Padmé is defined foremost by her compassion for others, belief in the power of democracy, and dedication to civil service. While there are of course nuances to her personal character, these are the pillars of who she is, and everything about her can be traced back to those pillars.

Her path to serving her people began when she was just a child, devoting herself to public service by joining the Apprentice Legislators program at eight years old, and then the Legislative Youth Program at twelve. These programs and numerous volunteer and service projects illustrate her commitment, and she was elected Queen of Naboo at the age of fourteen. Determined to sustain the peace her people have enjoyed for hundreds of years, and to making their lives better through her service and working closely with the planetary governor and various ministers on her advisory council, she refused to bend her beliefs or compromise her moral code despite being so young, and she never hesitated to stand her ground on any matter. This remained true later when she was appointed Senator — even when her ship was attacked because of her opposition to a proposed Act, she addressed the Senate less than an hour later to prove that she would not bow to such pressure.

In her own mind, Padmé's safety is secondary to the well-being of others. Despite the fact that assassins were trying to kill her for her extremely vocal political agenda, she didn't hesitate to leave the safety of Naboo to go with Anakin to Tatooine in search of his mother, nor did she allow the possibility of danger to stop her from running off to help Obi-Wan on Geonosis. Not only did she care about the both of them, but she was completely unable to even fathom the possibility of sitting back and doing nothing when she could be of assistance — it's simply not in her nature.

Visiting Tatooine and meeting Anakin was an eye-opening experience that has a ripple effect on Padmé's life. It isn't her first time off-planet, but she had never been somewhere so far from the government she had such faith in. When she learned of Anakin's circumstances, she was appalled that slavery still existed in the galaxy, believing that the Republic would oppose such things, only to have her eyes opened to the fact that the Republic didn't hold the far-reaching power she'd believed of it. She witnessed what can happen when corruption and crime rule instead of just law, and it strengthened her resolve to do whatever she could to protect others from that fate. Really, it was only when the Senate refused to take action against those invading her planet, insisting on political runarounds rather than outright assistance, that her faith in democracy was truly shaken for the first time.

Idealistic to a fault, she is occasionally blinded by her need to see the good in everything. Her faith and unwavering trust in others masks whatever flaws they may have, such as when Anakin slaughtered the Tusken Raiders and she merely comforted him after the act instead of seeing it for the sign of distress that it was. That trust and loyalty blinded her to any hints of Palpatine's true ambitions as well, despite having worked so closely with him over an entire decade. It is that belief in others that was ultimately her downfall in canon.