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Mon Mothma

Mon Mothma is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, primarily portrayed by Genevieve O'Reilly. Introduced as the leader of the Rebel Alliance in Return of the Jedi (1983), in which she is played by Caroline Blakiston, Mon has become a prominent character in subsequent prequel media, including the film Rogue One (2016), the animated series The Clone Wars (2010) and Star Wars Rebels (2017), and particularly the live-action television series Andor (2022–2025), where she plays a central role. The character also appeared in the 2023 live-action television series Ahsoka, again portrayed by O'Reilly, her first time playing the character in media set after Return of the Jedi.

Character
Portrayals One of only four female characters with dialogue in the original three Star Wars films, Mon Mothma was portrayed by Caroline Blakiston in Return of the Jedi (1983). In 1997, Blakiston said of the supporting role, "Certainly people are always very envious of me. When I join a new theater company, the other actors look down the program, see my Return of the Jedi credit and say, 'Oh, you were part of Star Wars.' I smile and say, 'Yes, but only for twenty-six and a half seconds.'" Star Wars creator George Lucas cast Genevieve O'Reilly as Mon in the 2005 prequel film Revenge of the Sith, but most of her scenes were ultimately cut from the theatrical release of the film. In advance of the role, O'Reilly studied Blakiston's 1983 performance. She said, "I remember studying the scene, really trying to work on capturing her voice, her syntax, so that fans could see a connectedness between me playing her and Caroline playing her." O'Reilly noted in 2022 that Blakiston's performance continually influences her own. Kath Soucie voiced Mon Mothma in three episodes of the animated series The Clone Wars – "Senate Murders", "Heroes on Both Sides", and "Pursuit of Peace" – in 2010. Finding herself fighting a losing battle, Mon ultimately leaves the Senate and founds the Rebel Alliance against Palpatine's rising Galactic Empire, ultimately uniting the emerging Rebel factions into a singular unit. Under her leadership as the Chancellor and Commander-in-Chief of the Rebel Alliance, the Rebels destroy both iterations of the Empire's planet-destroying weapon known as the Death Star, and eventually bring down the Empire itself. Mon subsequently serves as Chancellor of the New Republic, moving the seat of government from Coruscant to Chandrila. She later advocates that it be periodically rotated among different worlds. Mon's policies spark the rise of two opposing factions within the Senate: the Populists, who support the autonomy of individual planets and systems, and the Centrists, who believe a stronger central government is necessary. She later steps down as Chancellor due to illness. Amy Ratcliffe of Nerdist News described the character as "continually a beacon of serenity. Calm and measured, Mon Mothma is a steady hand that the entire Rebel Alliance, and later the New Republic, can grasp for support. She has a hard edge to her; she has to, in order to carry the weight she does. But she only shows it when necessary." O'Reilly said that Mon is a "genuine humanitarian", has a "strong moral compass", and is a "critical thinker" and a "considered decision maker". In that series, Mon realizes that she cannot effectively fight the Emperor from the Senate, and boldly calls him a "lying executioner" in public. O'Reilly said, "The iterations that we found her in, both in Rebels and in Rogue One, were similar: a leader of a rebellion with a tough decision. It requires a dignity and a strength, which is at the heart, I think, of Mon Mothma." He called Mon "sort of a Nancy Pelosi character ... She's kind of trying to do good ... and she's losing". He noted, "She a powerful presence in the Senate but she's facing defeat after defeat after defeat as the Empire is taking over". O'Reilly explained, "She's been fighting this fight for a long time. And I feel like she's been getting nowhere ... It is a wall of power and oppression in front of her that she is tired of fighting." == Appearances ==
Appearances
Film Return of the Jedi (1983) as Mon Mothma in Return of the Jedi (1983) Mon Mothma is introduced in Return of the Jedi (1983) as the leader of the Rebel Alliance against the Empire, portrayed by Caroline Blakiston. As the Rebels prepare to assault the Empire's second Death Star, Mon notes that "many Bothans died" to bring information about the Death Star to the Rebel Alliance. She added, "I think that was as ambitious then—perhaps even more ambitious—than it is now." In "Senate Murders", "Heroes on Both Sides" and "Pursuit of Peace", supporting character Mon is an ally of fellow senators Bail Organa (Phil LaMarr) and Padmé Amidala (Catherine Taber). She makes her opposition to the war with the Separatists "her defining campaign promise", and even attempts to reach out to the Separatist Senate in "Heroes on Both Sides." Rebel fighter Ezra Bridger petitions Mon Mothma to send reinforcements to thwart Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn's assault on the rebel base on Atollon in "Zero Hour: Part 1". Refusing, Mon points out that it is too soon for the Rebels to openly battle the Empire, and doing so would, as Thrawn surely intends, decimate their growing forces. In "In the Name of the Rebellion: Part 1", the Rebel Alliance receives valuable intel from extremist Saw Gerrera, but Mon makes it clear she does not condone Saw's unscrupulous methods. He later confronts Mon via hologram, accusing the Rebel Alliance of being too spineless to win against the Empire. Mon insists that Saw's tendency to target civilians, kill surrendering enemies and break every rule of engagement are things the Empire would do. In "The Occupation", Mon informs the Ghost crew that the Empire is testing a new kind of TIE Defender, and sends the team to Lothal for reconnaissance. In "Crawler Commandeers", Mon approves a plan for Hera Syndulla and her team to attack an Imperial TIE Defender factory on Lothal. Live-action television Andor (2022) In 2022, O'Reilly reprised the role of Mon Mothma in the live-action television series Andor, set five years before the events of the 2016 film Rogue One. Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly wrote of Mon's inclusion, "[We] are finally seeing this classic original trilogy character ... fleshed out beyond mere Rebellion briefings and interviews in Return of the Jedi and Rogue One. O'Reilly added, "We meet a woman steeped in empire, navigating a very male-dominated empire with a very powerful Emperor Palpatine at the top of it. We've seen her surrounded by people... maybe with different opinions, but like-minded rebels. We find her in Andor very alone, living in a world of orthodoxy and construct. We see a woman who has had to navigate her ideals and beliefs within systems of oppression." O'Reilly said that Gilroy wanted to explore the rules and constructs that Mon, who has been married and a senator since she was 16 years old, has had to navigate within during the intervening 14 years. She asked, "What is that cage?" In the series, Mon has an elevated wardrobe and hairstyle from previous appearances. O'Reilly said, "We wanted to meet her at a new stage, a stage we hadn't seen before. And so, you meet a very successful, political woman ... she is successful, she is sophisticated, she is a political mover, she is living within a world of high society. So, we wanted her look to reflect that. It's five years before she's in a bunker, you know?" She added, "What Tony [Gilroy] has done is write a character ... in a polar opposite moment of their life to Rogue One, so we have somewhere to go. So, why not meet her in an art gallery, in beautiful clothes, flown in on this extraordinary car and navigating this sophisticated, but deceptive, life?" Gilroy said, "Of all the people that walk through this show and face all kinds of decisions and problems and pressures and the hiding and chasing and betrayal—[Mon] has to stand out almost in the open for the whole show, in a really dangerous position. In many ways her story is the most tense story in the whole show, because she has to do everything in the open." O'Reilly said that the episode "exposes how much of Empire is also within the marriage, and how far she has to go to fight for what she really believes in. She has to lose a lot, because her husband is Empire. Perhaps her life is Empire. She has to escape it, right? Or she has to risk stuff. And she ends up in that rebel bunker." Mon's protests to the Senate about the Empire's treatment of the planet Ghorman fall on deaf ears in "The Eye". In "Announcement", Mon learns that Luthen was involved in the recent robbery of an Imperial base on Aldhani. Though fearful of the inevitable Imperial crackdown, she understands it is time to step up efforts against the Empire. Mon also reunites with banker Tay Kolma (Ben Miles), a childhood friend from Chandrila, and enlists him to help her funnel her family funds to the Rebellion without detection. Mon addresses the Senate to criticize the Empire's new directives in "Nobody's Listening!", but is met with opposition. She reunites with Vel, revealed as her cousin, and encourages her to keep a low profile while maintaining the facade of a rich and politically uninvolved young woman. Tay alerts Mon that one large transaction she has made may put her in jeopardy should the authorities examine her accounts. He suggests she cover the amount with a loan from shady Chandrilan banker Davo Sculdun (Richard Dillane), whom she calls a thug. Mon meets with Davo in "One Way Out", and he offers to help her facilitate her clandestine financial transactions. His price for the assistance is for Mon to arrange a meeting between her daughter and his son, an initial step towards marriage in Mon and Davo's Chandrilan culture. Horrified at the idea of a child betrothal for Leida, like Mon's own, Mon declines the offer. In "Daughter of Ferrix", Mon and Vel are uncomfortable with Leida's interest in Chandrilan courtship rituals. Mon laments to Vel the danger she is in concerning missing funds in her accounts. Mon admits she is considering a solution that would require her to use Leida as a bargaining chip. Mon's daughter Leida and Davo's son Stekan (Finley Glasgow) are formally introduced in "Rix Road". To create a cover story for the missing funds, Mon stages an argument in front of her driver Kloris (Lee Ross), who she knows is an ISB spy, suggesting that Perrin has gambled the money away. Kloris reports the conversation to ISB supervisor Blevin (Ben Bailey Smith). Ahsoka (2023) O'Reilly appears as Mon, now the Chancellor of the New Republic, in the series Ahsoka. In "Part Three: Time to Fly", General Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) seeks New Republic resources from Mon and her team of high-ranking government officials, but Senator Hamato Xiono (Nelson Lee) is dubious of Hera's desire to pursue rumors of Grand Admiral Thrawn. In "Part Five: Shadow Warrior", Mon appears to Hera via hologram, warning Hera that her disobedience has prompted New Republic Oversight to demand her return to Coruscant to be questioned by them. In "Part Seven: Dreams and Madness", Mon reluctantly oversees the tribunal administering Hera's disciplinary hearing, and comes to believe that the threat of Thrawn's return is real. Other media Novels Chuck Wendig's 2015 novel Aftermath establishes that after the events of Return of the Jedi, Mon quickly transitions the Rebel Alliance into the New Republic, forming the New Republic Senate and becoming the new government's first Chancellor. Hoping to prevent the New Republic from ever becoming corrupted into a fascist state, she scales down the centralized military in favor of local planetary forces. The Princess and the Scoundrel (2022) and the Alphabet Squadron trilogy (2019–2021). In the comic Star Wars #28 (October 2022), set after the events of The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Mon is informed that the Empire is building a second Death Star. While others are shocked to silence, she expresses her confidence that after destroying the first one, they can do it again. In this continuity, New Republic Chief of State Mon Mothma is unable to demilitarize the government due to ongoing conflicts with Imperial warlords and other remnants of the Empire. Mon survives an assassination attempt in the Jedi Academy trilogy (1994), and prepares Leia to become her successor. The 1993 West End Games Dark Empire Sourcebook for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game notes that Mon and her family were forced to flee their homeworld when she was revealed to be part of the Rebel Alliance. Her son, Jobin, was a rebel soldier killed in the Battle of Hoth, and Mon's duties as a resistance leader impacted the time she could spend with her daughter, Lieda. Both The Essential Guide to Characters (1995) and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia (2008) mention that Lieda ultimately worked alongside Mon toward peace for the Republic. Video games Mon is featured in the 1995 first-person shooter video game Star Wars: Dark Forces. She appears in the 2008 action-adventure video game The Force Unleashed, and its novelization. In the story, Bail Organa meets with fellow senators Mon and Garm Bel Iblis on Corellia to formally organize a rebellion, only for the group to be arrested by Darth Vader. == Merchandising ==
Merchandising
Hasbro has produced three Mon Mothma action figures: the Star Wars: The Power of the Force II Mon Mothma with Baton in 1998; the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Collection Mon Mothma in 2005; and an Andor-related figure, Star Wars: The Black Series Senator Mon Mothma, in 2023. == Reception ==
Reception
Eric Diaz of Nerdist News called Mon Mothma "crucial to Star Wars". Adrian Quidilla of Screen Rant wrote that "Mon Mothma's ability to inspire and organize a galaxy-wide revolution makes her arguably the most significant Rebellion figure of them all, as the outcome of the Star Wars original trilogy couldn't have happened without her unflagging hope." Jeremy Smith of Slashfilm agreed that the character has been an integral figure in the Star Wars saga since her first film appearance", but noted that prior to Andor, Mon had been "completely underserved" in live-action media. Corey Larson of Screen Rant called O'Reilly's performance in Andor "revelatory", noting that "George Lucas clearly recognized how Mon Mothma had the potential to be a pivotal and popular figure in Star Wars lore and that O'Reilly was the perfect candidate for the job." Simon Cardy of IGN agreed that "O'Reilly is fantastic in her portrayal of a thoroughly empathetic character going up against an Empire [in Andor]". Blake Hawkins of Comic Book Resources called Mon a "badass" and "master manipulator" for the character's actions in the season one finale "Rix Road". O'Reilly's portrayal of Mon Mothma has received a universally positive critical reception, and Blakiston's initial cameo role as the character has become an Internet meme. == Notes ==
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