Mon Mothma

SW Character
name = Mon Mothma


caption =
color = Rebels
source =
position = Senator of Bormea Sector, Chief of State of the Rebel Alliance/New Republic
species = Human
hair colour = Brown
eye colour = blue
gender = Female
planet = Chandrila
affiliation = Galactic Republic, Delegation of 2000, Galactic Empire, Imperial Senate, Rebel Alliance, New Republic
portrayer = Genevieve O'Reilly (Episode III)
Caroline Blakiston (Episode VI)

Mon Mothma is a fictional character in the "Star Wars" universe. She is first introduced in ', portrayed by Caroline Blakiston, and has a supporting role in ', portrayed by Genevieve O'Reilly. Her character is fleshed out in the Expanded Universe.

Fictional Biography

Mothma is the Senator of Chandrila in the waning days of the Old Republic. After Palpatine seizes power and creates the Galactic Empire in "Revenge of the Sith", she, along with her fellow senators Bail Organa and Garm Bel Iblis, create and lead the Rebel Alliance. Following the Empire's destruction in "Return of the Jedi", she becomes head of the New Republic.

Her mother, Tanis Mothma, was the governor of Chandrila, and her father was an arbiter-general for the Republic. At the age of 21, she is elected to represent the Bormea Sector in the Galactic Senate, becoming the youngest Senator ever to serve (a record that would later be broken by Princess Leia Organa, Mothma's future protegé).

As a Senator, Mothma is a proponent of the rights of local systems. She is also friends with Senators Bail Organa and Padmé Amidala. Just before the Clone Wars, she became a member of the Loyalist Committee along with Senators Organa, Amidala, Fang Zar, and a handful of others. As portrayed in "Revenge of the Sith", she later creates the Petition of 2000, an official protest against Palpatine's dictatorial power over the Republic. However, Mothma never signs the petition herself, along with Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan. It was thought too dangerous for these two senators who were secretly forming the Rebel Alliance to sign the document and become official enemies of Palpatine before the time was right. The Delegation of 2000 presented the petition to Palpatine, but the Chancellor ignored them entirely, insisting that he was acting in the Republic's best interests.

For several months following the formation of the Empire, she urged Organa to join her in publicly speaking out against Palpatine. She recanted, however, after witnessing the Empire's subjugation of Kashyyyk. (This was portrayed in James Luceno's novel "".)

Later, she became the political and military leader of the Rebel Alliance, having gathered forces like dissident elements in the Imperial Starfleet, the Imperial Army, or nationalistics or general movements like the Atrivis Resistance Groups. She also covertly recruits several citizens of Alderaan (Organa's homeworld) and fellow senator Garm Bel Iblis into the Alliance to Restore the Republic (later known as the Rebel Alliance) to defeat the Empire.

Bail Organa's death in the destruction of Alderaan by the Death Star created an imbalance in the Alliance's leadership. Without Organa to counter her, Mothma assumed full control over the Alliance, outraging Garm Bel Iblis who left the Rebellion because he believed Mothma intended to set herself up in Palpatine's place. Mothma showed her commitment to democracy, however, by making her position as Leader of the Alliance subject to a vote by the Alliance membership every two years. In all her time at the head of the Rebellion, she was never challenged.

Her son was killed by Darth Vader in the aftermath of the Battle of Hoth after he alerted the remaining rebels that the Imperials had breached the defenses. Her daughter survived, however, and took up residence on New Alderaan.

Mon Mothma became the New Republic's Chief of State for the first 11 years after the Empire's defeat, surviving an assassination attempt by a Caridan ambassador. During a diplomatic visit to Coruscant, the Caridan Ambassador threw what appeared to be a drink on Mothma's face as an insulting send off gesture. The drink actually contains parasitic nanomachines that began slowly killing her, until she was saved by the Mon Calamari Jedi Cilghal who uses the Force to remove the nanomachines.

Mon Mothma never truly recovered, however. She eventually resigns her post in favor of Leia Organa Solo, and retires from public life. Mothma eventually dies of old age shortly before the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. An Alliance Star Destroyer is named in her honor.

Trivia

*Most of the footage of O'Reilly in "Revenge of the Sith", including a scene that illustrates early discussions on the formation of a resistance, did not appear in the theatrical release of the film, although they are included in the Deleted Scenes section of the DVD. However, she was seen briefly near the beginning of the film awaiting the Chancellor and his "savior", Anakin Skywalker, along with other Senators, after the "The Invisible Hand" crash-landed on Coruscant. She can also be seen walking aboard Bail Organa's ship "Tantive IV" towards the end of the film.
*The voice of Mon Mothma was provided by Peggy Roberts-Hope in ' and ', by Carolyn Seymour in ', ', and by Natalia Nogulich in the "Return of the Jedi" radio drama.

Further reading

*Fernando Bueno, "Mon Mothma," "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Prima Official Game Guide" (Roseville: Prima Games, 2008), 10.

External links

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