#dyads

I don’t know about Dyads in the Star Wars Universe...the whole concept seems convenient and made up for the sequels but yes, I do think it’s they are the closest thing to soulmates/twin flames in gffa. I think they always had a connection, especially since Anakin in TPM knows he will marry her just after meeting her. In the movie, it seems like the kid only has a little crush but in the novelization, he also has prophetic dreams about the upcoming battle and also about an older and sad Padmé. Also in Queen Amidala journal, Padme remarks she knows their fates are connected. It may seem unrealistic for young kids to say that but I think their force connection explains it. Padme and Anakin could also communicate via the Force in the Ruminations scene. Her temporary force sensitivity is due to the twins and I think Padme could sense Anakin was in pain when he was undergoing the surgery which is why she asked Obi-Wan about him since she could no longer communicate with him herself after the twins were born. And one thing I particularly like is Anakin/Vader saying “Padme, help me” when the mask is being lowered. Padme wakes up in the next scene and tells Obi-Wan with certainty that there is good in Anakin/Vader. I like to think she did hear him in her mind, only she could no longer reach him so she shared this with another force-sensitive. 

Even though Padme didn’t have much screen time in ROTS, I think that scene was to reflect it’s not just Anakin going through emotional turmoil. A lot of people tend to be surprised as to why Padme lost the will to live but I think it’s because they felt the same sense of apprehension and uncertainty. The only difference is Anakin acted on it because it was too much for him to handle and Padme didn’t and stayed strong till she felt let down by everyone, even Anakin. I like that Vader could never forget her either and Padme haunted him for the rest of his life. She was never really gone just as Anakin was never gone, even in the suit. He saw her in Luke and Leia (in the novel Death Star, Vader thinks Leia’s as beautiful as Padme so she definitely reminded him of her). They were always destined to be together just as it was Anakin’s destiny to bring balance to the Force. Anakin could not achieve it without Luke and Luke wouldn't have been born without Anakin and Padme. 

A lot of people think they are too different (mostly due to TCW and canon interpretation) but I think Anakin and Padme shared a lot of similarities even with their different backgrounds. However, they were symbolically opposites. Not only are they based on Romeo & Juliet, but there are also parallels with Mars & Venus, and Cronus & Rhea. If Vader is the “Father” in the story, Padmé is the “Mother” (Padme’s surname Naberrie actually means Mother of Twins in Egyptian just like Vader is Father in Dutch). Besides, Anakin’s name comes from Ananke the goddess of inevitability, compulsion and necessity, and Padme is Sanskrit for a lotus flower that dies after it reproduces. Anakin’s story reminds me of Lucifer and lotuses are associated with angels too. Anakin and Padme’s character arcs are also opposites in the sense that when we meet Queen Amidala she is very much like Vader. As the story progresses, she becomes kinder and warmer. As we see in AOTC, Padme enjoyed being the more assertive one which even hurt Anakin (when they are visiting the Queen). But gradually, she lets Anakin make some of the decisions like in ROTS leading to a balanced relationship. Anakin, on the other hand, starts off as one of the kindest kids in the galaxy but gradually loses his humanity and becomes cold and distant. But I think deep down they are both very similar people who loved wholeheartedly, wanted a loving family together even if it meant sacrificing their careers and ambition (it must have been hard too as they were prodigies in their fields), and loved too unconditionally to address each other’s flaws (which is why in ROTS novelization, their thoughts about each other seem so worshipful). And Padme is an admirable woman so no doubt the Force chose her to be its son’s equal.

A Toxic Relationship

If you’re going to make a poison, it’s a wise idea to make the antidote too. Rogue genetic elements in tiny Caenorhabditis nematode worms have taken this idea to the extreme. Several species of worms carry a gene encoding a potent toxin, along with another gene that makes the antidote. Importantly, although the toxin is made in egg and sperm cells, the antidote gene is only active in fertilised embryos. And although every embryo is stacked with toxin – the red blobs in this image of early (left) and later-stage worm embryos – one in four of them won’t inherit the precious antidote gene and unfortunately will die. These toxic partnerships have been found across many branches of the tree of life, including bacteria, yeast, plants, insects and nematodes. Given that the more researchers look for them the more they find, could humans also be carrying these poisonous gene pairs too?

Written by Kat Arney

Image by Pinelopi Pliota, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA)

Research from IMBA and Department of Human Genetics, Department of Biological Chemistry, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, LA, USA

Image copyright held by the original authors

Research published in Current Biology, January 2021

Complete List of Gods and Goddesses. 

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