New Star Wars filming details have hinted at the potential return of Naboo, the homeworld of Padmé Amidala - and Palpatine. When George Lucas decided to return to the Star Wars franchise in the late '90s, his prequel trilogy introduced a wealth of new worlds and locations. One of the most beautiful was the planet Naboo, homeworld of Queen (and later senator) Padmé Amidala. Viewers soon learned Naboo was a particularly important planet, because it was also strongly tied to Sheev Palpatine. Secretly a Dark Lord of the Sith, Palpatine used his political power as Naboo's senator to maneuver himself into position for a successful run as chancellor. The Republic fell to the Sith a full decade before the Clone Wars, and it was not until their end that the Jedi learned the truth about Naboo's former representative.
According to Making Star Wars, the prequel world - not seen in the original trilogy - may soon be returning. They report sources claiming Lucasfilm is planning a shoot at Hever Castle, Kent. This location was used for filming several Naboo scenes in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, raising the possibility Star Wars is heading back to Naboo (possibly for filming of Andor season 2, although this is not confirmed). Making Star Wars note there have historically been occasions where Lucasfilm filmed in the same location for different planets, but the possibility of a return to Naboo cannot be ruled out.
A Return To Naboo Would Fit Well With Andor Season 2
Naboo prospered during the Dark Times of the Empire's reign, largely due to its Palpatine connection. This probably explains why Luthen's gallery (first seen in Andor episode 4) contains several items related to Naboo - including what looked like one of Padmé's own old headdresses. It's easy to imagine Luthen frequently returning to Naboo to collect more artifacts for his antique shop - and it certainly helps that Naboo is known to have been a hotbed of rebellion. Padmé's handmaidens served as the nexus for a group known as the Amidalans, dedicated to undermining the Empire and avenging Padmé's death. They blamed Darth Vader for this, and were focused on killing him.
A return to Naboo would help Andor serve as something of a bridge between the prequels and the original trilogy (a similar role to the one occupied by the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ TV show). Andor serves as a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, where its protagonist will give his life to recover the Death Star plans. This means the show already has strong ties to the original trilogy - and a link to the prequels would help strengthen the franchise as a whole.
These reports are far from confirmed, of course; as Making Star Wars note, it is entirely possible Lucasfilm is simply using a familiar location to shoot an entirely new planet. Still, the existing Naboo connections in Andor have already drawn comment; there's been some speculation Luthen's assistant Kleya Marki is actually one of the handmaidens. Only time will tell whether these theories are true.
Source: Making Star Wars