Queen Amidala's handmaidens are, invariably, some of the most neglected characters of The Phantom Menace. They do more than merely follow the Queen wherever she goes.

Chosen equally for their physical resemblence to the queen as well as their combative abilities and knowledge of palace life, they are a force to be reckoned with as any of them will drop everything at a moments notice to protect their queen. Furthermore, all of them are capable of replacing the queen and acting as decoy, should any danger to the queen be presented.

We know for certain that in Episode 1, there are at least five handmaidens, however, it was rumored that there are, in fact, an additional eight lesser handmaidens that were never seen in the movie.