Mon Mothma

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Mon Mothma is a fictional Star Wars character.

Mothma (48 BBY-24 ABY) was the Senator of Chandrila in the waning days of the Old Republic and leader of the Rebel Alliance and 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 (in 27 BBY) 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 Leia Organa, future apprentice and colleague of Mothma).

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 other prominent politicians. She later signed the Petition of 2000, along with many other senators, in an effort to request that Chancellor Palpatine reduce his power. The Delegation of 2000 presented the petition to Chancellor Palpatine, but the Dark Lord made false promises saying that he would give up his emergency powers and silenced Fang Zhar when he tried to speak.

For several months following the formation of the Galactic Empire, she urged fellow Senator Organa of Alderaan to publicly speak out against Emperor Palpatine with her. However, she recanted after witnessing the Empire's subjugation of Kashyyyk.

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 along with the Alderaanians and Garm Bel Iblis into a grand Alliance to Restore the Republic to defeat the Empire.

Bail Organa's death in the destruction of Alderaan by the Death Star led to an imbalance in the Alliance's leadership. Without Organa to counter her, Garm Bel Iblis thought that Mothma was assuming dictatorial powers over the Alliance and intended to set herself up in Palpatine's place. He left the Rebellion in protest, forming a rift which would not heal until the Thrawn campaign of 9 ABY. 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 alerting the remaining rebels that the Imperials had breached the defenses, but her daughter would survive and take up residence on New Alderaan.

Mon Mothma became the New Republic's Chief of State for the first 11 years after the Empire's destruction, 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 Mon Mothma's face as an insulting send off gesture. The drink turned out to contain nanomachines that began slowly killing her, until she was saved by the Mon Calamari Jedi Cilghal who used the Force to heal her.

Mon Mothma never truly recovered and 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.

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Further information

Mon Mothma was portrayed by Caroline Blakiston in Return of the Jedi and Genevieve O'Reilly in Revenge of the Sith. Most of the footage of O'Reilly, 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 Revenge of the Sith DVD. However, she was seen briefly near the beginning of the film awaiting the Chancellor and his "savior" along with other Senators, after the Invisible Hand crash-landed on Coruscant.

In the Expanded Universe, 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.

She is also found in video games such as Dark forces, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, and Star Wars: Empire at War where she is played by Carolyn Seymour.

The New Republic named a star destroyer after Mothma following her death.

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