I feel like it works better if she’s not the queen at all. The handmaiden who becomes a senator and hero is much more interesting to me.
Also doable, but then the queen drama near the end needs to go, regardless, the movie gets really short really fast, if only we had more footage to work with.
I like this idea for sure (Padme = handmaiden only). It would help make a stronger connection between Padme and Anakin. Both starting off in life in a bit of a lowly position and then growing into their roles in the other films.
Also, it would work perfectly with Padmes line in AOTC: “But when the queen asked me to serve as senator, I couldn’t refuse her.”
Unfortunately, I don’t see how you could implement this in TPM. I mean, with the events that unfold, you’d (at the very least) have to have a scene at the end where Padme is recognized for her bravery by the queen or- …hmm…it would be interesting to see if the footage of Padme coming before Boss Nass could somehow be reworked into this idea. Heck, she even smiles and the people cheer at the end of the scene.