Working on inserting the deleted scenes. The only difficulty I’m experiencing at the moment is where to place the Padme/Rebellion subplot scenes in a way that works. I put them in rather late in the first half, but then I realized, “Oh wait. Padme’s trying to mention a jedi they can rely on, but he’s on Utapau at the moment.” So I’m going to see if I can place them earlier rather than later.
I always thought the Jedi she was referring to was Anakin.
Strange. I’ve always thought that it was Obi-Wan, especially since Padme asks Anakin to see if Obi-Wan can help them with their issues regarding her pregnancy at the beginning of the film. On top of that, it seems odd that she would mention her husband to the rebellion as someone who can solve this problem when their opponent is her husband’s best friend. Why would her husband, the guy who already approved those executive powers to begin with, rat out Palpatine? To paraphrase Rick Deckard, “That’s no way to treat a friend.” On top of that, while Padme does end up having issues with Obi-Wan, particularly at the end when Obi-Wan tries to find out where Anakin is located, she still trusts him as an advisor. And in a situation like the petition of the 2,000, it seems like she would direct the rebellion towards someone who has a level head, something Anakin has had a consistent problem with throughout the prequels.