Mon Mothma

"The Emperor has made a critical error and the time for our attack has come."

- Mon Mothma, before the Battle of Endor

Mon Mothma was a female human senator who represented Chandrila during the final years of the Galactic Republic, and was one of the founders of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. During the Galactic Civil War, she held the title of Chancellor in the Rebel Alliance.

Biography
Alongside her senatorial peers Padmé Amidala, Bail Organa, and Onaconda Farr, Mothma championed a movement to reduce and eventually halt the production of clone troopers, to help stop the fighting and let diplomacy resume. When Farr was murdered by his aide Lolo Purs after Amidala's speech championing the cause, Mothma continued to work with the Senate while Organa and Amidala investigated the crime.

With Organa and Amidala by her side, Mothma opposed Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine's abuse of wartime powers toward the end of the Clone Wars, growing increasingly worried that the Chancellor would refuse to relinquish those powers following the end of the conflict. Mothma and her allies in the Senate sought diplomatic alternatives to the prolonged fighting of the war, pushing cautionary legislation in the Senate and reaching out to Separatist politicians, but were ultimately unable to prevent Palpatine from reorganizing the Galactic Republic into the First Galactic Empire. Shortly after that, she lost her friend Amidala.

Following Palpatine's self-proclamation as Emperor, Mothma remained a member of the newly-formed Imperial Senate, however together with Bail Organa and former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano she united rebel cells throughout the galaxy, eventually forming the Alliance to Restore the Republic, which she functioned as the civilian leader of during the Galactic Civil War. Prior to the Battle of Endor, Mothma briefed the squad tasked with destroying the Empire's Death Star II.

Behind the scenes
"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.'"

- Caroline Blakiston

Mon Mothma was created for Richard Marquand's 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and made her first appearance in the film's novelization, written by James Kahn and published earlier in the same year. In the film, she was portrayed by Caroline Blakiston, who was cast while working on a television series in Manchester, England. Costume designers from the film visited Blakiston in her Manchester hotel to fit her and discuss her character's hairstyle, but ultimately decided to use her own short red hair. Blakiston was given Mothma's lines for the character's brief appearance in the film, but upon arriving on the set to film her scene, was informed that Mothma's lines had been completely changed. She had to quickly learn a new monologue, which she found stressful, particularly due to the unique Star Wars language it contained, such as "Bothan." While performing the role, Blakiston attempted to create a sense of background for the character, seeking inspiration in the classical underpinnings of the Star Wars saga. She interpreted "Mon Mothma" to mean "Moon Mother," and thus saw her character as cool and calm. After filming her single scene in the movie, Blakiston returned to re-record her dialogue when it was discovered that pigeons roosting in the set were audible in the initial recording.

2005 also saw Mothma appear in George Lucas's film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith where she was played by Genevieve O'Reilly, who was cast due to her resemblance to Blakiston. O'Reilly carefully studied Blakiston's performance in order to capture the character's voice and mannerisms. O'Reilly's speaking scenes were ultimately cut from the film, but were included in its DVD release and appear in the film's novelization. She appears as Mothma in a non-speaking role in the final version of the film.

Five years after the release of Episode III, Mothma began appearing in the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, where she was voiced by Kath Soucie.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Galactic Defense
 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Star Wars: Princess Leia, Part I
 * Heir to the Jedi
 * Star Wars 4: Skywalker Strikes, Part IV
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Aftermath
 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Star Wars: Princess Leia, Part I
 * Heir to the Jedi
 * Star Wars 4: Skywalker Strikes, Part IV
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Aftermath
 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Star Wars: Princess Leia, Part I
 * Heir to the Jedi
 * Star Wars 4: Skywalker Strikes, Part IV
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Aftermath
 * Aftermath