Mon Mothma / Legends Mon Mothma , a native of Chandrila , was a female Human who served as 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 . When the foundation of the Galactic Empire replaced the Republic that had existed for many millennia , she met with her allies in the Senate , such as Senators Padmé Amidala and Bail Prestor Organa . In 2 BBY , she signed the Corellian Treaty , along with Organa , Garm Bel Iblis , Rahm Kota , and Galen Marek , in order to form the Alliance to Restore the Republic . She , along with the others , were taken captive aboard the Death Star I , although they were rescued . She played an important role in the ensuing Galactic Civil War , and after the decisive Rebel victory at the Battle of Endor , she became the first Chief of State of the newly founded New Republic . She also had a daughter , Lieda , and a son , Jobin . In 24 ABY , she passed away peacefully on Chandrila . Biography . Early life . Mon Mothma was born in 48 BBY into a wealthy and influential family living on Chandrila . Her mother , Tanis Mothma was the governor of the planet , and her father was an arbiter - general for the Republic , so it came as no surprise when she would follow in their influential footsteps and become a Senator and later on lead a Rebellion against the Empire . Senator . At the age of nineteen she was elected to represent the Bormea sector in the Galactic Senate , becoming the youngest senator ever to serve — a record later broken by Leia Organa , 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 — and as such 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 . With Organa , Amidala , and Senator 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 . 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 , fearing that her people might undergo the same oppression . Rebellion . During the Galactic Civil War , Mon Mothma openly defied the Emperor , unlike Bail Organa and other senators who only secretly backed the Rebellion . Her forthright views against the Empire brought her under closer investigation by ISB , COMPNOR and even Emperor Palpatine himself , thus preventing her from dabbling in more effective covert efforts to undermine Imperial rule . She continued to use her official channels , senatorial privilege and political contacts to effect change , maintaining the belief that a system of the government , no matter how broken , still has some degree of effectiveness . During these years she frequently met with colleagues on Coruscant and other worlds , introduced fruitless measures to grant local systems relief from Imperial policies , and tried to place Senate ' s oversight on Imperial operations . She also tutored Bail ' s adopted daughter , Leia Organa , in political and diplomatic affairs , preparing her to succeed her father as Alderaan ' s representative in the Imperial Senate and eventually lead a galaxy - spanning resistance movement . Eventually Palpatine finally lost patience with her outspoken opposition and covert operation with resistance groups . She only escaped arrest by the Imperial Security Bureau in 3 BBY thanks to a warning from Bail Organa . Organa placed a guard at her side named Malan Tugrina . 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 . A historic moment for the Rebellion was the signing of the Corellian Treaty in circa 2 BBY . Signed by Organa , Mothma , and Garm Bel Iblis , with Galen Marek and Rahm Kota also present , the document formalized the relationship between the Corellian , Alderaanian and Chandrilan resistance forces , respectively , from a loose coalition to an organized rebellion - the Alliance to Restore the Republic . However , Darth Vader arrived moments later and his stormtroopers arrested Mon Mothma and everyone else . Marek was in fact Vader ' s secret apprentice , and unknowingly led the senators willing to rebel against Palpatine into Vader ' s trap . Vader ' s forces took the senators to the under construction Death Star I . It seemed all was lost and the Rebellion was doomed before it even began . Marek was betrayed by Vader , who had deceived him by telling him that they would use the Rebellion to overthrow Emperor Palpatine and rule the galaxy . Vader tried to kill him , but he escaped . Marek , who had already had great doubts about his allegiance , decided to be a Jedi and together with his pilot Juno Eclipse , he traveled to the Death Star construction site . There , Marek defeated Vader and held Palpatine off long enough for Mon Mothma and the other rebels to escape , sacrificing himself in the process . After meeting on Kashyyyk , the rebel leaders found Marek ' s family crest , and Leia Organa suggested honoring Marek by using it as the symbol for the Rebel Alliance . Mon Mothma and the other rebels agreed . 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 onboard as she was captured by fellow Senator Pel Talon . Talon locked her up in the archaic dungeon of his own personal castle , hoping to 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 . During the early days of the Rebellion , Mothma took a leadership role in many important missions . These included gaining the X - wing starfighter for the Alliance and finding the plans for the first Death Star . Captain Raymus Antilles acted as her right hand man until his death . 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 . In the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Yavin , she oversaw the award ceremony for the starfighter pilot Keyan Farlander , where she presented the Star of Alderaan citation in recognition for his actions during the battle . Two months after the Battle of Yavin , Mothma reflected on the fledgling rebellion with Leia Organa . Mothma assigned the former senator to a secret mission , telling her to form a team with only two objectives , find a double - agent or a new home for the Alliance leadership . She handed Organa the only copy of a protocol that she had prepared herself . Shortly afterward , Han Solo was assigned to meet one of Mothma ' s contacts on Imperial Center . Her contact , though , betrayed Solo to Imperial Security and was killed by Solo in turn . Mothma later met with Organa to hear her report on the secret operation . Organa requested Mothma ' s clearance codes so she could start leaking information . Organa also reported an issue with Prithi , one of the pilots of Stealth Squadron . Mothma responded by asking whose problem it was : for fellow pilot Luke Skywalker , or for Organa herself . Soon after , Mothma was present on the bridge of the flagship " Home One " when Gray Flight launched . She prevented a Mon Calamari commander from firing on the unauthorized departure . When the commander asked whether or not the order was in service to the Rebellion , Mothma replied that every breath she took was in rebellion to the Empire . 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 — 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 - ruu k during the Bakura crisis , the Nagai , and the Tof s . Chief of State . 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 surprised 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 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 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 Republic , driving it from Coruscant to Da Soocha V and later to Nespis VIII . 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 4 ' s moon as a home for the new Jedi school . In 12 ABY Mon Mothma contacted Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors to investigate an Imperial Remnant base on Kejim . After they returned with an Artusian crystal in her office , she sent them to Artus Prime to investigate further . Unlike her years in the Alliance , Mothma did not stay hidden in safety . During a diplomatic visit to Coruscant , Ambassador Furgan , an ambassador from Carida , 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 . Retirement . 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 nanomachines in her body , Mothma ' s condition improved . Within a few weeks she was standing again , something that Leia never thought she ' d see Mothma accomplish after her ailment . Leia tried to convince Mothma to become Chief of State again , but Mothma refused — 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 was a guest of honor at the wedding of Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade , where she arrived with Talon Karrde , Borsk Fey ' lya and Elegos A ' Kla . Jedi Kam Solusar showed Mothma her seats and left her as some Imperials attacked . 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 , a New Republic " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer was given the name " Mon Mothma " . Personality and traits . As a Senator of the Galactic Republic , Mon Mothma was wary of the increasing amount of power that Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was gathering , and along with 1 , 999 other Senators , signed a petition calling for him to relinquish his emergency powers as the Clone Wars neared their end . Realizing that the Senate was quickly losing its last vestiges of political influence , she met with other Senators to discuss what options were available to them if they were to oppose the Supreme Chancellor . After Palpatine reformed the Republic into a Galactic Empire Mothma continued to oppose his policies , and did not hide her anger or dismay from him . She went underground and began openly resisting the Empire when its outrages became too difficult to ignore . Mothma considered every breath she took to be in rebellion to the Empire . She was not comfortable with the idea of a " secret council " as it " reeked of the Empire " , in her words , but with the Alliance on its last legs soon after the Battle of Yavin , Mothma formed one with Organa and tasked her with a new protocol . Mothma was a stern and stately woman , and as the Chief of State of the Rebel Alliance , she felt responsible for the many deaths that were met by Alliance forces . When lives were at stake , she was unwilling to hand over responsibility for them , and consequently held onto power in order to ensure that the heavy responsibility was hers alone . When a number of Bothan Alliance agents died securing the technical readouts of the Empire ' s second Death Star , Mothma felt their losses heavily , nearly losing face while addressing the Alliance prior to an attack on the battle station . Firm in her convictions , however , she led the briefing despite having learned a moment earlier of the death of her son , Jobin . Mothma ' s siphoning of power was misinterpreted by her peer , Garm Bel Iblis , as a desire to rule the galaxy . When Mothma earlier led the Chandrilan Resistance against the Empire , her pacifist methods were less direct than Bel Iblis ' s confrontational modus operandi . Nine years after a falling - out with Bel Iblis , she welcomed him into the New Republic , but was too proud to address the issue of their previous hostility or to admit any past failings . She overcame this pride , however , when the Empire was laying siege to the New Republic ' s home base of Coruscant and she asked Bel Iblis to lead its defense . Towards the end of her life , Mothma continued to support her friends in the New Republic despite her retirement and failing health . She stepped in as acting Chief of State of the government to aid an overwhelmed Leia Organa Solo during the Almanian Uprising , and one year later , offered political advice to Luke Skywalker regarding his New Jedi Order . Behind the scenes . Mon Mothma was created for Richard Marquand ' s 1983 film and made her first appearance in the film ' s , 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 , . 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 . Despite appearing in the film for less than thirty seconds , Mothma ' s character and role in the Rebellion were later fleshed out in various comic books , novels and reference books . Timothy Zahn ' s 1991 ' s novel " Heir to the Empire " introduced her as the Chief of State of the Rebel Alliance ' s successor government , the New Republic , a position that Leia Organa Solo succeeded her in in Kevin J . Anderson ' s 1994 novel " Champions of the Force " . " The New Essential Chronology " , published in 2005 , established that Mothma passed away in her sleep in the year 24 ABY . Blakiston is aware of and intrigued by the fact that the character she portrayed became a major character in the Expanded Universe , the intrigue stemming from the strong personality she believed Mothma to possess . She sees Mothma as an archetypal figure similar to Darth Vader and Obi - Wan Kenobi . 2005 also saw Mothma appear in George Lucas ' s film 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 and appear in the film ' s . She appears as Mothma in a non - speaking role in the final version of the film . Blakiston herself wrote to Lucas to ask if she could appear in the film as Mon Mothma ' s grandmother , but did not receive a response . Five years after the release of Episode III , Mothma began appearing in the animated television series " " , where she was voiced by Kath Soucie . Several actors have voiced the character in other Expanded Universe works : Natalia Nogulich in the " Return of the Jedi " radio drama , Peggy Roberts - Hope in the video game s " " and " " , Carolyn Seymour in the video games " " and " " , Ann Patricio in the , and Chris Forth in the . Although some Expanded Universe works claim that Mothma represented the entire Bormea sector in the Imperial Senate , others assert that Zafiel Snopps was concurrently the Imperial Senator from Corulag . Corulag is in the Bormea sector . The " Jedi Academy Training Manual " erroneously states that Mothma was at one time possessed by the spirit of Exar Kun . Originally , Mon Mothma was intended to die in " Champions of the Force " from Furgan ' s nano - destroyers , but this was rejected by Lucasfilm . While sources like the defunct official Databank of StarWars . com and " The New Essential Guide to Characters " gave Mon Mothma ' s height as 1 . 5 meters , both actresses who portrayed her were actually taller . In " Star Wars Episode VI : Return of the Jedi " , Mothma was seen standing next to Crix Madine , who was confirmed to measure 1 . 7 meters tall , and looked just as tall as him . Mothma ' s Clone Card on StarWars . com , however , listed her height as a more realistic 1 . 7 meters , despite the official encyclopedia — hosted on the same website — still gives her height as 1 . 5 meters .