Overview[]
One of the key founders of the Rebellion to fight against the Galactic Empire, Mon Mothma was a former Senator to the Old Republic who sought to restore the freedoms and independence of the Universe itself and bring down the tyrannical Emperor Palpatine and his henchman, Darth Vader!
First appearing in the epic conclusion to the first Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in 1983, she was portrayed by Caroline Blakiston. In her subsequent appearances, she was portrayed by Genevieve O'Reilly in the 2005 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and the 2016 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Kath Soucie was her voice actress in the animated 2008 Star Wars: Clone Wars TV series.
Background[]
Born on the planet Chandrila in the waning days of the Old Republic, Mon Mothma was part of a family of important politicians. She pursued a political career and was elected to serve as the Senator in the Galactic Senate and was an important political ally and personal friends to both Padme Amidala and Bail Organa as a strong proponent of the rights of planetary systems and individuals.
She was among the few who objected to the Clone Wars, believing that the differences between the Republic and the Confederacy could be resolved via diplomacy. She was also among those who were troubled by the growing power of then-Chancellor Palpatine and sought to curtail him. She helped organize and signed a petition of 2000 Senators who requested that Palpatine give up his emergency powers near the end of the Clone Wars. Instead it simply identified her as one of Palpatine's strongest critics and political opponents.
She did not believe Palpatine's claims of the Jedi Rebellion and became his most defiant and outspoken opposition leaders in the Senate over the next few years. Although Bail Organa offered to support her in her opposition, she begged him to stay quiet as she realized that she was being quietly watched by the new Imperial Security Bureau. Organa later heard rumors that Palpatine had finally lost patience with her and was moving to have her arrested and quietly informed her, allowing her to flee. While Bail Organa and a small core of Senators supported her in secret, Mon Mothma helped bring together a coalition of the three largest resistance groups together, forging them into what would become the Rebel Alliance and thus becoming the face of the Rebellion Movement, creating an army of guerilla fighters who sought to overthrow the Galactic Empire. Her prominence in this role resulted in her being relentlessly hunted by Imperial Agents as well being at the top of the Most Wanted Lists throughout the Galaxy thanks to the Empire.