Mon Mothma/Legends

"We are not Separatists trying to leave the Republic, we are Loyalists trying to preserve democracy in the Republic."

- Mon Mothma

Mon Mothma, a native of Chandrila, was an important political figure from the waning days of the Galactic Republic, one of the founders of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and the first Chief of State of the New Republic.

Senator (48 BBY–19 BBY)


Mothma was born into a wealthy, influential family on Chandrila. Her mother was the governor of the planet, and her father was an arbiter-general for the Republic. At the age of 21 (27 BBY) she was elected to represent the Bormea Sector in the Galactic Senate, becoming the youngest Senator ever to serve&mdash;a record later broken by Leia Organa Solo, future apprentice and colleague of Mothma.

To those who knew her, Mothma was kind and caring, yet sometimes forgot herself when dealing in politics, which often seemed to claim importance over everything else in her life. She was a daring woman with charisma and political savvy, but she was not devoid of enemies.

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 Bail Organa, Padmé 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 Zar when he tried to speak.

In 19 BBY, she attended Senator Amidala's funeral on Naboo. It is likely that she, like the Naboo and Queen Apailana themselves, did not believe the claim that she had been murdered during the false Jedi Rebellion.

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

Rebel (19 BBY–4 ABY)


Several years later, Mothma decided to continue her efforts to restore democracy. Along with Organa and Senator Garm Bel Iblis of Corellia, Mothma became a pivotal figure in uniting various rebel groups to form the Alliance to Restore the Republic. During her years in the Alliance, Mothma took on Bail's adopted daughter, Leia Organa, as her political protégé and groomed her for eventual leadership. She had a daughter, Lieda, and a son, Jobin, who was killed by Darth Vader on Hoth after alerting the remaining rebels in Echo Base that the Imperials had breached the defenses.

During the Galactic Civil War, Mon Mothma openly defied the Emperor, unlike Bail Organa and other Senators who only secretly backed the Rebellion. She only escaped arrest by the Imperial Security Bureau in 3 BBY thanks to a warning from Organa. Organa placed a guard at her side named Malan Tugrina, who affectionally called her "Iwo". Now a fugitive from Imperial law, she went underground to lead the Rebellion full-time. She became the organization's public face, signing such open proclamations as the Declaration of Rebellion and A Call To Reason.

Sometime after Mothma was put on the top of the most wanted list by Palpatine, she was located by agents of the Imperial Security Bureau. Although they managed to capture Mothma's entourage, Mothma herself was able to escape. Mothma soon tried to escape to the Outer Rim on the Blackjack, but was unable to make it on board as she was captured by fellow Senator, Pel Talon. Talon locked her up in the archaic dungeon of his own personal castle, hoping to take exploit her capture at a later time. He was unable to do so, however, as Mothma was rescued by a group of Rebels including Jax Keyn, Trillia, and "Mouse" Temple.

Bail Organa's death in the Destruction of Alderaan 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.

When Admiral Harkov, a high ranking officer in the Imperial Navy, contacted the Rebel Alliance to talk about his defection, Mon Mothma personally traveled to a secret meeting with him to negotiate the price of his services.

In 4 ABY, Mon Mothma led the briefing of the Rebel forces before the Battle of Endor, knowing that it was the Alliance's best chance to defeat the Empire by destroying both its terror weapon (the second Death Star) and its leader, Palpatine, effectively ripping the regime's heart out. Mothma conducted the meeting with a heavy heart: shortly beforehand, a message had arrived via General Crix Madine that at last confirmed the death of her son Jobin months earlier in the Battle of Hoth. Mothma was also uncomfortable with elements of the plan itself, feeling that the Alliance would be damaged by resorting to assassination. Her demeanor remained steady, however, and the Rebel forces, inspired by her resolve, went on to victory at Endor, destroying the battle station and ending Palpatine's reign. After the battle, she turned the Rebel Alliance into a transitional government&mdash;the Alliance of Free Planets. During this period, she built diplomatic and military coalitions to fight the remnants of the Empire, as well as such threats as the Ssi-Ruuk during the Bakura crisis, the Nagai, and the Tofs.

Chief of State (4 ABY–24 ABY)
"That is our goal: To become the New Republic in fact as well as name."

- Mon Mothma

As the Alliance transitioned into the New Republic, Mothma became its Chief of State. For eleven years she led the fledgling democratic republic, holding together the many factions that flocked to its membership. As the New Republic weathered one major military threat after another, Mothma’s charisma and leadership proved essential.

During Mothma's time as Chief of State, the Republic reclaimed Coruscant from the Galactic Empire. Mothma then had to deal with the artificial Krytos Virus, a biological weapon left behind by Imperial Intelligence that affected only nonhumans and was only curable by massive amounts of bacta. The fallout from the Krytos Virus seriously tested the new government. During the hunt for warlord Zsinj an aide named Tolokai, another bodyguard, had undergone brainwashing. He attacked Malan first, driving a knife into his chest, then her. As Mon Mothma fled down the stairs she fell and was wounded badly. Before Tolokai could raise a knife, Malan suprised him and they tumbled down the stairs. His death saddened her deeply.

Mothma always put the Republic before her personal life, even going so far as to advocate for Leia Organa to accept Hapan Prince Isolder's offer of marriage to strengthen the Republic. In 8 ABY, she presided over the wedding of Leia to Han Solo. Shortly after, a painting containing a Shadowcast key for the Rebellion's spy network that had been in a painting thought destroyed with Alderaan resurfaced on Tatooine. She sent newly married Leia Organa and Han Solo along with Chewbacca and C-3PO to recover the painting.

Grand Admiral Thrawn engaged in a campaign that nearly toppled the new Republic. At about the same time as Thrawn was engaging in his campaign, she faced trouble within her own government—a group of Bothans nearly forced her from office, before the lead Bothan, Borsk Fey'lya was found out. After Thrawn's death, the revived Emperor Palpatine, in a new clone body attacked the New Republic, driving the Republic from Coruscant. Palpatine was defeated, but the cost in terms of loss of life and other damage was huge.

Mothma supported Luke Skywalker in his efforts to reestablish the Jedi Order to protect and guide the New Republic. She gave her official sanction to Skywalker's efforts to find and recruit potential Jedi. Mothma also arranged for Skywalker to be given the former Rebel base on Yavin IV's moon as a home for the new Jedi school.

Unlike her years in the Alliance, Mothma did not stay hidden in safety. During a diplomatic visit to Coruscant, a Caridan ambassador threw what appeared to be a drink on Mothma's face as an insulting send-off gesture. This "drink" turned out to be nanomachines that slowly affected Mothma. Mothma decided to resign her post as Chief of State as her condition worsened, and guided the council to appoint Leia Organa Solo to succeed her in office. The condition nearly killed her, but at the last minute Mothma was saved by the Mon Calamari Jedi Cilghal who used the Force to cleanse her body.

Without the nano destroyers in her body, Mothma's condition improved. Within a few weeks she was standing again, something that Leia never thought she'd see Mothma do again. Leia tried to convince Mothma to become Chief of State again, but Mothma refused&mdash;feeling that the time had come for her to step aside.

Despite her improvement, Mothma never completely recovered. For the most part, she retired from public life. However, in 17 ABY, during the Almanian Uprising, she became acting Chief of State while Leia Organa Solo, the current Chief of State, led Wedge Antilles and a fleet to Almania to find her brother, and rescue him from the megalomaniac Kueller. She later resigned when Leia returned.

In 19 ABY, she was present at the signing of the Bastion Accords, and in 20 ABY, she was a guest of honor at the wedding of Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade. Her condition continued to worsen, albeit slowly, and shortly before the Yuuzhan Vong War she died quietly in her sleep. In honor of her courage and bravery throughout the years, an Imperial Star Destroyer was given the name Mon Mothma.

Behind the scenes



 * 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 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, by Ann Patricio in the Dark Empire audio adaptation and by Natalia Nogulich in the Return of the Jedi radio drama.
 * A slight contradiction exists within the EU. It claims Mothma represented the entire Bormea Sector 19 BBY, but the EU claims Zafiel Snopps represented Corulag (also in Bormea) at the same time.