrive was heavily damaged. Forced to land on the desert planet Tatooine, Sabé remained on the starship while Jinn and Padmé sought a new T-14 hyperdrive generator.

When they reached the galactic capital of Coruscant, Sabé was presented as the queen to Supreme Chancellor Valorum and Senator Sheev Palpatine, who represented Naboo in the Galactic Congress. She then switched back with the queen, and attended to Amidala before she went to speak to the Senate.

Negotiations with the Gungans

Sabé once again switched places with Amidala when they sought help from Gungan forces, and began negotiations with their leader, Boss Nass. However, Padmé quickly revealed the deception as a confidence-building measure, and the two parties finally agreed to work together in order to free their planet from the Trade Federation. Despite being exposed, Sabé remained disguised as Queen Amidala during the mission to reclaim the palace. When Padmé was captured, she played an instrumental role in deceiving Viceroy Gunray. Showing up suddenly at the door to the throne room, Sabe proclaimed the Viceroy's occupation over and blasted two of his droids before fleeing with her group. Gunray ordered his troops to follow Sabé, believing she was the real queen. This provided Padmé the opportunity to retrieve her blaster and take the Neimoidian into custody, liberating the planet.

Sabé was later present when the queen welcomed Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and the Jedi Council to Naboo, and at the parade celebrating the freedom of Naboo and the reconciliation of its human and Gungan populations.

With the invasion over Sabé attempted to return Amidala's locket to her as instructed but Amidala had since changed her mind and told Sabé to keep it as a thanks from a planet that would never fully appreciate what she'd done. Instead Amidala's token became the japor snippet gifted to her by Anakin Skywalker on the trip to Coruscant.

In 28 BBY, Sabé was present when Amidala decided against allowing a change to the constitution which would allow her to stay in office beyond her two terms. Sabé later asked Amidala if she was tempted to which Amidala responded that of course she was tempted but she knew that it was wrong to do so. The pair never spoke of it again.

Service to the senator and mission to Tatooine

Sabé along with the other handmaidens, several members of the Royal Naboo Security Forces, Quash and Mariek Panaka stayed with Amidala at Varykino Villa during the elections when Amidala's second term as queen had ended and was present for the announcements of Saché becoming a member of Naboo's planetary legislative assembly and the re-election of Réillata as Queen of Naboo. Sabé was also present for the second coronation of Réillata and saw the new queen offer Amidala the chance to succeed Senator Oshadam in representing the Chommell sector in the Galactic Republic.

After Amidala left the throne, Sabé was the only handmaiden to remain in her service. Among other tasks, Amidala sent Sabé back to Tatooine in an effort to free slaves. Although Amidala had specifically requested that Sabé locate Shmi Skywalker, the handmaiden could not find her. She brought the slaves she did free to a new life on the planet Karlinus. She was helped by Tonra, with whom she began an on-again, off-again relationship. Sabé and Tonra then journeyed to Coursant to help Amidala as she began her career as a senator.

After discovering that Senator Mon Mothma planned to stage a distraction at a party she was hosting in order to have a secret discussion with her allies Sabé disguised herself as Amidala for the party and poured a glass of Toniray on her dress to distract the press and guests while Amidala watched as Mothma discussed her suspicions about Senator Mina Bonteri with Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan and Senator Onaconda Farr of Rodia whom Sabé was familiar with.

Sabé flew as Hazard One in Hazard Squadron, a starfighter squadron set up by the Galactic Republic to protect starship convoys transporting materials to Bromlarch as part of the Mid Rim Cooperation Motion. Following Bromlarch Sabé and Tonra spent more time apart than they did together with Sabé building her network and Tonra working more closely with Gregar Typho and Mariek Panaka protecting Amidala and them usually only meeting up for a specific operation that Amidala was running or because Sabé needed backup as well as them spending time with others.

By 22 BBY, the handmaiden Cordé had taken on the role of Amidala's decoy, but she, along with another of Amidala's handmaidens named Versé, was killed during a plot to assassinate Senator Amidala.

Shadow no more

As the Clone Wars erupted, Sabé returned to Tatooine with Tonra to continue their work to free slaves. They posed as a married couple named Sabon and Arton Dakellen who were middling successful traders. Sabé worked at a water depot while Tonra worked at a cantina with him bringing food back for him and Sabé though he tended to add his own seasonings. This time there attempt to free slaves was a more gradual proses with them attempting to become members of the community.

A few weeks into the war, Amidala commed Sabé asking her to returned to Coruscant to act in Amidala's place while she investigated a company operating on the frontlines. Though Sabé found herself feeling a bit resentful due to the secretive way Amidala had been acting since the Battle of Geonosis she agreed and return to Courscant to impersonate the senator something no handmaiden had done for an extended period of time.

While there, Sabé learned how much the Amidala role had changed with her becoming more isolated and her new handmaidens Ellé and Moteé taking on more traditional handmaiden roles as well as the staff having a new routine, Amidala's evenings being free, her handmaidens sleeping on the floor below instead of the penthouse suite like they used to and no longer having daily dinners with her security personnel.

After returned from a soirée hosted by Bail Organa at Cantham House she was awoken by Skywalker after Skywalker snuck into Padmé's Apartment during the night but found Sabé in her place causing Sabé to realize that the changes to her friends household were in order to spend more time on her marriage though she didn't realize that it was a marriage and not an affair until after a conversation with Skywalker at a garden in the Jedi Temple. While Sabé was there the Sith Lord Darth Sidious used the dark side of the Force on Sabé which caused a pool in the garden to dry up.

Unable to keep up with the changes, she resolved to never again act in Amidala's shadow and told her as such upon her return, after confronting her about not telling Sabé of her marriage, but the two spent the night together laughing and thinking back on their friendship. Both were saddened by the sudden end of their close friendship once they departed each other's company, and Sabé returned to Tonra on Tatooine to continue the work of freeing slaves with the White Suns.

Death of Padmé Amidala

Despite their falling out, Sabé still considered Amidala her friend and kept up to date with her actions in the Senate. In 19 BBY, the Clone Wars came to an end after Palpatine transitioned the Republic into the First Galactic Empire. As a result of her husband's fall to the dark side, Amidala lost the will to live and died after giving birth to her children, Luke and Leia. The funeral took place in Theed shortly after, which was attended by Sabé and Padmé's other surviving handmaidens. Every handmaiden, including Sabé, barely spoke during the procession, as their grief was profound and difficult for outsiders to understand.

Following Amidala's funeral, Sabé went home to be alone with her thoughts. However, she was eventually startled by a knock on the door. Although she initially believed it might be one of her many enemies, she soon realized that it was Captain Tonra of the Naboo Royal Security Forces, a dear friend of Sabé's. After letting Tonra in, Sabé finally let her emotions flow freely, conveying anger and confusion at Amidala's death and the formation of the new Empire. After her outburst, Tonra asked Sabé what she would do. Sabé thought to herself that if Tonra's question had come from her parents they would've been asking what Sabé would do without Padmé, however considering how well Tonra knew her Sabé understood that he was asking what she would do in Amidala's memory.

After some thought, Sabé communicated to Tonra her intentions to look into the circumstances surrounding Amidala's demise. She would begin her investigation on Coruscant, despite her previous conviction that she was finished impersonating the senator. She felt that she couldn't simply remain idle on Naboo with so many of her comrades having perished. Tonra, sharing Sabé's desire for answers, inquired if he could accompany her on this quest. Remembering how well they had worked together in the past, Sabé granted Tonra's request but cautioned him that they would need to assume new identities and conceal any trace of their Naboo origins. The two immediately commenced preparations for their departure. Tonra assured Sabé that he could secure a ship, or at the very least, passage off-world. He then requested that Sabé fabricate the necessary false identification documents while he packed her belongings. In turn, she instructed him to call in any favors he was owed that couldn't be traced, as they would require all the assistance they could get for their investigation. Sabé also came to the realization that she would have to leave her locket behind to avoid revealing their connection to Naboo, deciding to store it in a secure location until her return.

Sabé approached her workstation and briefly scanned the files she had been reviewing. The majority of these documents detailed the numerous years Amidala dedicated to improving the galaxy, along with the policies she was never able to advocate for. As she perused them, her emotions began to surge, and her resolve to uncover the truth behind Amidala's death intensified. Her contemplation was abruptly interrupted by the sound of her comm unit, which she initially chose to ignore. However, Tonra answered the call and insisted that Sabé speak with the caller. Sabé eventually yielded and accepted the call, which was being initiated by Organa. Sabé then questioned Organa about the reason for his call.

Not long after Padmé's funeral, Sabé and her allies infiltrated Padmé's Apartment on Coruscant and absconded with the security recordings from the chamber. Believing that the recordings might contain a crucial clue, Sabé attempted to decode the footage. However, before she could accomplish this, the Empire revealed its true nature, and Sabé joined the fight in the rebellion. She concealed the recordings on Naboo, ensuring their safety until she could resume her investigation.

Confrontation with the Dark Lord

Encounter on Vendaxa

During the Galactic Civil War, sometime after the Duel on Cloud City in 3 ABY, Sabé and her team were stationed at a base on Vendaxa when the facility was compromised by the native Vendaxan land squids. The creatures swiftly decimated her team. The last surviving member of Sabé's soldiers, a Gungan, urged her to evacuate the base. Sabé refused, unwilling to abandon the rest of the crew, and was forced to witness the Gungan soldier's demise at the hands of the land squids. Just as it appeared that Sabé would be overwhelmed, a shadowy figure wielding a lightsaber entered the facility. The figure clad in black skillfully used his lightsaber to eliminate the land squids, clearing the immediate area of the creatures. Upon seeing Sabé, the man uttered the name "Padmé" in disbelief.

Sabé, pointing her blaster at the man, demanded to know why he had called her that name and who he was. A forensics droid accompanying the man commented on the striking resemblance between Sabé and the deceased Padmé and identified the man as Darth Vader, an agent of the Emperor. Upon learning that the dark figure was a servant of the Empire, Sabé immediately opened fire on Vader. However, the Sith Lord simply deflected the laser bolts with the Force and telekinetically disarmed Sabé, leaving her vulnerable. Vader then inquired about Sabé's identity, to which she responded that she was Amidala, returning to haunt him from beyond the grave. Enraged by Sabé's answer, Vader used the Force to lift and choke the rebel. However, after a brief moment, Vader, secretly the former Jedi Anakin Skywalker, released her after experiencing a flood of memories of his late wife, Amidala.

Sabé grabbed her blaster and retreated further into the facility, where the land squids still lurked. When Vader pursued her, the squids attacked him, but he managed to defeat them with relative ease. Hoping that the land squids could overwhelm Vader with their numbers, Sabé opened a gate in the facility that led to the main nest. Vader quickly caught up with her and used the Force to prevent her from escaping. Vader again demanded to know Sabé's true identity, assuring her that she had no reason to fear him. Once again, Sabé evaded the question, simply stating that she was angry, not afraid. Fortunately for her, Vader realized that Sabé must be one of Amidala's former Handmaidens.

Joining Forces with Vader

With this newfound understanding, the forensic droid accompanying Vader identified her as Sabé. Vader questioned Sabé about her break-in into Amidala's apartment on Coruscant years ago and what she had discovered during her investigation. Sabé asked Vader what he was trying to achieve, as she believed that the Emperor was responsible for Amidala's death. The droid noted that Sabé seemed uncertain about her accusation against the Emperor and introduced himself as ZED-6-7. As the droid began to ramble, Vader ordered him to be silent and revealed to Sabé that someone had taken Amidala away shortly before her death and that those responsible were considered enemies of the Empire.

Vader requested that Sabé join his investigation into Amidala's death, knowing that she, too, sought vengeance against those responsible for the Senator's untimely demise. Sabé, noticing a Vendaxan land squid approaching Vader from the opened gate, shot the squid and agreed to help him. Sabé and Vader then fought together against the horde of land squids emerging from the main nest. After all the squids were defeated, Vader complimented Sabé on her combat skills and urged her to follow him.

As they exited the facility, Vader informed the death troopers waiting outside that they would be departing the planet immediately. However, Sabé refused, wanting to bury the bodies of her fallen crew before leaving. Vader conceded and tasked ZED-6-7 with assisting her at Sabé's request. After the burial was completed, Sabé somberly remarked that they had been good soldiers who had accompanied her during Amidala's funeral. She then informed Vader and the other Imperials that it was time to leave and boarded Vader's shuttle. On the shuttle, Sabé revealed to Vader that she and her allies had indeed broken into Amidala's apartment after the funeral and stolen the chamber's security recordings, but she had been unable to decrypt them and had hidden them on Naboo.

Setting the Trap

Upon arriving on Naboo, Sabé led Vader to the Naberrie lake retreat. As soon as they entered, Captains Tonra and Typho began firing at Vader. Sabé quickly de-escalated the situation, introduced Vader to her allies, and scolded them for shooting, as she had not given the signal to attack. Typho explained that they had assumed she was under duress. Sabé informed Vader that he needed Tonra and Typho to retrieve the security recording, as she had entrusted it to them for safekeeping when it became clear that they couldn't decrypt it. The captains led them downstairs to a room containing a parked submarine, and together they embarked on a journey to retrieve the recording.

As they navigated the waters of Naboo, ZED-67 and Vader questioned the men about their time serving Amidala. Tonra revealed that he and Sabé had been sent undercover to Tatooine, where they had attempted, unsuccessfully, to rescue Anakin Skywalker's mother. Sabé described the failure as the greatest source of shame in her life. Shortly after, the submarine was attacked by a colo claw fish, which breached its hull. Fortunately, the group was close enough to their destination, a hydrostatic bubble, to swim the remaining distance. Once inside, Sabé pointed out a mural depicting the celebration following the Battle of Naboo and told Vader that Skywalker, who was included in the picture, had served Amidala from his childhood until his disappearance after her death, and that she and her comrades mourned his loss along with Amidala's.

When Vader grew impatient and demanded the security recording, Tonra handed over a recording device. Initially, it displayed footage of Amidala's apartment, but it quickly switched to a recording of Sabé, Tonra, Typho, and others as she declared the formation of the Amidalans and they collectively vowed to find and kill Amidala's murderer. The three Amidalans revealed that because Typho had last seen Amidala heading to Mustafar, and Mustafar was Vader's base, they had concluded that he had killed both Amidala and Skywalker. Vader confirmed that he had, and on Typho's cue, Tonra activated a beast caller. In response, a massive sando aqua monster emerged and attacked the bubble.

Confrontation with Vader

As the aqua monster attempted to breach the bubble, Typho and Tonra began firing at Vader. Sabé pointed out that they already knew he could deflect direct blaster bolts, and that they would need to be more inventive to defeat him. With that, she turned her blaster on the rock promontory Vader was standing on. As it crumbled beneath him, he fell from the hydrostatic bubble and into the beast's jaws.

Sabé then rendezvoused with Eirtaé, Saché, Rabé, and Dormé in Theed. They were positioned at Amidala's tomb in time to intercept Vader. Vader was accompanied by ZED-67, who identified the other handmaidens, causing Vader to experience flashes of his shared past with them. Vader paused for a moment before telling them to leave if they didn't want to be killed; they chose to attack him instead. They held their own briefly, but after he was overwhelmed by visions of Amidala, he ended up Force-choking them, then simply threw the former handmaidens away from him, leaving only Sabé at the tomb entrance with him.

Amidala's Final Secrets

Sabé entered the tomb with Vader. Despite her horrified protests, he approached Amidala's coffin and began to move it with the Force. When he stopped, ZED-67 scanned the coffin and discovered a med implant which the droid traced to Polis Massa. Sabé rejoined the other former handmaidens outside the tomb and hailed the rest of the Amidalans to relay these new coordinates. Prompted by ZED-67, one of the death troopers who had accompanied Vader prepared to fire at the Amidalans. Vader stopped him and urged Sabé to bring her comrades to meet him at Polis Massa.

The Amidalans arrived at Polis Massa Base with a fleet of ships, and once again attempted to confront Vader. Their ships proved an obstacle as Vader attempted to reach the medical facility there, but he drew their fire and gave the death troopers enough time to fire on the larger ships and bring one crashing down. Vader fought his way through and ultimately escaped the Amidalans unscathed.

After Vader returned to the Imperial Palace on Coruscant to answer his master's summons, Darth Sidious repeatedly struck him with Force lightning while Grand Vizier Mas Amedda spoke on the emperor's behalf, condemning Vader for his failure to turn Luke Skywalker to the dark side and his failure to kill Sabé. Amedda declared these actions to be treasonous and punishable by death. As Sidious choked Vader with the Force, Vader recalled doing the same to Sabé, Padmé, and other beings.

Shadow of the Dawn

At a later point in time, Sabé returned to the ruins of the Polis Massa Base. There, she discovered a Chroon-Tan B-Machine midwifery droid that she determined had been examined by someone. Curious about what the individual had been searching for, the droid managed to play back a partial holographic recording of Padmé Amidala's last words before her death, which brought tears to Sabé's eyes. The upper half of ZED-6-7, which had been lying among the ruins, came online at that moment, noticing her and recognizing her from previous encounters. The droid asked if Sabé had found what she was looking for. Sabé answered in the negative, clarifying that she was there looking for Vader. The droid then asked her what she planned to do when she found him. To this, Sabé replied that she had not yet made a definite decision before revealing a badge of the Crimson Dawn criminal organization that was pinned on her chest, beneath her cloak. In reality, Sabé didn't care about the Dawn or its plans, having simply infiltrated it for her own purposes.

Sabé then reprogrammed a few mouse droids and used them to repair ZED-6-7 and free him from his preprogrammed loyalty to Vader. After rewatching the footage of Padmé, Sabé instructed the droids to reactivate him. Upon awakening, ZED-6-7 expressed surprise at the handmaiden rescuing him. He then warned her not to ask him about his previous mission, or he would self-destruct, to which Sabé pointed out that ZED-6-7 had already done so, and nothing had happened. She informed the droid that he was free, that she had joined Crimson Dawn, and had saved him to get close to Vader. When Sabé asked ZED-6-7 about Vader's interest in Padmé, he explained that Luke Skywalker, the rebel who had destroyed the Death Star, was the son of Padmé and Anakin Skywalker. Vader's original mission had been to discover who had kept Luke hidden from him as a child. Sabé then decided that until she knew Vader's true objectives, she would use him rather than destroy him, which ZED-6-7 casually agreed with.

Three weeks later, Sabé infiltrated a Crimson Dawn base on Laecor and planted a false list of Crimson Dawn collaborators within the Empire. As Vader and his followers entered the base, Sabé escaped amidst the blaster fire and met back up with ZED-6-7. They then watched as Vader exited the base along with his followers and flew off in the Sith Lord's Lambda shuttle. As they left the planet, ZED-6-7 confirmed that they were heading for Coruscant, confirming that they had taken the bait. Later, Sabé and ZED-6-7 broke into a building where Ochi of Bestoon, one of the Emperor's assassins, was confronting Sly Moore over the list of false names. After ZED-6-7 shocked them into submission, Sabé told them they would do as she said, or she would inform Vader of their allegiance to Crimson Dawn. Ochi tried to fight off his attackers, only for the droid to shock him again.

Sabé then revealed that she was also with the Dawn and wanted to make sure that Ochi and Moore knew that she was in charge. She went on to ask them what Vader wanted, to which Ochi said he wanted her because of her planting the list of false names. Sabé welcomed the challenge and specified that she wanted to know what drove the Sith Lord. Ochi said that Vader wanted power, while Moore said he had promised to bring the Emperor order. To this, Sabé decided they would use the Dark Lord to bring chaos. After causing friction between Vader's forces and the rest of the Empire, Ochi's loyalty to the Dawn was discovered, and he fled in a ship to Naboo. Vader followed Ochi there and, after regaining his allegiance, confronted Sabé and told her that he would now use her. He then took her badge from her and claimed that he was the Dawn.

Shadow of Skywalker

Joining the Dark Lord

Shortly after, Vader took Sabé, Ochi, and ZED-6-7 to the carcass of the sando aqua monster he had slain. He then threw Sabé and Ochi out of the shuttle and watched as they were attacked by a pack of ravenous creatures. As they defended themselves, Vader asked Sabé why she believed in Crimson Dawn, to which she said that she had merely infiltrated the syndicate. When Vader asked her if she intended to serve the Empire, Sabé said she didn't, as long as the Empire served chaos. Sabé went on to claim that she and Vader wanted the same thing: order. To this, Vader levitated the creatures with the Force and told Sabé that if she killed one monster, a thousand more would replace it.

He then explained that one would have to either make the monsters agree or deal with them all. With that, Vader threw the creatures at a group of long-necked beasts as they sprouted from the ground. Understanding Vader's plan, Sabé brought him to a Crimson Dawn outpost. Upon arriving at the outpost, Sabé informed the Dawners there that they served Vader now. To this, the Dawners attacked Vader and were easily cut down by the Sith Lord. Vader then had Ochi use his followers as bait to draw the remaining Dawners and traitorous Imperials to Oro Sankeria. As the Dawners and Imperials fought one another, they were suddenly wiped out by a pulse bomb, thus eliminating many of Vader's enemies. Vader informed Sabé that Crimson Dawn and Romodi feared him now. When he asked Sabé if she was scared, Sabé asked him why she should be scared of his true identity: Anakin Skywalker.

Vader claimed Skywalker was dead, but Sabé explained how she had determined who he was. Vader had appeared after Skywalker had allegedly died, Vader and Skywalker were obsessed with order, Vader nearly ripped open Amidala's tomb to find out how Skywalker's wife had died, and despite everything, Vader still refused to kill Sabé. Sabé then revealed that she had been to Polis Massa and had heard her queen's final words about there still being good in Vader. Vader held his lightsaber to Sabé's throat and demanded to know what she wanted. She went on to explain that years ago, she and Tonra had freed hundreds of slaves from Tatooine and brought them to a colony on Gabredor III. But now, the corrupt Imperial ruling the planet, Governor Tauntaza, was neglecting the refugees while secretly working for Crimson Dawn. Sabé told Vader that if he helped her liberate the colonists from Tauntaza, he would get to kill another Crimson Dawn mole and prove that his wife had been right about him. Vader begrudgingly agreed, deactivating his lightsaber and warning her that she alone was responsible for where her chosen path took her. They then boarded their shuttle and departed for Gabredor III.

Shadow in the Sand

Once they reached the planet, they were met by Tauntaza's flagship. Vader asked ZED-6-7 if they had been detected. When the droid said they hadn't, Vader ordered him to take them to the planet's surface. Sabé suggested summoning Vader's own flagship to blast Tauntaza's, but Vader said that he wished to see the colony first to confirm her story. They soon landed near the colony, and Vader, Sabé, and ZED-6-7 exited the shuttle. ZED-6-7 ordered the colonists to listen to Vader's instructions and to lead him to their protocol droid. One of the colonists, Kitster Banai, asked Sabé what was going on, to which Sabé said that this was about helping the colony. Another colonist, a Rodian named Wald, explained that their protocol droid had broken down and that their astromech droid Em-Sevenbee now kept track of everything for them. ZED-6-7 then learned from the droid that Tauntaza hadn't delivered the colony all of their promised supplies and had also forcibly conscripted a few of them to work for her. Wald explained that they had tried to contact Sabé, but Tauntaza had blocked their communications and confiscated all of their space-faring ships. When ZED-6-7 pointed out a podracer in their possession, Kitster and Wald explained that they had built the vehicle from scratch, but still lacked the ability to fly anywhere far. Sabé, ZED-6-7, Kitster, and Wald then followed Vader into a nearby forest, which he sensed was disturbed.

They and the colonists were then attacked by a pack of clawed beasts. Sabé ordered the colonists to stay back while she and Vader fought them off, though Kitster and Wald still aided in killing them. Sabé asked Vader if he had seen enough and urged him to take out Tauntaza. However, Vader told Sabé she wasn't ready, explaining that the colonists had disobeyed her. When Sabé said that everyone made their own choices in the end, Vader claimed they would have to obey her if she wanted them to live. Later, a second Imperial shuttle arrived, and ZED-6-7 hurried her onboard. She was then outfitted with a set of Imperial armor and officially conscripted into the Imperial Military with the rank of Lieutenant Commander, giving her authority over all of Vader's present forces. When Sabé asked Vader if they would go after Tauntaza, Vader ordered for his shuttle to be prepared. Sabé then told ZED-6-7 to get the names, skills, and expertise of the conscripts from Em-Sevenbee and extrapolate their likely locations. The droid then revealed that the flagship's traffic comm was still accessible, allowing him to scan the ship's logs. He then explained that a ship titled Imperium One had left the flagship two days ago while guarded by four TIE Defenders and now rested in a facility about three hundred kilometers north.

Kitster explained that the facility had been the old science colony, which hadn't been running in years. With this information, Vader, Sabé, and the rest of their forces stormed the facility and fought through dozens of battle droids and Crimson Dawn guards to reach Tauntaza. A few of the kidnapped conscripts began to run away, but Sabé assured them she was there to help. She then caught up to Vader and watched as he was stunned by one of Tauntaza's weapons. Sabé and her forces were then surrounded by the droids and guards, but they were quickly saved by Ochi. Vader began to choke Ochi for allowing Tauntaza to escape, but Sabé interrupted him and took him to the scientists who had helped build Tauntaza's weapons. One of them, Doctor Aira, explained that Tauntaza had been developing a weapon that could drain the energy from living things. Said weapon had already been used to drain the life from the planet Karolia. Aira expressed regret over how he'd helped develop the weapon, though Sabé assured him and the rest of the conscripts that they hadn't known what Tauntaza had hired him to create. Vader then took Ochi's speeder and went after Tauntaza. As Ochi bragged about how helpful he had been, Sabé silenced him and ordered him to evacuate the conscripts before they destroyed the facility.

Ochi told Sabé they would need their own transport to catch up with Vader, but Sabé explained that Vader would have commanded them to join them if he wished for that. ZED-6-7 then said that he would access the data bank containing the information on what Tauntaza was using to drain the energy from Gabredor III. Ochi said he would go find himself a transport, but Sabé told him he was going to stay and follow her orders. When her forces threatened him, Ochi claimed he could kill them all and asked them if they were going to take orders from a rebel sympathizer. To this, ZED-6-7 and Sabé reminded Ochi that she had authority over all of Vader's forces there, including him. As Sabé and the rest of them exited the facility, Kitster arrived on a speeder and told Sabé that they had to leave before a storm arrived. But Sabé told him they couldn't leave until they found what was draining the planet's energy.

ZED-6-7 then reported the location of the facility leeching Gabredor III's resources. When Sabé inquired about the facility's whereabouts, he indicated the approaching sandstorm. Ochi suggested waiting for the storm to pass before departing, but Sabé revealed that Tauntaza's technology was the source of the storm. ZED-6-7 supported this, explaining that a natural sandstorm would move with the wind, not against it. Sabé instructed Kitster to escort the conscripts back to the settlement, but Aira argued that he and the other scientists might be needed to deactivate the device. Kitster responded that he would accompany Sabé first and then return for the conscripts once they knew what was required. Sabé, Ochi, Kitster, and a few stormtroopers then rode speeders into the storm, eventually reaching the facility. Kitster was then swept into the storm, prompting Sabé to search for him. Ochi urged her to abandon him, but she continued searching until a large tank collided with her speeder, pulling her in as well. Trapped beneath the tank by the swirling sand, Sabé and Kitster were soon rescued by Vader, who ordered the Executor to fire on their location while they sought shelter under the tank. After the tank was destroyed, the sandstorm subsided, and Vader carried Sabé back toward the colony, with Kitster following behind.

Upon their return to the colony, ZED-6-7 informed Vader and Sabé that Tauntaza was using the energy siphoned from the planet to power her facility's shields. When Sabé inquired about its vulnerability, ZED-6-7 explained that because the facility was drawing energy from below, its underside was unprotected. Consequently, Vader took Em-Sevenbee with him toward the facility. When ZED-6-7 pointed out that the technology only absorbed organic life energy, Sabé asked what would happen to Vader. ZED-6-7 admitted he couldn't guarantee Vader's survival but knew the colony would not survive if the facility arrived. In response, Sabé ordered the colonists and her forces to seek refuge in the forest while she pursued Vader toward the facility. Shortly after Sabé arrived, the Executor fired on the facility, destroying it but leaving Vader critically injured. ZED-6-7 contacted her, stating that he couldn't connect with Vader, to which Sabé explained that his armor had deactivated. As Vader lay at her feet, near death, Sabé confessed that she had fantasized about killing him for years. She continued, saying that even though her queen had believed there was still good in him, she now questioned if she had ever truly understood Vader. However, Sabé acknowledged that her queen had spoken with purpose and decided to give Vader one last chance.

Using the available machinery, Sabé reactivated Vader's armor and escorted him back toward the colony. Upon their return, ZED-6-7 revealed that Tauntaza had been receiving her orders directly from the Emperor himself. When Vader asked Sabé why she was smiling, she explained that she now understood why she had saved him. After dispatching Ochi to locate Tauntaza, Sabé met with Vader on the bridge of the Executor, where Vader expressed surprise that she had not abandoned him. When Sabé explained that she was fulfilling the role he had assigned her, Vader decided against killing her, much to her relief, and demanded an update on the search for Tauntaza. When Vader sought her counsel after learning that the governor had been following Palpatine's orders, Sabé advised Vader to do what he always did: confront the problem directly. Upon arriving at Coruscant, Vader and Sabé entered the Imperial Palace and confronted the Emperor, who asked Vader what his heart dictated. Vader then used the Force to suspend Sabé in the air as the Emperor laughed, declaring that she had only reminded Vader of his weakness. Releasing her, Vader refused to aid Sabé as the Emperor had his Royal Guards attempt to eliminate her. After she outmaneuvered them in combat, the Emperor executed the guards with Force lightning and, recognizing her value as an agent, permitted Sabé to continue working with Vader.

A fleeting shadow

Upon returning to their shuttle, Vader and Sabé received their next assignment from ZED-6-7. Jul Tambor, grandson of Techno Union Foreman Wat Tambor, had overthrown Vader's established regime on Skako Minor and employed pirates to blockade the planet and amass technology for use against the Empire. Consequently, their mission was to quell the Skakoan's rebellion and restore Imperial control over Skako Minor. Arriving at the planet, they discovered a wrecked commercial transport from Corellia. ZED-6-7 explained that the ship had been boarded, and its occupants had been killed by the planet's toxic atmosphere. As they moved across the terrain, Vader saved a group of pirates by killing a pack of cliff worms. Spotting a pile of corpses, he struck down the pirates, while Sabé hesitated, allowing one to escape. When Vader questioned whether the pirates deserved mercy, Sabé admitted she was unsure who did anymore. Vader reminded her that she was now his shadow, and she countered that they would need a live pirate to find Tambor. In response, Vader instructed Sabé to follow the surviving pirate and locate Tambor while he dealt with the remaining pirates.

While Vader was occupied with the final stages of the war against Crimson Dawn, Sabé followed the pirate and tracked Tambor to Brentaal IV, where she found him discussing his cause with a group of fellow Skakoans. However, they were ambushed by the Droid Crush Pirates of Bestoon, whom Sabé helped Tambor subdue. Tambor thanked Sabé and explained the Empire's oppression of his people. The droid mercenary Gee-Ninety then arrived to warn Tambor that Sabé was working for Vader, prompting Tambor to lament that he had been trying to win her over to his side. When Tambor vowed to kill Vader for what he had done to his father and his people, Sabé warned him that Vader would kill him and his people. When Tambor refused to listen, Sabé reluctantly shot him in the chest. As the surrounding crowd opened fire, Sabé narrowly escaped with Tambor aboard a ship piloted by ZED-6-7. After the droid revived Tambor, Sabé explained that she had shot him to prevent him and his followers from marching to their deaths. While Tambor insisted that he would kill Vader himself, the ship was boarded by an escape pod. The pod opened, revealing a small army of B1 and B2-series super battle droids, along with Gee-Ninety. Tambor explained that the droids had all been destroyed by Vader and that he had rebuilt them, using their memories of Vader's attacks to study and counter his fighting style. When Sabé insisted that Vader had no weaknesses, Tambor claimed he had at least one: Sabé. He then took Sabé hostage and sent a message to Vader, demanding that he come and get her.

Privately, Vader had begun to view corrupting Sabé and the other handmaidens, who sided with the Dark Lord of the Sith in order to rescue Sabé from Tambor, as a way to finally achieve his idealized life with Amidala and his son Luke Skywalker. As Vader fought his way to Tambor's location, Sabé tried again to persuade Tambor to stop. She warned him that Vader would retaliate by wiping out his people, but Tambor countered that Vader's forces would be wiped out first. Soon after, Vader broke into Tambor's hideout and was confronted by Gee-Ninety, who used magnetic spheres to immobilize Vader. However, the handmaidens then came to Vader's aid, using their own magnetic devices to free him. While Tambor fled in a ship, the handmaidens unlocked Sabé's cage and urged her to leave Vader's service. But Vader used the Force to choke the handmaidens and asked Sabé if she would allow Tambor to escape and leave the locals to suffer.

After returning to base, the handmaidens insisted that Sabé leave with them and abandon the Empire. In response, Vader reiterated that she would only have the power to stop Tambor if she remained in his service. Vader then extended his hand to Sabé. But before she could take it, Dormé tackled her out of the way while the rest of the handmaidens opened fire on Vader. They then took her outside and used their antigravity devices to fly her up toward their ship. When Sabé reminded them of Tambor's plans, the handmaidens assured her they would stop him together without Vader or the Empire. Realizing her fellow handmaidens would be outmatched and still wanting to fulfill Amidala's wish that the light existed in Vader, Sabé regretfully said goodbye before pulling away from the handmaidens and falling back down toward Vader, who caught her with the Force as they made their escape. Vader then called off his forces and returned to the Executor along with Sabé.

While aboard the flagship, Vader and Sabé were informed of three gunships heading towards the planet's surface. When Vader deferred the reports to Sabé, as this was her mission, she asked how many life forms were aboard the gunships. As the crew said they would have to check, Sabé told them to prepare her shuttle. Devising a plan to weaken Tambor's forces, she used her ship to gather twelve of the Skakoan refugees that Tambor had been assisting. She then contacted Tambor and told him that while Vader was at the Imperial base he was targeting, there were also Skakoan refugees there and that he should wait until Vader left the area. Tambor then asked how many refugees there were, to which she said twelve. Tambor then thanked Sabé for her help and had his gunships level the area. When Sabé accused Tambor of allowing his own people to die, Tambor said his people knew their place and that they would rejoice beneath his rule. Sabé then showed Tambor the very refugees she had been talking about. When she asked them if they would rejoice, they expressed outrage at how Tambor had been willing to let them die.

Chaos on the Executor

Following a decisive victory over Tambor's droid forces, in which Sabé killed Gee-Ninety, Sabé reported to Vader on the Executor that the Skakoan refugees had abandoned Tambor's regime, discrediting him and leaving him powerless. Vader then asked Sabé how it felt to wield such power, to which she admitted that she no longer knew what Amidala would do. Vader then told her that she had chosen to be stronger while the rest of the handmaidens had fled. In response, Sabé explained that she had withheld Vader's true identity from them to ensure that they wouldn't have stayed and tried to kill him. Now, although their hearts were broken, they would continue to live their lives apart from her and Vader. Sabé then said that this way, only one of them would lose their soul as she left Vader to meditate alone.

However, as she departed the room, Vader began to dismantle the Executor as he lost control over his Force powers due to the Force Wave, which had resurfaced after its initial release at the end of the Crimson Dawn war. Sabé quickly recognized that Vader had lost control of the Force as the ship began to crumble, ordering the officers and stormtroopers around her to clear the hallway and seal its doors, effectively ejecting the out-of-control Vader into space. When an officer refused, Sabé pushed past him and did it herself, much to his horror, before contacting Vader via comlink to ask him to hold on for a moment. Instead, Vader, who was also grappling with Palpatine's mental taunts about whether he would transform his hate into power or suffering, Force-choked Sabé before being sucked out into space.

Sabé swiftly rushed to a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle and retrieved the Sith Lord's body using two Prowler 1000 seeker droids. She also decided to transport Vader to an uninhabited astronomical object, where the Sith Lord could take his time in rediscovering his powers without harming anyone. Despite Sabé's plea for him to hold on for just a minute longer, Vader's uncontrolled powers destroyed the shuttle around him as they entered hyperspace, causing them to crash onto the astronomical object upon exiting hyperspace. Sabé quickly grabbed a wing backpack and jumped out of the crumbling ship to rescue the falling Vader, who grabbed her hand shortly before both crashed into the sea. Sabé lost her grip on Vader and sank beneath the waves.

Power or suffering

Sabé awoke on a beach and followed the footprints in the sand and the trail of destruction to Vader, who pushed the handmaiden back and demanded that she leave him. Sabé, instead, pointed out that she had deliberately brought him to the astronomical object and suggested that it could finally be an opportunity for him to take control of his life, addressing him as "Anakin" once more. Vader unleashed a blast of energy that forced Sabé to throw herself back, only to then grab her with the Force to turn the test his master had for him on her: out of hate, he demanded to know if she she would choose power or suffering. Sabé refused to answer and wanted to focus on figuring out a way for Vader to control his powers, but Vader pulled her into an embrace and declared the only way to be safe was to remain in the center of the storm with him. At that moment, Vader allowed Sabé to see a Force vision of what he claimed was her own desires.

In the vision, Sabé chose power and used it to bring order to the galaxy upon fully embracing the Empire. In particular, she led the Empire in arresting Tambor and his remaining supporters, fought a group of slavers, and took part in the yet to occur Battle of Endor against the Rebel Alliance, where her armor increasingly grew bloodied as she fired on her enemies. Returning to Naboo under the guard of two stormtroopers, she would then watch as her fellow Handmaidens and their family spoke to Padmé Amidala's tomb about Sabé's success. As she lived through the battle against the Rebels, however, she rejected the vision and confronted Vader, declaring that it was not the future she wanted for herself. One of her fellow Handmaidens tried to tell her Vader was not Anakin Skywalker when she asked him what he was doing, but Sabé chased after the Sith Lord after declaring he would always be Skywalker, no matter what he claimed. Instead of finding Vader, however, Sabé found visions of Amidala and Vader's son Luke, which she believed meant there was still good in Vader after all, just as Amidala had declared, as she believed she was within Vader's mind.

Again claiming that it was Sabé's vision and not his own, Vader suddenly emerged and cut down both his wife and son before turning his blade against the Handmaidens, who tried to defend Sabé but were cut down while Vader declared the vision was filled with lies. When Vader offered her a new future by abandoning her past, Sabé rejected his offer and tumbled out of the vision, again trying to tell Vader to focus on controlling his powers. Instead, she was thrown back by Vader, who offered Sabé the choice to take either suffering and power one last time: as he noted, he would kill her if she defied him again simply because he could not control his greater-than-ever-before, but still out of control, power. Recoiling at the memory of Vader killing the illusions of his own wife and son, Sabé rejected the choice all together: she would simply refuse to hate. Sabé turned to walk away, which resulted in Vader throwing her out into the sea in his next blast of power.

Personality and traits

Similar to Amidala, Sabé was a human female with a height of 1.65 meters. She possessed brown hair, brown eyes, and fair skin. Sabé exhibited unwavering personal and professional loyalty to Queen Amidala, becoming her friend in addition to serving as her bodyguard and decoy during critical situations, despite the significant risk of injury, capture, or even death. As a member of Amidala's royal retinue of handmaidens, Sabé was carefully selected to assist the Queen of Naboo. Like all Naboo handmaidens, she received self-defense training and was also taught to remain vigilant against all threats to her monarch. When she impersonated the Queen and Amidala disguised herself as a handmaiden, the pair relied on a system of subtle signals to secretly communicate without compromising the deception of their switched roles.

Having developed feelings for Amidala, Sabé's love and devotion to her friend led her to prioritize Amidala's needs above those of any other beings, including herself, even though she knew Amidala could not reciprocate. Although she once advised Amidala to return romantic love to someone who understood her, she was certain Amidala would never return her feelings and assumed her friend would chose something larger than a person to love, such as a planet or species, which left her shocked to discover she had married Anakin Skywalker. She valued being Amidala's second-in-command more than being first to anyone else, although this made it difficult to maintain relationships with lovers who could not understand that they would never be more important to her than Amidala; Tonra understood and accepted it before they became intimate, but her brief relationship with Harli Jafan did not last. Sabé was more often interested in fellow humans than beings of other species, though she sometimes found nonhumans attractive, usually if they were interesting females.

After joining forces with Darth Vader to nurture and realize Amidala's belief that the light still resided within him, Sabé found herself at a personal crossroads as her continued service to Vader and the Empire compromised her own moral principles. She recognized that she could fully dedicate herself to establishing Imperial order throughout the galaxy in the name of protecting those she loved and the innocent, but she only remained with the Empire because of her commitment to redeeming Vader. Indeed, she viewed everything she did in his service as a loss of her own soul, finding solace in the fact that her handmaiden sisters did not join her. During the Force Wave, Vader decided to test his new disciple by forcing her to choose whether she would transform her hatred into suffering or, in the choice that would bind her to his service, power. Vader even showed her a vision of herself as an effective Imperial commander who brought Imperial order to the galaxy, claiming it was her own wish. Sabé, however, rejected that future. When Vader demanded that she turn her hatred into either suffering or power one last time, she decided not to hate altogether.

Skills and abilities

Sabé demonstrated proficiency as a marksman, once taking off the head of a battle droid with a single shot.

Equipment

During her tenure as a handmaiden, Sabé carried a standard ELG-3A blaster pistol, similar to the queen and her fellow handmaidens. During the Imperial Era, she carried a blaster rifle that was either a pulse cannon or DLT-20A blaster rifle.

Behind the scenes

Sabé made her debut in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, portrayed by English actress Keira Knightley. Initially, Sabé was intended to be played by a stand-in, until casting director Robin Gurland discovered Knightley, who bore a striking resemblance to Natalie Portman, who played Padmé Amidala in the film. The Phantom Menace's marketing team kept Knightley's role a secret to enhance the surprise of there being a decoy queen when the film was released, and the queen's costumes were specifically designed to conceal any height and shape differences between Portman and Knightley, so much so that even Portman's own mother couldn't distinguish between the two on set.

When questioned years later about her role in Star Wars, Knightley expressed confusion that her character's name was Sabé and not Padmé, as she was young during filming and has not viewed the movie since. Knightley jokingly responded to whether she would reprise her role that she had not been asked to return as a character whose name she had forgotten.