Blood-sensitive sensors were a type of sensor that could detect when blood had been spilled and worked alongside a blood alarm to notify individuals via comm when it was triggered. In 32 BBY, Captain Quarsh Panaka installed a blood-sensitive sensor in Queen Padmé Amidala's apartments within the Theed Royal Palace on the Mid Rim planet Naboo.

That year, the sensor was set off when Amidala's handmaiden Saché started her period, so it sent a blood alarm notification to the captain, leading him and his wife, Mariek Panaka, to investigate. Upon entering the rooms and discovering what had happened, Saché was mortified. Afterward, Mariek helped the handmaiden acquire new sleeping attire and admonished Quarsh for placing a blood-sensitive sensor in rooms housing teenage girls.

Description[]

A blood-sensitive sensor was a type of sensor that detected the spilling of blood. It worked alongside a blood alarm that could notify individuals via comm when the sensor was set off. The sensor was not able to discern the cause of the blood being spilled and would respond with a full alert to any such spillage, whether major or minor.^[1]

History[]

As part of his security preparations in the Theed Royal Palace on the Mid Rim planet Naboo,^[1] Captain Quarsh Panaka of the Royal Naboo Security Forces acquired a blood sensor and installed it in Queen Padmé Amidala's apartments^[1] in 32 BBY.^[2] Afterward, the sensor was accidentally set off when Amidala's handmaiden Eirtaé pricked her finger with a needle while sewing.^[1]

Later the same year,^[2] the handmaiden Saché slept in Amidala's bed while her queen and fellow handmaidens attended a concert for the band Neurotransmitter Affection. Her period started during the night, resulting in blood staining the bed's sheets. The sensor Panaka had installed in the apartment was triggered shortly afterward, which sent a blood alarm alert to his comm. He and his wife, officer Mariek Panaka, rushed to Amidala's apartments to investigate the cause of the disturbance and ensure the queen's safety. Upon loudly entering the rooms, they startled Saché in her sleep and turned on the lights.^[1]

After realizing the handmaiden's period had started, Mariek sent Quarsh away and claimed no emergency had occurred. Saché was mortified at what had happened and excused herself from the room to obtain absorption pads from the bathroom while the older officer helped acquire new sheets and clean sleeping attire. Afterward, Mariek assured Quarsh that Amidala was safe, admonishing him for putting a blood-sensitive sensor in a room occupied by young teenage girls, some of whom were not yet using suppressant shots to manage their period cycles. The captain was embarrassed and promised to apologize later.^[1] In 22 BBY,^[3] one of Amidala's former handmaidens, Sabé, fondly remembered the incident and Quarsh's horror upon realizing why his blood-sensitive sensor had been triggered.^[4]

Behind the scenes[]

A blood-sensitive sensor first appeared in Queen's Peril, a 2020 novel written by E. K. Johnston.^[1] During the development of Queen's Peril, Johnston indicated that several members of Lucasfilm Story Group felt that the scene that a blood-sensitive sensor featured in was incredibly awkward and left comments on the draft after reading it. The author felt strongly about the scene's inclusion in the work.^[5]

Appearances[]

• Queen's Peril (First appearance, simultaneous with Queen's Peril audiobook)
• Queen's Peril audiobook
• Queen's Hope (Indirect mention only)
• Queen's Hope audiobook (Indirect mention only)

Notes and references[]