What species does Anakin think Padme is at first?

Anakin initially thinks Padmé is an angel. When the two meet on Tatooine in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, the young Anakin asks her, “Are you an angel?”

He explains that he has heard space travelers talk about angels who live on the moons of Iego. In Star Wars lore, “angels” are associated with the Diathim, a winged species from Iego, although Anakin is using the familiar term he has heard rather than identifying Padmé’s actual species. Padmé is human and is visiting Tatooine while secretly serving as Queen Amidala of Naboo.

The moment is important because it is Anakin and Padmé’s first meeting and quietly foreshadows their later relationship. A common mix-up is choosing Dugs, Gungans, or Kaminoans: those are real Star Wars species, but none is connected to Anakin’s first impression of Padmé. The scene takes place in 32 BBY, before Anakin becomes a Jedi and long before his fall to Darth Vader.