Naboo Royal Handmaidens The Naboo Royal Handmaidens , or simply handmaidens , were a group of young women chosen as aide s to the Queen of the planet Naboo . Responsible for assisting the Queen with everyday tasks , they also served as her bodyguard s and those chosen to join the entourage often closely resembled the current queen , allowing them to function as decoys should the need arise . The tradition of using handmaidens as protection and security for royal leaders originated generations prior to the Invasion of Naboo , during more uncertain time s . Overview . The Naboo Royal Handmaidens assisted the sovereign with everyday tasks including hair , makeup , and clothing . However , the handmaidens also played an important part in the safety of the queen and served as her bodyguard s , working closely with the Royal Naboo Security Forces . Each handmaiden was trained in self - defense and marksmanship and would carry a small blaster pistol . Additionally , handmaidens were often chosen for their close appearance to the queen allowing the handmaiden to take on the role of queen as a decoy while the true sovereign would hide disguised among the other handmaidens . The handmaidens were trained in defense and security by Captain Panaka , the protector of Queen Padmé Amidala during the Invasion of Naboo . History . The tradition of royal leaders using handmaidens as bodyguards and protection originated generations before the Invasion of Naboo , during more uncertain time s . During the Invasion of Naboo , Queen Padmé Amidala frequently changed places with her handmaiden , Sabé . This allowed the queen to escort the Jedi Master Qui - Gon Jinn into Mos Espa in the guise of a stranded traveler when her party was stranded on Tatooine , while her decoy remained on the royal starship . Two other handmaidens , Eirtaé and Rabé , also escorted Amidala to Tatooine as well as Coruscant , and watched as she plead Naboo ' s case to the Galactic Senate . Another two , Yané and Saché , remained behind . On Coruscant , Rabé helped to deceive Anakin Skywalker into thinking that Padmé was out on an errand , when her mistress was actually present in the room , as Queen Amidala . Later on the queen ' s return to Naboo , Sabé , Rabé , and Eirtaé took part in the mission to re - capture the royal palace from the Trade Federation . Sabé stood in as the decoy queen , playing a major role in the success of the operation after Amidala was captured . After Amidala became a Senator representing Naboo in the Republic Senate , handmaidens continued to assist her and serve as decoys when needed , though not to the same extent as when she was queen . Prior to the start of the Clone Wars , the handmaiden Cordé served as Amidala ' s decoy but was killed in an assassination attempt aimed at the senator . A handmaiden named Dormé witnessed a second assassination attempt on her mistress , and expressed concern when Amidala was ordered by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to return to Naboo under Jedi protection . During the Clone Wars , following a Separatist terror attack on Coruscant , a handmaiden named Teckla Minnau spoke with Amidala about the effects that the Republic ' s military spending were having on her family and other families like hers . Shortly after , Amidala delivered a speech to the Senate inspired by her words , which defeated a bill to increase military spending and order more clone trooper s . Later , escorting Senator Amidala on a mission to Scipio , Teckla was killed by the bounty hunter Embo while detonating a charge to grant Amidala access to the InterGalactic Banking Clan ' s Main Vault . Shortly before the end of the conflict , another handmaiden named Moteé was present in the Galactic Senate Chamber when Palpatine declared himself Emperor . Amidala ' s successor as queen , Jamillia , was also attended to by a cadre of handmaidens , and Queen Apailana was escorted by her own handmaidens during Amidala ' s funeral . Shortly after the death of Emperor Palpatine , two royal handmaidens were present in a meeting between Queen Sosha Soruna and her guest , Prince ss Leia Organa . They later helped Soruna dress into her flight suit as she prepared to pilot an N - 1 starfighter to protect the planet from an Imperial attempt to render Naboo inhospitable , code named . When Captain Korro suggested one of the handmaidens take Soruna ' s place , the queen replied that she could never ask her handmaidens to make a sacrifice she would not make herself . Behind the scenes . The Naboo Royal Handmaidens first appeared in the 1999 film . The concept of a handmaiden decoy originated in George Lucas ' s to " Star Wars " , where two handmaidens named Alana and Mina accompanied Leia to the Chatos Academy . Mina took the princess ' place to mislead the Empire when Annikin Starkiller spirited her to safety as the Empire ' s Space Fortress arrived at Aquilae .