We know about Mon Mothma rising to be a central leader of the Rebellion. We may also know her as a politician, especially with Andor. Yet, we probably don’t know as much about her rise into politics, her first appearance in Star Wars, and her skill at maneuvering in multiple challenging situations. Here are 10 things you didn’t know about Mothma.
Table of Contents
- 1. Rise and Role in Politics
- 2. Mothma First Appeared in Return of the Jedi
- 3. She Was Close Friends with Leia
- 4. Mothma Gained the Powers of the Emperor
- 5. Mothma Was Stuck in the Background
- 6. She Declared War on the Empire in Rebels
- 7. Genevieve O’Reilly First Appeared in Deleted Scenes
- 8. Mothma the Fighter Pilot
- 9. Mothma Verged on Collapse in Andor
- 10. The Dance Made the Actor Sick
1. Rise and Role in Politics
We may readily think of Mon Mothma as a secret leader of the Rebels, given her recent depiction of Andor. Yet, we may not know as much about her rise and role in politics. “Once a leader of the Galactic Senate’s Loyalist faction,” Mothma rose to challenge Palpatine’s policies before the fall of the Republic. Then, we saw her trying to undermine the Emperor from within.
She began her political career early in life. At the age of 16, Mothma joined the Senate because she was born into a “political family.” Four years later, she first spoke at a senate meeting attended by Senator Padme Amidala. This early entry into politics provided a foundation to deal with the tremendous struggle to defy the Empire.
2. Mothma First Appeared in Return of the Jedi
Mon Mothma first appeared in Return of the Jedi, right before the Battle of Endor. At that point, audiences didn’t know much about this character “except that she wore robes that were seemingly influenced by Roman style.” Fans may have also noticed her calm demeanor and intelligence that helped define her role in the Rebellion.
She provided some insight into her leadership in that scene when speaking about how the Empire had made “a critical error” and that it was time for the Rebel attack. Mothma spoke about how they knew the location of the Death Star and how the Emperor himself was “overseeing the final stages” of completing their second superweapon.
3. She Was Close Friends with Leia
As the above Star Wars article also summarizes, Mothma went from her brief first appearance to a larger role in Clone Wars, Rebels, and Rogue One. Over time, she forged a close friendship with Leia Organa, working together as “politicians” and “confidants.”
Mothma became a mentor to Leia after Bail Organa died. She taught Leia “the ways of diplomacy” to help mold the latter into a leader of the Rebellion and the New Republic. The novel Bloodline reveals that Mothma still supported Leia even after her biological ties to Vader were exposed.
4. Mothma Gained the Powers of the Emperor
After Mothma became the first chancellor of the New Republic, she also gained “many of the same emergency powers that Chancellor Palpatine” had before the Old Republic collapsed. It’s probably surprising to know that she resembled the Emperor in that way. She was reluctant to assume these powers, but they were part of the charter.
In contrast to Palpatine, though, Mothma did want to rid herself of these powers. She planned to undertake “a massive military disarmament”, but the threat of the Imperial Remnant and First Order prevented that from happening. She ended up retiring, but the New Republic faced a splintered Senate.
5. Mothma Was Stuck in the Background
As this video explores, Mon Mothma was largely a “background character” in the Clone Wars series. She appeared in 15 episodes, but only had “speaking lines in three of those 15 episodes.” Mothma was usually just part of “various Senators milling around” and not central to the plot.
So, this character was mainly relegated to the background before Rogue One and Andor developed her role. However, Mothma had a more prominent role in Rebels, which provided a leaping-off point for the leadership stake. Episode 18, “Secret Cargo,” from Season 3 provides a solid glimpse into the Mothma we came to know.
6. She Declared War on the Empire in Rebels
The above Rebels episode was when Mothma broadcast her message of rebellion against the Empire. This moment could be seen as the turning point for her character and the one that “solidified her role as a Star Wars icon.”
Before Andor, fans experienced Mothma’s shift to the “underground” and “call to arms” on Rebels. With her leadership, she was able to summon “a whole fleet of like-minded rebels willing to lay down their own lives for freedom.” Mothma truly emerged in 3-D animated format.
7. Genevieve O’Reilly First Appeared in Deleted Scenes
Originally played by Caroline Blakiston, the character of Mon Mothma shifted to Genevieve O’Reilly for the filming of Revenge of the Sith. However, O’Reilly’s scenes were cut from the movie.
O’Reilly commented on how she studied Blakiston’s performance to prepare for her first appearance. The actor felt that it was a bold move by Lucas to show a woman as the Rebellion’s leader and came to “love” the character.
In 2016, we officially saw O’Reilly in Rogue One. In that appearance to Rebels and Andor, she thought the character came through with “a dignity and a strength” that centers Mon Mothma.
8. Mothma the Fighter Pilot
Beneath the politician, Mothma is also a fighter pilot. According to the junior novel Return of the Jedi, she at least trained as one when she was young. She didn’t go into combat but considered it after the Kashyyyk massacre. However, she concluded that she was of “more value to the Rebellion” as a “leader than as a soldier.”
9. Mothma Verged on Collapse in Andor
Although calm and in control on the outside, Mothma was internally torn apart about the arranged marriage for her daughter, the destruction the Empire was causing, and the knowledge that her friend would soon be dead.
We can see her on the verge of collapse in the wedding scene from Season 2 of Andor. This article examines the third episode with Mothma dancing at “her daughter’s cursed wedding.” She indeed seems to be dancing “to keep herself from screaming,” as Tony Gilroy stated.
10. The Dance Made the Actor Sick
The wedding dance did more than enhance the Mon Mothma character; it also made Genevieve O’Reilly throw up. In a recent Rolling Stone interview, O’Reilly talked through several key moments of Season 2. When rehearsing the dance scene, she did so much “whirling” that she had to “run outside and vomit.” The scene took a toll on the character and actor alike.