When Senator Onaconda Farr dies under suspicious circumstances, Padmé Amidala sets out to find the person responsible — working independently of the efforts of the bureaucratic local inspector.  Following a trail of clues, she delves into a dangerous world of backstabbing, lies and corruption.  The tangled web of intrigue reaches to the highest levels of the Republic political hierarchy in Senate Murders, an all-new episode of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, March 19 on Cartoon Network.

Bothan spies at Lucasfilm have provided FILMEDGE with high-res animation stills and a suspenseful video preview below.  Packed with political intrigue and a quest to uncover the mystery behind the assassination of a Senator, Padmé's voice actress is proud of her character's contribution to the series:

“Many of Padmé’s episodes center around politics, for obvious reasons, and they’re sometimes a departure — to a degree — from the action-packed episodes,” says Catherine Taber, the voice of Padmé in the series. “We try to create a feeling of tension and suspense, but Dave [Filoni] and the writers always include a touch of comedy, as well. It’s an essential element of the classic detective genre that influenced ‘Senate Murders,’ but it’s also such a key ingredient of classic Star Wars. One of the nice things about The Clone Wars is that we hearken back to all of the classic elements that made Star Wars so great, including the political intrigue,” she continues. “Diplomacy — or the lack thereof — is essential to The Clone Wars, and part of the foundation for the Star Wars Saga. Good and bad, the motivations are so important; these are the reasons people fight. I love the great battle sequences and I love watching things blow up, but it’s all so much better when we know about the quiet conflicts underneath.”

Through rarely in the series’ epic spaces battles or out on the front lines, Padmé’s behind-the-scenes role often serves to shine a light upon the character motivations, revealing the driving forces — and devious machinations — which propel the war itself. Additionally, her own investigations, ambitions and efforts tend to uncover aspects of the conflict altogether unseen by the swashbuckling, headlining heroes.

“In her own way, Padmé brings so much to the larger story. Of course, she’s the reason that Anakin eventually falls to the dark side, and she’s the mother of Luke and Leia — but what I think is really interesting is that she’s such an important foil to many of the characters. It is often through her that we see other central characters illuminated.”

From her unique vantage point of leadership in the Galactic Senate, Padmé plays a crucial role in the events of the Clone Wars as she struggles to fight for political freedom and justice against dark forces undermining the Republic.  But fans also have the foresight to know this is a dangerous trap for Padmé as well, since political power and a deadly greed for it sets the agenda hidden behind such covert, corrupt actions including assassination. Yet the dramatization of her stand against those who would destroy the Republic defines her character more clearly in THE CLONE WARS series taking place between Episodes II and III.

Join FILMEDGE in watching the Republic take one more dramatic step along the precipice of darkness as new episodes of THE CLONE WARS resume this week.  Senate Murders airs this Friday, March 19th at 9pm ET/PT only on the Cartoon Network.  See how Padmé's own investigation into the death of Senator Farr causes others to suspect her in this new video clip: