Mon Mothma
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- For the Interdictor Star Destroyer by the name of Mon Mothma, see Mon Mothma (starship)
| Star Wars character | |
| Mon Mothma | |
|---|---|
|
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| Position | Senator of Bormea Sector, Chief of State of the Rebel Alliance/New Republic |
| Homeworld | Chandrila |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Female |
| Height | 1.5 meters |
| Affiliation | Galactic Republic, Delegation of 2000, Galactic Empire, Imperial Senate, Rebel Alliance, New Republic |
| Portrayed by | 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 Return of the Jedi, portrayed by Caroline Blakiston, and has a supporting role in Revenge of the Sith, portrayed by Genevieve O'Reilly. Her character is expanded in the Expanded Universe.
[edit] Biography
Mothma was the Senator of Chandrila in the waning days of the Old Republic. After Palpatine seized power and created the Galactic Empire, she created and led the Rebel Alliance. Following the Empire's destruction decades later, she became 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 was 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 was a proponent of the rights of local systems. She was also friends with fellow senators Bail Organa and Padmé Amidala. Just before the Clone Wars, she became a member of the Loyalist Committee along with fellow senators Organa, Amidala, Fang Zar, and a handful of others. As portrayed in Revenge of the Sith, she later signed the Petition of 2000, an official protest against Palpatine's dictatorial power over the Republic. 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 Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader.)
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 recruited 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 dictatorial powers over the Alliance and intended to set herself up in Palpatine's place. Bel Iblis left the Rebellion in protest and disgust, forming a rift which would not heal until the Thrawn campaign. Mothma showed her commitment to democracy, however, by making her position as Chief of State 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 contained parasitic nanomachines that began slowly killing her, until she was saved by the Mon Calamari Jedi Cilghal who used the Force to remove the nanomachines.
Mon Mothma never truly recovered, however. She eventually resigned her post in favor of Leia Organa Solo, and retired from public life. Mothma eventually died of old age shortly before the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. An Alliance Star Destroyer was named in her honor.
[edit] 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 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 Star Wars: Dark Forces and Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith, by Carolyn Seymour in Jedi Outcast, and by Natalia Nogulich in the Return of the Jedi radio drama.
- She is the only female character in the original trilogy to have a position of command in the Rebel Alliance, save Princess Leia Organa.
