'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: PADME AND THE DELEGATION OF 2000 TAKE ACTION!

Padme gets serious in diplomacy with this memorable outfit.

On Coruscant, the Clone Wars continue on despite the defeat of Count Dooku, with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's senatorial powers seemingly undiminished nor scaled back, as he had prior promised he would. Now is the time that a group of war-weary senators, ultimately led by Padme Amidala (garbed in one of her most striking diplomatic outfits), meets with Palpatine, watched by the leader's loyal friend and bodyguard of sorts in Anakin Skywalker, to discuss the future and an end to the galactic warfare. The Delegation of 2000 sadly fails in their task, brushed aside by Palpatine, of which Padme feels frustrated that Anakin is not in her corner on the subject, adding strain to their relationship.

Anakin watches as Palpatine brushes the Delegation's genuine concerns away.

The Delegation of 2000 has been soundly defeated.

An intriguing deleted sequence that we all wish had been put back into the film, boosting Natalie Portman's role in the film, and especially after so much prior production publicity linked to this sequence had been given to the fans, including the appearance of a Mon Calamari senator. 

Revenge of the Sith at 20: Revisiting the Cut Scenes | StarWars.com

Posed publicity/costume reference images by Keith Hamshere.

Continuity polaroid of Natalie Portman in costume for the deleted Scene 89.

Costume camera test scene.

"The biggest change was that, when I wrote the first draft, I had way too much stuff. It was a longer movie. I had a whole thing about Padme helping to start the Rebellion. Obi-Wan also had a whole piece, and there was more about the Emperor. And R2-D2 and C-3PO had bigger roles. But I realized that, one, I had too much material, and two, it was extraneous. Also, the film - which is the third act - really had to be about Anakin and his fall from grace. Anything that didn't deal with that had to get out. So I cut everything except Anakin's story."

George Lucas - Starlog 337 - August 2005

Portman in her stunning costume for a posed photo shoot with the costume team (including designer Trisha Biggar and Ivo Coveney), for Vanity Fair magazine's coverage of Episode III. Image by Annie Leibovitz.

THE PATH TO 'STAR WARS - ANDOR': THE SECRET 'REBELLION'!

A military campaign seemingly without end and a galaxy stretched to the breaking point from the resultant conflicts. Things must change for the better soon, as a cadre of top Republic leaders (including the respected figures of Bail Organa, Mon Mothma and Padme Amidala) meet in secret to discuss what steps can be taken to gently persuade their Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to stop the Clone Wars. The Delegation of 2,000 is soon born.

Concept art, costume reference and publicity images of Mon Mothma, as played in EPISODE III by Genevieve O'Reilly.

Mon Mothma would nobly continue to fight for peace and justice across the Republic soon turned Galactic Empire, though her part in the Rebel Alliance's against the Emperor continues to grow in secret during the events of the upcoming spy thriller/political intrigue drama Star Wars - Andor series, starting exclusively on Disney+ from September 21st, 2022.

Andor's Genevieve O’Reilly on the Legacy of Mon Mothma | StarWars.com

Mon Mothma, still on Coruscant, and navigating dangerous political territories in the new Star Wars - Andor series.

DELETED SCENE: A REBELLION IS BORN!

Meeting under top secret and politically sensitive conditions, a group of disenchanted senators (led by Bail Organa with Mon Mothma, and Padme Amidala) meet regarding the disturbing decisions affecting the galaxy being made by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. From their early actions as the peace-seeking Delegation of 2000, a Rebellion will soon be born. A deleted scene of future importance, sadly cut for storytelling reasons being more centred on the fate of Anakin Skywalker, from EPISODE III.

CLASSIC IMAGE: IN LOYALTY TO THE REPUBLIC...

An important member of the soon initiated Delegation of 2000 representatives of the Republic, Senator Bana Breemu would be played by popular Chinese character actress and model Bai Ling. Though her scene with Natalie Portman for EPISODE III was deleted, it did eventually make it to the 2005 DVD release. Enjoying the publicity, Miss Ling went on to do a memorable STAR WARS inspired portfolio for Playboy magazine.

DELETED SCENE: THE "LOST" MON CALAMARI...

Continuing to tie-in continuity with the Classic Trilogy, EPISODE III features a brief cameo from a Mon Calamari senator, part of the Delegation of 2000 political party that implores Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to end the galaxy-spanning Clone Wars. Sadly, this intriguing scene, also helping to set-up the birth of the eventual Rebel Alliance, would not make the film's final cut, though it would appear on 2005 DVD.

DELETED SCENE: THE QUIET FIGHTERS...

The birth of the eventual Rebel Alliance begins with the concerned Delegation of 2000, including Senators Padme Amidala and Chi Eekway, and their subtle protesting against some of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's controversial and continuing actions during the war between Republic and Separatist. It's going to be interesting to see how much of this plotline, excised for time and pace reasons from EPISODE III, will be covered in the upcoming animated series STAR WARS REBELS, airing in 2014.

DELETED SCENE: BIRTH OF THE REBELLION!

Frustratingly cut in order for viewers to stay focused on the fall of Anakin Skywalker, one of the best things about the EPISODE III DVD release of 2005 were the deleted scenes showing Padme, Bail Organa and a group of equally concerned senators gathering together on Coruscant to discuss forcing the Supreme Chancellor to put an end to the long-running Clone Wars. From the seeds of this committee would later be born a Rebel Alliance challenging a tyrannical Empire.

An unknown stand-in filling in for the filming during Smit's original absence.

On an interesting behind the scenes note, Jimmy Smits was not originally available on the day to film this above scene at the FOX STUDIOS in Australia in 2003. A costumed double was used and then Smits as Organa was later cleverly superimposed onto the footage.

Digital contact sheet for the scene's filming, from the former collection of Anthony Daniels.

CLASSIC IMAGE: PADME'S MISSION...

Here's a great shot of Padme (Natalie Portman) in what I call her Green Riding Hood outfit, during a deleted scene from EPISODE III, where she speaks to the DELEGATION OF 2000 on Coruscant about what can be done about ending both the Clone War and the all-too powerful rein of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine...

The deleted scenes may have already appeared on the 2005 DVD of REVENGE OF THE SITH but for completism they should be added to the upcoming Blu-rays regardless.

CLASSIC IMAGE: GENEVIEVE O'REILLY AS REBEL LEADER MON MOTHMA

Legendary Rebel Alliance leader Mon Mothma makes her first appearance in EPISODE III.

In 2003, fans were overjoyed at George Lucas's plans to integrate more classic elements from the original STAR WARS Trilogy into the final part of the STAR WARS Prequel Trilogy, further bringing in the bridge from one side of the Saga's history to the other. As well as Vader at the films finale, we were to have Chewbacca and the Wookiees, spaceship cameos from what would be one of the Rebel Blockade Runners and the Millennium Falcon. But one of the most important links in III would be the birth of the Rebel Alliance to fight the Empire, shepherded into existence by a core group of players including Bail Organa, Padme Amidala and new (later to be RETURN OF THE JEDI figurehead) Mon Mothma. Originally played in 1982 for JEDI by distinguished British actress Caroline Blakiston, this time around the younger incarnation of Mothma would be portrayed by the lovely actress Genevieve O'Reilly. I met a Miss O'Reilly a while back at a UK collectors show at Cheshunt, and she recalled how, despite the scenes being cut from the film (though later released on DVD), she greatly enjoyed working on EPISODE III, loved hers and the others costumes and seeing the aliens, and liked George Lucas. She also remembered how one scene involving the DELEGATION OF 2000 had to be shot without Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa (Smits had not yet arrived in Australia for the filming), so a double was used saying his dialogue and in costume (with the actor re-filming the scene individually and later superimposed over the long shot).

Mon Mothma, as played by the lovely Genevieve O'Reilly

Having already made a small appearance in both THE MATRIX RELOADED and THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (as a Xion technician) prior to STAR WARS, Irish born, Australia raised O'Reilly would come to the UK and US and work in a variety of successful film and TV projects (including playing the late Princess Diana in DIANA: LAST DAYS OF A PRINCESS, a regular role as American Operative Sarah Caulfield in the hit BBC spy series SPOOKS (known in the US as MI5) and in the enjoyable political thriller THE STATE WITHIN (with HARRY POTTER's Jason Isaacs). Other film work would include the recent period drama THE YOUNG VICTORIA. She's also had a very good career on the London stage, working with Kevin Spacey at the Old Vic and more recently opposite young star in the making Ben Barnes (THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA) in the hit play BIRDSONG (based on the acclaimed book by Sebastian Faulks), at the London COMEDY THEATRE until January 15th 2011). Below is a nice image of the pair linked to the start of the plays run, in a photo shoot taken for the London EVENING STANDARD magazine in 2010 by Nicky Emerson.

STAR WARS AFICIONADO wishes Genevieve continued success in all areas of her acting career.

Mon Mothma, Rebel Leader: From Concept to Screen | StarWars.com