Mon Mothma

Mon Mothma, also known affectionately as Double-M, was a human female Chandrilan politician and revolutionary leader who was one of the Alliance to Restore the Republic's founding members and its civilian leader. During the final decades of the Galactic Republic Era, Mothma represented her homeworld of Chandrila in the Republic Senate and, in this role, was an outspoken advocate of peace and democracy during the Clone Wars, a pan-galactic conflict between the Republic and its splinter state, the Confederacy of Independent Systems. After the reorganization of the Republic into the Galactic Empire at the end of the war, Mothma retained her seat in the now-Imperial Senate, but she began organizing underground resistance movements to combat the Imperial government alongside militant Luthen Rael and fellow senator Bail Organa of Alderaan. After years of leading a double life, Mothma became the impetus for the official establishment of the Rebel Alliance by resigning from the Senate, assuming leadership of the newly-established Rebellion. The Rebel Alliance, led by her, overthrew the Empire and restored the Old Republic as a nascent New Republic, of which Mothma was its first Chancellor.
In accordance with Chandrilan custom, Mothma was betrothed to Perrin Fertha, and the pair moved to the galactic capital Coruscant, where she began her tenure as senator of her homeworld, forming ties with several fellow progressively-minded senators, including Organa, Onaconda Farr of Rodia, and later, Padmé Amidala of Naboo. Together, they strived to maintain the Republic's democratic ideals and loyalty to the government amidst the burgeoning Separatist Crisis. Despite their faction's efforts to alleviate the crisis, the Republic entered the Clone Wars. Mothma and her allies were vehemently opposed to the war and often led efforts to de-escalate the conflict and bring about a diplomatic solution, but they faced opposition from militarist senators and corporate entities. Her faction's peace initiatives and anti-war legislation often saw failure and pushback, such as the murder of Senator Farr during controversy over a bid to overturn a military funding increase.
As the war drew to a close, Organa, Mothma, and Amidala petitioned the increasingly-authoritarian Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine to rescind his executive wartime powers following the end of the war. To their horror, Palpatine—secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious—instead declared the Jedi Order guilty of treason and announced that he would transform the Republic into an Empire. Under the new regime, Mothma continued to serve in the now-Imperial Senate, and she and her allies did what they could to politically oppose Palpatine's reign, though she also involved herself in underground resistance. Carefully navigating various interests in both the Senate and the Rebellion, Mothma was pitted against numerous individuals, such as her political rivals; Perrin, who had grown accustomed to the life of a consort; their daughter Leida, with whom she had an estranged relationship; and Rael, who grew increasingly violent. Mothma, however, found comfort with individuals including Organa, his wife, Breha, their daughter, Leia, her cousin, Vel Sartha, and her childhood friend, Tay Kolma. To hide her involvement with Rael's rebel network from the Empire, Mothma betrothed her daughter to Stekan Sculdun, son of Chandrilan oligarch Davo Sculdun.
As the Empire increased its efforts to crack down on various rebel cells, Mothma continued with her struggle but found her influence diminishing and chances for peaceful settlement gone. When the Empire massacred peaceful protestors on the planet Ghorman, Mothma publicly denounced the Empire and resigned from the Senate, with the growing Rebellion formally unified as the Alliance to Restore the Republic. The fugitive Mothma began working directly with the Alliance. As the conflict between the Rebellion and the Empire grew, large-scale warfare became inevitable. Upon receiving intel that the Empire was constructing a planet-killing superweapon, Mothma sanctioned the recruitment of Jyn Erso, who led the Rogue One squadron in stealing the Death Star plans during the Battle of Scarif. After the Battle of Yavin saw the battle station's destruction, Mothma led the Alliance through its struggle, helping plan the Battle of Endor with the Alliance High Command, which saw the apparent death of Emperor Palpatine and left the Empire in chaos.
In Endor's immediate aftermath, the Rebel Alliance restored the Old Republic as the New Republic and resumed the Galactic Senate as the New Republic Senate on Chandrila. Mothma was elected as Chancellor, and intended to do away with the emergency wartime powers she inherited from Palpatine and demilitarize the New Republic Defense Fleet by ninety percent while leaving the defense of individual planets to themselves. When the war finally came to an end, the Republic signed the Galactic Concordance with the Empire, and the Republic passed the Military Disarmament Act. The looming prospect of Grand Admiral Thrawn's return to the galaxy was a watershed moment in her leadership. The end of Mothma's chancellery brought a close to a period of unity in the Republic, with several political factions, such as the Centrists and the Populists, breaking out in disagreement over the best future for the new government.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Mon Mothma was born in 48 or 49 BBY into a political family; her father was an arbiter-general in the Galactic Republic, and her mother was a governor on their homeworld of Chandrila.Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide She also had at least one cousin, Vel Sartha.
By 32 BBY,In Queen's Shadow, Mon Mothma says that she was "very new to the Senate when [Padmé Amidala] made [her] speech as Queen of Naboo," referring to the events depicted in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. According to Star Wars: Galactic Atlas, these events took place in 32 BBY. she had joined the Republic's Galactic Senate, becoming one of the youngest senators to date. At the age of fifteen, during the Chandrilan winter, Mothma fell in love, discovered smashball and her parents' imperfections. Because of that, she decided to turn her back on her family's political dynasty to become a historian. Around the same time, Mothma married Perrin Fertha, a fellow Chandrilan. By the next summer, however, her moment of rebellion had been forgotten. She ended up returning to politics, both because of family pressures and a genuine love of governance. At sixteen, Mothma and Perrin, having been married for about a year, moved to Coruscant together, with Mothma serving as senator.
In 28 BBY,The main story of Queen's Shadow takes place four years after the Invasion of Naboo, which Star Wars: Galactic Atlas places in 32 BBY. Mothma spoke at the first senate meeting attended by Senator Padmé Amidala of the Chommell sector as well as several other new senators. Mothma was initially skeptical of Amidala due to her decision to call a vote of no confidence against former Chancellor Finis Valorum during the Invasion of Naboo thus putting the needs of her home world of Naboo above the needs of the galaxy as a whole. Although a dedicated and passionate believer in the Republic, Mothma was aware of its shortcomings and threats the Republic faced. Around this time, Mothma became suspicious of her fellow senator, Mina Bonteri of Onderon, and hosted a party where Mothma staged a distraction so that she could discuss the matter with her allies Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan and Senator Onaconda Farr of Rodia in Mothma's gardens while unknowingly being watched by Senator Amidala.
Mothma was a member of Organa's committee for transportation of construction materials along with Amidala and Farr. Following her eventual alliance with Amidala she used her contacts to stop the TriNebulon News from publishing negative stories on her. Mothma eventually became one of Amidala's closest allies but not one of her closest friends.Queen's Hope Eventually, Mothma became one of Amidala's friends and mentor, as Mothma believed that Amidala was one of the best hopes for preserving the Republic. Mothma was one of the most steadfast supporters for peace, and was widely respected throughout the Republic.Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Character Encyclopedia - Join the Battle!
===The Clone Wars and the death of the Republic===
====An advocate for peace====
Joining the senate at a critical time, the Separatist Crisis grew to being on the verge of all out war. As part of Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine's Loyalist Committee, Mothma continued to work closely with Senators Amidala and Organa. Together, they worked to oppose the arming of the Republic and the increasing calls for war against the newly formed Confederacy of Independent Systems. As a member of the Loyalists, Mothma and the other senators were tasked to maintain the Republic's integrity. When an investigation by the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi on Geonosis revealed that the Confederacy, also known as the Separatists, had already created a large droid military force and a clone army was discovered on Kamino and previously commissioned secretly by a Jedi, the galaxy plunged into the Clone Wars, beginning with the First Battle of Geonosis.
Although Mothma and the Loyalist Committee seemed out of step with the new realities of the conflict, they continued to work towards a peaceful solution. Mothma became an outspoken opponent of the war with the Separatists, and along with friends and allies, like Amidala and Organa, came to fear that the Republic's push to defeat the Separatists made it blind to the toll that the war would take on the Republic. She warned that wartime measures, such as the increasing scope of the emergency powers that the Galactic Senate gave the chancellor, were a threat to democracy. It was the desire of Mothma and her allies to find a peaceful solution to the Clone Wars, and Mothma served as a mentor to Amidala as the young senator became one of the leading advocates for peace in the Republic.
During the Battle of Malastare, the Grand Army of the Republic discovered a creature known as the Zillo Beast that dwelled underneath the surface of the planet Malastare. Having been given a way to the surface by the bombardments during the battle, the Zillo Beast fought against the Republic Army, and it was discovered that the creature was nearly-indestructible. In the hopes of replicating the indestructibility for use in clone trooper armor, Chancellor Palpatine approved the creature's relocation to Coruscant, the capital of the Republic. The Zillo Beast escaped from captivity and made its way towards the Senate Office Building to find the chancellor, who had ordered the beast be destroyed so its indestructible scales could be removed for testing and replication. The creature attacked the Senate Office Building, and Mothma was present during the attack, walking the corridors of power with Senator Organa. The Republic and the Jedi soon eliminated the creature, bringing an end to the threat against the Senate.
The neutrality of the planet Mandalore, led by Duchess Satine Kryze, soon came into dispute when the Mandalorian splinter group known as Death Watch threatened to overthrow the pacifist New Mandalorian government that the duchess led. The Senate debated whether or not to send military assistance to Mandalore, a move that the duchess strongly opposed—and one that the Separatists hoped the Republic would enact, as they believed that the people of Mandalore would greet the Death Watch as liberators fighting against a Republic occupation force. The Senate initially voted to send an occupation force, based on doctored evidence suggesting that Mandalore's Deputy Minister Jerec called for a Republic presence on his world to combat Death Watch. In actuality, the full recording of Jerec showed that he argued strongly against a military occupation. Mothma was present in the Senate session in which Jerec's true words were broadcast, and the Senate ultimately voted against sending Republic forces to Mandalore.
In response to the growing number of refugees displaced by the ongoing war with the Separatists, Amidala and Organa led a conference to discuss and, hopefully, resolve the issue. The conference took place on the planet Alderaan, and Mothma was in attendance. She and Organa greeted Amidala, the keynote speaker, when she arrived on Alderaan and escorted her to her quarters. The conference was briefly disrupted when a bounty hunter, Aurra Sing, attempted to assassinate Amidala on behalf of the imprisoned crime lord Ziro the Hutt, but the conference continued onward when Amidala was saved by Padawan Ahsoka Tano. Soon after, Senator Mothma attended a party thrown by Amidala in Amidala's apartment in honor of Senator Aang, a member of the Military Oversight Committee who was persuaded to vote in favor of reducing military spending.
====Military funding debate====
The Galactic Senate became embroiled in debates regarding the cost of fighting the Clone Wars. A particularly passionate topic of debate was whether the Senate should fund the creation of more clone troopers to combat the Separatist Alliance, despite the Republic nearing bankruptcy as a result of the war. Senator Gume Saam argued in favor of a bill that would open new lines of credit to fund the Republic's war effort. Mothma spoke out against the measure, arguing that it would essentially deregulate the banks. The Senate, at Organa's urging, tabled any decision on the proposal until the matter could be considered further. After an attack by Separatist demolition droids destroyed Coruscant's central power distribution grid, the Senate voted on the measure and opted to deregulate the banks in order to open additional lines of credit to fund the war effort.
Despite the passage of the bank deregulation, the debate over increased military funding continued. Senator Halle Burtoni of Kamino, the source of the clone troopers, proposed legislation to create five million additional clone soldiers. Organa intended to speak before the Senate in opposition to the bill, but he was injured in an attack by Separatist-aligned bounty hunters Chata Hyoki and Robonino. As the Senate awaited his address, representatives in favor of Burtoni's bill urged the Senate to vote, while Mothma insisted that the bill's opposition, which included herself, be allowed to speak out against the legislation. With Organa too injured to speak, Amidala addressed the Senate on his behalf, giving an impassioned plea to oppose increased military funding so as to continue funding critical social services for the people of the Republic.
The Senate prepared to vote on the measure, and the bill's opposition continued working to persuade their fellow senators to vote against the increase in military spending. Mothma worked with Amidala, Organa, and Farr in the efforts, and Amidala delivered another speech to the Senate on behalf of their position. The speech was greeted with enthusiasm from the Senate, and Mothma and the other opposition senators celebrated Amidala's address over drinks. Mothma told her former protégé that she did brilliantly, though Amidala was reluctant to feel victorious until such time as Burtoni's bill was struck down. Burtoni herself crashed the conversation, suggesting that the opposition was loyal to the Separatists. Mothma urged the feuding representatives to end their argument, and Farr forced Burtoni to leave the gathering. The senator from Chandrila then praised Farr for leading the efforts against the bill, and the Rodian expressed regret for once siding with the Separatists against the Republic. Mothma assured him, however, that he was now doing the right thing by helping defeat the military spending increase. Farr unexpectedly collapsed after his drink was unknowingly poisoned, so Mothma ran to find help for the dying senator of Rodia. After his death, Mothma attended a memorial service for Farr on a Coruscant landing platform, before the senator's body was returned home.
After the service, Mothma attended a meeting in Chancellor Palpatine's office, where Lieutenant Tan Divo of the Coruscant Security Force shared his theory that Farr had been murdered. After the meeting, Mothma conversed with Amidala, Organa, and Farr's aide Lolo Purs. Mothma wondered who would have wanted to harm Farr, and, despite Divo's theory that the murder was a result of a secret from Farr's past, Purs speculated that the assassination was the result of Farr's opposition to the spending bill. Organa urged them to put an end to speculation and double their efforts on defeating the bill, but Amidala insisted that they delay the vote until Farr's murderer was apprehended, lest senators vote in favor of the measure in order to avoid harm coming to themselves. Organa agreed to put a delay motion before the Senate while Amidala said she would conduct her own investigation. Mothma questioned her decision, as Divo had asked them not to interfere, but Amidala was sure that they could resolve the case better than Divo, in whom she had little confidence. Organa worried that such an investigation could disrupt the coalition against the bill, a concern that Mothma shared. Knowing that Amidala would see it through anyway, Mothma recommended that Amidala bring her head of security, Captain Gregar Typho, with her, but Amidala preferred to handle it alone. At Mothma's insistence, however, Amidala agreed to work with Senator Organa on her investigation.
During the course of their investigation, Amidala and Organa were targeted for death by the assassin. They were discovered by Lieutenant Divo, who later met with the opposition group, including Mothma, and theorized that the killer was targeting the opposition leadership. Divo placed the group under his protection as he continued the investigation, though Purs left after objecting to having themselves all kept in one room as an easy target. Purs soon returned, claiming she had been attacked by Burtoni, one of the suspects in the murder, which Burtoni laughingly denied. She also denied being involved in the assassination of Senator Farr. Despite suspicion falling onto Burtoni, Amidala realized that Purs had to have been the assassin; the poison targeted Rodians, so Purs would have died too if only she had taken a drink. Her duplicity having been discovered, Purs admitted to killing Farr due to his brief allegiance to the Separatist Alliance, and Purs was arrested for her crime. Soon thereafter, the Senate voted on the funding bill and passed the measure in spite of the opposition efforts of Mothma and the others, leading to the production of more clone troopers.
====The war continues====
As the war progressed, a peace conference was held between the Republic and the Separatists on the neutral planet of Mandalore, overseen by Duchess Satine. Mothma, Amidala, and Organa represented the Republic in the conference, while three members of the Separatist Senate represented the interests of the Separatist Alliance. The Separatists demanded that the three senators, as representatives for Chancellor Palpatine, recognize the legitimacy of the Separatist Alliance's existence, a stance that the senators were reluctant to take. The talks were disrupted by Lux Bonteri, son of the assassinated Separatist Senator Mina Bonteri, and asserted that Count Dooku, the leader of the Separatist Alliance, was behind his mother's death. Bonteri was removed from the talks, but the talks did not result in peace between the two sides.
The Jedi soon learned that a criminal named Moralo Eval had hatched a plot to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine. In order to infiltrate the conspiracy, led by Count Dooku himself, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi faked his death so his face could be surgically altered to look like the bounty hunter Rako Hardeen, who had fired the shot that supposedly killed the Jedi Master. Believing that Kenobi was dead, Mothma attended the funeral held for the Jedi Master in the Jedi Temple. Kenobi ultimately disrupted the plot to kidnap the Chancellor, and Palpatine was left unharmed.
Some time later, Mothma attended yet another funeral in the Jedi Temple, this one for the victims of the bombing that killed several Jedi and civilians alike. Mothma was a member of the court that would decide the fate of Ahsoka Tano, who was arrested and charged with being the mastermind of the temple attack. Tano was prosecuted by Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin and defended by Senator Amidala. Ultimately, it was discovered that Padawan Barriss Offee, who had grown disillusioned with the Jedi High Council for their leadership in the continuing Clone Wars, was responsible for the plot and had framed her friend and fellow Padawan for the attack. Tano was freed from Republic custody and chose not to return to the Jedi Order, as she was unwilling to return after the Jedi Council did not trust her innocence.
Later in the war, former Senator Rush Clovis was installed as the leader of the InterGalactic Banking Clan. He was merely a pawn of Count Dooku, however, and his installation as leader led to a Separatist invasion of Scipio, the headquarters of the Banking Clan. The Senate voted to authorize a Republic military strike against the Separatist invasion force, and the Republic was able to repel the Separatists. In response to the actions of the Separatist Alliance, and following the death of Rush Clovis, the Banking Clan senator Nix Card ceded control of the banks, save one branch, to Chancellor Palpatine, a move that Mothma reacted to with disapproval. Palpatine promised to reinstate private control of the banks when the Clone Wars were over but urged that it was necessary to ensure financial stability in the interim, a stance that most of the Senate greeted with enthusiastic approval, since the Republic was saved from bankruptcy. Shortly thereafter, Mothma was present in a Senate session in which Queen Julia of the neutral planet Bardotta spoke via hologram and requested the Republic's assistance in uncovering why Bardottan spiritual leaders were disappearing. At the queen's request, the Republic sent Gungan representative Jar Jar Binks, as well as Jedi Master Mace Windu, to help resolve the situation.
====Ahsoka Tano's trial====
Mothma was present during the funeral of the six Jedi killed in the bombing of the Jedi Temple hangar. She also attended the trial of Ahsoka Tano, who was represented by Amidala, and was seated alongside Riyo Chuchi, Organa, and Kin Robb as the former Padawan was accused of masterminding the bombing. Tano was ultimately cleared of all charges when Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker arrived with another Jedi Padwan Barriss Offee, who was the real culprit.
Mothma witnessed Offee's confess to her crimes as she explained she, like many others, had come to realize that the Jedi were responsible for the war and they had lost their way becoming the villains in the conflict saying that they should be the ones on trial and that her attack on the Temple was an attack on what the Jedi had become, an army fighting for the dark side, having fallen from the light which they had once held so dear. Offee then stated that the Republic was falling and that it was only a matter of time, before she was pulled back by Skywalker. She was then taken away on the orders of Palpatine.
====Final days of the war====
In the final days of the Clone Wars, the Chancellor continued to amass more executive powers. However, in 19 BBY, he was captured by General Grievous and taken hostage aboard his ship. As a battle broke out between the Republic and the Confederacy, Skywalker and Kenobi rushed to Palpatine's rescue. They managed to retrieve their kidnapped Chancellor, killing Count Dooku in the process. In the wake of the rescue and subsequent battle, Organa gathered outside the Senate Building with the Loyalist Committee, and they all greeted Palpatine.
Palpatine was soon given control of the Jedi Council, and he soon began appointing regional governors to oversee all star systems in the Republic. Alarmed by these abrupt chain of events, a small group of concerned senators, such as Organa, Amidala, Mothma, and Meena Tills, met in Organa's office at Cantham House. Throughout these events, Mothma and Senator Organa met in secret, even from their allies, to discuss basic plans for an organized and armed rebellion against the possibility that Palpatine may become a tyrant. These meetings eventually set the spark for a highly secret Rebellion movement.
Later, Mothma and the rest of the senators met in Padmé Amidala's apartment, where Mothma told them that they were forming an alliance to stop Palpatine. However, Padmé suggested bringing the plan to the one Jedi she trusts, but Mothma and the group agreed with Organa to appeal to the Senate first.
The Clone Wars came to a close following the deaths of Count Dooku and the droid General Grievous. Skywalker discovered that Palpatine was secretly Darth Sidious, a Dark Lord of the Sith who had manipulated the entire conflict to gain power over the Republic. Mace Windu and three other Jedi Masters attempted to arrest the chancellor, but the Dark Lord killed them all and seduced Skywalker to the dark side of the Force, anointing him as the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Having found justification to eliminate his enemies, Palpatine declared the Jedi Order to be enemies of the Republic and ordered Darth Vader and clone troopers across the galaxy to destroy the Jedi. A disfigured Chancellor, injured in his confrontation with Master Windu, spoke to the Senate about the so-called Jedi betrayal and proclaimed that, in the interest of stability and security, the Republic would be reorganized into the Galactic Empire. The worst fears of Mothma and her allies were confirmed, and Amidala died soon thereafter on the asteroid Polis Massa. Mothma soon met with Bail, and together they attended Padmé's funeral on Theed alongside thousands of others.
During the senatorial arrests, Mothma was among the senators charged with colluding with the Jedi Order and treason, yet she, like Bail Organa, was released after publicly claiming to be a loyal Imperial. Amidala's death was blamed on the Jedi Rebellion, but Mothma, who attended her close friend's funeral, knew who was really at fault — Palpatine. Vowing to return democracy to the galaxy, Mothma and Organa continued to prepare for resistance to the Emperor's rule.
===The Rebel Alliance===
====Rebellion from within====
Though Mothma and Organa remained members of the Imperial Senate, they understood that the political group was now irrelevant, and that the time came for rebellion. While Organa dealt with the military aspects of building a rebellion and grew its network of intelligence agents, Mothma further developed political alliances that were made during the final moments of the Republic. Mothma understood that those alliances would be key for any future galactic governance after either the defeat or the reform of the Empire. Before Amidala died, she secretly gave birth to twins: Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, the latter of whom was adopted by Organa and his wife, Queen Breha Organa. Mothma knew the adopted Princess from an early age and watched as she grew to become a politician in her own right. Mothma became the princess' political tutor, teaching her before she took her father's place in the Imperial Senate, and watched as the princess became a leader in the emerging rebellion against the Empire.
Around 18 BBY,"The Axe Forgets" takes place days after "Kassa," which dates itself to 5 BBY. establishes that Leida Mothma was thirteen years old at the time of the episode, placing her birth around 18 BBY. Mothma and Perrin had a child, a daughter named Leida Mothma. Mon and Leida had a distant relationship, with Mon also hiding her rebellious activities from her daughter and husband. While there were times she wanted to tell Leida about the hidden part of her career, Mon decided that keeping Leida out of the loop kept her safe. In 5 BBY, takes place in 5 BBY per the reasoning here Mothma visited Luthen Rael's Galactic Antiquities and Objects of Interest on Coruscant, claiming to buy a present for her husband for his Day of Days. In reality, however, Mothma had come to speak with Rael, whom she was trying to smuggle money to in order to feed the rebels he was working with. By this time, the Empire had begun sending spies after Mothma, including her new driver, Kloris, meaning she was unable to transfer the money. Upon her arrival, Rael led the senator to the back of the gallery, feigning to show her military artifacts her husband would enjoy. Once in the back, Mothma informed Rael that she had found someone who they could bring into their circle, but Luthen dismissed this as they were vulnerable enough. Mothma, however, told him not to lecture her on vulnerability, as if they were discovered, she would be the first to fall. Mothma then left the gallery and quietly observed Coruscant on her way home.
When Mothma returned to her apartment, she found Fertha preparing for a dinner party for his regimental friend, the governor of Hanna, about which he had told his wife about a month prior. Mothma asked who else Fertha had invited, and was upset to learn that he had invited several of her political enemies, including Ars Dangor and Sly Moore, who, the day before, had cut off the Ghorman shipping lanes. Mothma protested that she be seated away from them, with Perrin asserting that she would be seated at the "boring side of the table." Annoyed and frustrated, Mothma stormed away.
The next morning, Mothma had breakfast with Fertha and the thirteen year old Leida. At the last minute, Leida cancelled plans she had had with her mother to take Leida to her classes, asking her father to take her instead. The two then got into an argument as Leida claimed that Mothma only took her to show off that she was involved somehow. When Mothma told her how hurtful that was, Leida said that it just proved her point that everything was all about Mothma. Fertha remained mostly silent during the exchange. Mothma then, quite sarcastically, thanked her family for their 'support.'
Later that night, Mothma and Fertha attended an event together. On the way back in a speeder, driven by Kloris, Fertha mentioned how Mothma had watched his conversation with Gar Tafeed whom he claimed knew more about what she was up to than he did. He also asked Mothma why he hadn't told her about her knew foundation to which Mothma responded that she assumed that Fertha wouldn't be interested as it was charitable. Fertha then asked Mothma, for the second time that day, for their driver's name which she told him was Kloris before he asked him to take the Expressway.
The next day, Mothma appeared before the Imperial Senate, although the senate chamber was almost empty. Mothma showed her support for Senator Dhow's proposal, calling it both temperate and timely, and putting in place a fact-finding commission for the session that would prove that the opposition to Dhaw's proposal would cause further harm to the Ghormans. Mothma attempted to pass her own bill which would also provide aid to the Ghormans. Mothma was disappointed however to see that most of the Senate weren't paying attention to her with many looking at their datapads before exiting their pods. She then picked up her own datapad, as an alarm had gone off, as news broke on Coruscant about how rebels had stolen eighty million credits on Aldhani.
Shortly after Mothma returned to Rael's store claiming that she wanted to switch out Fertha's gift for another one, though in reality she wanted to confront Rael about the attack on Aldhani. Rael claimed that he needed credits which Mothma could no longer give, but Mothma was angered by Rael's actions as it would lead to more suffering as the Empire would crack down on other planets. Rael expected this, but saw the suffering of others, due to the Empire's paranoia, as necessary to defeating the Empire. Mothma then said she would not be taking either of the items and left to return to her vehicle.
Later that night, Mothma hosted a party at her apartment, where she talked with her school friend, the banker Tay Kolma. Mothma reintroduced Kolma to Leida, whom he had met when she was young. Leida couldn't remember, however, and mostly ignored Kolma as she asked her mother's permission to be excused from the party like Fertha had told her to do. After Leida left, Mothma inquired if she could ask Kolma for a political favor but Kolma asked her not to as she might find his politics "a bit strong for [her] taste". Kolma did not approve of Mothma spending so much time with those inside the Empire and how interlinked she had become with the Empire.
Mothma then took Kolma aside into the living room to tell him that her image of a "a polite, sometimes-indecisive Senator who spends her days fighting and failing to protect Separatist do-gooders and battle Empire overreach" as well as an irritation was a lie. Mothma revealed to Kolma that the Grand Vizier had infiltrated her Separatist Coalition meetings and her driver was a member of the Imperial Security Bureau who reported on her secret humanitarian programmed. She wanted the Empire to watch her because if everyone thought of her as an "irritation," that meant there was a good chance they would miss what she was really doing. Kolma then asked what Mothma was "really doing" to which Mothma responded that she was raising money and that she could no longer freely access her family accounts. Kolma asked what she was raising money for, but Mothma ignored him and said that she was was forming a Chandrilan charitable outreach program of which she would ask Kolma to be the chairman, which would involve a lot of trips to Coruscant and would appear to be another of her "benevolent and useless irritations". When Kolma pointed out that she hadn't answered his question, Mothma told him that she wouldn't as he was better off not knowing.
The pair were then interrupted by Fertha who assumed that they were reminiscing about their school days and reminded the pair of an upcoming reunion. Mothma then left the living room with Fertha to talk to some of the other guests.
====Opposition to authoritarian measures====
Mothma was a prominent opponent of the new authoritarian laws that Emperor Palpatine introduced to the Imperial Senate following a rebel attack in Aldhani, specifically the Imperial Emergency Act and the Public Order Resentencing Directive; she was particularly critical toward the latter measure, which she described as "the next step of an all too predictable march toward complete unchallenged authority". Her opposition raised a certain amount of debate, but the acts were eventually passed nonetheless. Mothma's desperation to avoid her rebel activities from being exposed via her banking records led to her agreeing to Davo Sculdun's proposal to introduce Leida to his son, Stekan Sculdun, which was a road to an arranged marriage.
====Cultivating a rebellion====
While continuing her work in the Imperial Senate, Mothma continued to expand on the loose network of rebel cells she began calling "the Alliance." These groups included organizations such as the Atrivis Resistance Group, which joined Mothma's network in 5 BBY.
====Leia's Day of Demand====
In 3 BBY,Star Wars: Galactic Atlas places Leia Organa's birth in 19 BBY. The events of Leia, Princess of Alderaan commence just after Organa's sixteenth birthday, which places the events of the novel in 3 BBY. Mothma attended Leia Organa's Day of Demand at the Royal Palace of Alderaan, where she smiled wider as Leia passed, along with several dinner parties hosted at the palace which actually served as strategy meetings for the growing rebellion.
Before one of these dinner parties, Mothma talked with Princess Leia about her time in the Apprentice Legislature. Leia confessed her guilt to Mothma about falling for a trick planted by the Empire as she had recommended Arreyel to be chosen for the location of a new Imperial Academy which allowed the Empire to run scans that showed the existence of a powerful radiation source under under the planet's crust. The Empire then began plans to use the source in planet-wide factories and gave the population six weeks to evacuate with no compensation. Mothma reassured Leia that Palpatine and his higher ups were skilled at those things and that even she herself had fallen for them a few times. Mothma moved into the banquet hall for the dinner party, shortly after, where they discussed the recent assassination of Moff Panaka and the idea of implementing further violence into their plans. Mothma pointed out that at some point refusing to fight stopped being nonviolence and instead of being objectors they became bystanders. Like Breha Organa, Mothma tried to get Bail to recognize that a large scale military rebellion was the only way to rife the galaxy of Palpatine and the Empire.
The next day, Leia visited Mothma in her office with proof of the Empire's actions towards the planet Chasmeene, having punished them for failing to meet the Imperial quota by irradiation of vast swaths of its farmland, which led to planet wide famine. Mothma told Leia that there was very little that could be done with the evidence that she'd gathered. Mothma explained to Leia that worlds such as Chasmeene weren't subject to as much propaganda and that it wasn't ignorance, but rather tyranny and fear, that kept worlds within the Empire. Mothma did reassure Leia, however, that evidence, such as the one she gathered, would be useful for when Palpatine fell and they would need to "rewrite their false history to reflect the truth". Mothma also told Leia that she was honoured that Leia had trusted her with this as the Empire had worked hard to destroy peoples faith in each other and that it was only by reaching out that they would be able to make the allies they needed. When Leia hoped that one day she would be one of those allies, Mothma reassured her that she already was.
At another one of the dinner parties, Grand Moff Tarkin unexpectedly attended and in order to hide the true purpose of the gathering Queen Breha pretended to drunkenly accuse her husband and Mothma of having an affair resulting in Princess Leia bursting into tears and Tarkin stomping out. The Organas' allies then realized that Leia was aware of their dangerous and illegal activities and were greatly angered that Bail and Breha had allowed their child to know about it. Mothma then told everyone that Leia Organa wasn't a child as she had had her Day of Demand and was on the verge of becoming an adult. Mothma said that Leia was growing into a "representative of the next generation", a generation she said would do most of the fighting and dying in what was to come.
Later, Mothma attended the ceremony where Leia was officially invested as crown princess of Alderaan. The young Organa would go onto join the Imperial Senate. Like Leia, Mothma would support a refugee rights bill in the Senate that kept refugees safe from exploitation. After it passed, it cost a chief operating officer on Coruscant billions, which eventually led to her putting a bounty out on both Mothma and Leia.The Princess and the Scoundrel
====Resigning for the rebellion====
=====Escaping the Empire=====
As several resistance movements developed across the galaxy to oppose Imperial rule, one such group was the crew of the starship Ghost, which operated on the Outer Rim world of Lothal before becoming part of a wider rebellion against the Empire. In time, these various resistance movements were united under Mothma and Bail Organa's leadership. They also had help from Ahsoka Tano, who had become a key figure in the emerging rebellion by acting as a contact for rebel cells. Under Mothma and Organa's guidance, these cells became the Alliance to Restore the Republic. While Organa focused on the military side of the rebellion, Mothma focused on growing the political side of the Alliance and made efforts to maintain the power of the Imperial Senate with the help of allies, but protecting the Imperial Senate proved to be a fruitless endeavor. Thanks to her rebel contacts, Mothma herself knew the true face of the Empire, which was hidden from the Senate. All the same, despite the Empire's worst atrocities being demonstrated to Mothma's allied senators, many still refused to believe that conflict was inevitable.
In 2 BBY,Star Wars: Timelines Mothma fled from Coruscant after she was branded a traitor and immediately rocketed to the top of the Empire's "Most Wanted" list for giving a speech condemning the Ghorman Massacre. Mothma also resigned from the Imperial Senate due to her dissatisfaction with the Senate's failure to rein in the Empire's wrongs, with the Imperial Security Bureau issuing an alert for Mothma in an attempt to capture her. ISB agents also visited Cantham House on Coruscant, the meeting place of the Cantham House meetings, based on suspicions they had, and questioned Leia and several others there.
Mothma fled into hiding with her senatorial attache Erskin Semaj and the Y-wing squadron known as Gold Squadron. With the help of Senator Organa, Mothma rendezvoused in deep space with Phoenix Leader Hera Syndulla's ship Ghost. Hera and her crew were members of the Phoenix Cell, which operated in the Lothal sector. After Mothma's freighter, the Chandrila Mistress was attacked by Imperial forces, she and her crew abandoned their ship and sought refuge aboard the Ghost. Mothma helped Hera's droid Chopper to detach the Ghost from her stricken freighter.
=====Operation Handoff=====
After escaping into hyperspace, Hera introduced her crew to Mothma. Mothma praised both Ezra Bridger, who was flying Gold Two's Y-wing starfighter, and the Lasat Captain Garazeb Orrelios for their services to the rebellion. Ezra thanked Mothma for her speech criticizing the Emperor. When Erskin counseled her to abandon her planned mission to Dantooine, Mothma refused and argued that she had to be present at that meeting. Mothma then informed the Spectres that she was planning to build an alliance of rebel cells to challenge the Empire and unify the rebellion. After Erskin warned them that the Empire was trying to intercept any ship leaving the system, Hera decided they would travel through the dangerous Archeon pass.
During the journey, the rebels came under attack from Grand Admiral Thrawn's prototype TIE Defender starfighter and two TIE Interceptors. Three Y-wings were lost during the skirmish but the rebels also managed to destroy the two TIE interceptors. While Gold Leader Captain Jon Vander and Ezra distracted the TIE Defender, Hera flew the Ghost out of the Archeon Nebula only to find their way blocked by two Star Destroyers commanded by Governor Arihnda Pryce and Admiral Kassius Konstantine.
While Hera and Chopper readied the Ghost hyperdrive, Mothma tried to stall Governor Pryce with a list of demands. Pryce however rejected her demands and ordered Konstantine to activate the Star Destroyer's tractor beam projector. Before the Ghost could be drawn inside the Star Destroyer, Vander and Ezra emerged from the Archeon Nebula. Under Hera's orders, they fired their proton torpedoes into the nebula. This caused an explosion which badly damaged the two Star Destroyers and allowed the rebels to flee to Dantooine.
=====Forming the Alliance=====
Above Dantooine, Mon Mothma gave a speech stating that she had resigned from the Imperial Senate since it had been corrupted by the Emperor. With the Senate no longer able to protect the rights and freedom of the galaxy's citizens, she advocated the formation of an Alliance to Restore the Republic. This speech was witnessed by Senator Organa, General Jan Dodonna, and members of Ryder Azadi's Lothal resistance group and Phoenix Squadron. Shortly later, the rebel fleet emerged from hyperspace above Dantooine and the Alliance was formed, officially beginning the Galactic Civil War. Members of the Alliance Military would nickname Mothma "Double-M."
====Pragmatism====
After escaping Grand Admiral Thrawn's siege of Atollon, Ezra contacted Mon Mothma via hologram and tried to solicit her help in sending reinforcements to aid the besieged Phoenix Squadron and General Dodonna's Massassi Group. However, the rebel leader was unwilling to expose the true strength of the Rebel Alliance to Thrawn and admitted that the Alliance was not yet ready for open warfare against the Empire. When Mothma promised to negotiate fair treatment for the prisoners, Ezra warned that Thrawn might not take prisoners. Before exiting the conversation, Mothma complimented Ezra for his courage and wished that the Force would be with him. Ultimately, the rebels managed to escape Atollon with the help of Mandalorians from Clan Wren.
====Mission to Jalindi====
In the aftermath of Atollon, the Rebel Alliance, including Mothma, relocated to Yavin 4. Around 1 BBY,The trivia guide for Star Wars Rebels: Heroes of Mandalore states that Bo-Katan Kryze was redesigned to advance the character's age by "18 years or so". As she was last seen was in The Lawless, which was dated to 19 BBY by Star Wars: Galactic Atlas, it can be assumed that the events of Heroes of Mandalore take place in approximately 1 BBY. As In the Name of the Rebellion takes place shortly after Heroes of Mandalore, it can be assumed it is also around the year 1 BBY. following Phoenix squadron's return from a failed supply mission, Mothma welcomed Hera Syndulla at the subsequent meeting, commending her bravery. After Bail Organa attributed their faulty intelligence to a new Imperial satellite relay on Jalindi, Ezra remarked on Saw Gerrera's more extreme methods of acquiring the information, to which Mothma was quick to remind him the rest of the Rebellion does not torture prisoners. When Alexsandr Kallus suggested intercepting the satellite relay, Mothma agreed to the plan and placed Hera in charge of the mission. At the meeting's conclusion, Ezra once again pleaded for Mothma's help in liberating Lothal. Though sympathetic to the planet's plight as much as other worlds under Imperial control, Mothma reminded Ezra the Rebellion was not yet strong enough to do so. That night, Saw appeared via hologram from an astromech droid, denouncing the leaders of the Alliance. Mothma was quick to respond, demanding to know his reasons for contacting them. When Gerrera reminded her of her refusal to destroy the Jalindi relay, Mothma in turn refused to fall to his level, reminding Saw of his numerous war crimes. Despite this, the relay was inevitably destroyed by Gerrera and the Ghost crew following the unexpected arrival of Brom Titus.
====Raid on Lothal====
Weeks later, Mothma informed Ezra of a message from Azadi concerning a new development of the TIE Defender. Having witnessed the ships in action firsthand, Mothma asked for Ezra's help in gathering intelligence on Lothal. Bridger and the rest of the Ghost crew readily agreed, though Mothma could not guarantee their extraction due to the Empire's massive blockade. After Hera and Chopper acquired the TIE/D Defender Elite's flight data recorder and returned to Yavin 4, Mothma and Erskin Semaj greeted the two rebels.
Mon Mothma later attended a briefing with General Dodonna, Senator Organa, Semaj, and Syndulla to discuss the flight data recorder. During the meeting, Hera urged Mothma to launch a strike on the Imperial TIE Defender factories on Lothal and added that she had a ground strike team. Mothma responded by asking her and Chopper to wait outside while she discussed the matter. In private, Mothma and the others discussed Protocol 13. Hera re-entered the meeting and urged the rebel leadership to launch the strike. Mothma was swayed and authorized Syndulla's strike. However, Syndulla's squadron of X-wing starfighters was intercepted and largely wiped out by Thrawn's Seventh Fleet.
====The Mustafar operation====
Before or during 1 BBY,Mon Mothma became actively involved in what became the Alliance to Restore the Republic after the skirmish in the Archeon Nebula in 2 BBY, which took place in the Star Wars Rebels episode "Secret Cargo," placing the events of Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire after those events. The inclusion of K-2SO means that this event takes place prior to the Battle of Scarif in 1 BBY, in which the droid was killed. Mon Mothma assigned a group of operatives to an intelligence mission to Mustafar, which she deemed critical to the Rebellion's survival.
====Death Star plans====
By 1 BBY, Mon Mothma had become ChancellorStar Wars (2015) 4 and Commander-in-Chief of the Rebel Alliance. As leader of the Alliance, Mothma was privy to Operation Fracture,Star Wars: Rogue One: Rebel Dossier a secret operation to extract the scientist Galen Erso so that he could testify to the Imperial Senate regarding the existence of a planet-destroying superweapon called the Death Star. The Alliance had learned about the existence of the Death Star from the defecting Imperial pilot Bodhi Rook, who had been captured by Gerrera's Partisans.
Operation Fracture involved the Alliance rescuing Galen's daughter Jyn Erso so that the Alliance could make contact with Gerrera and question Rook about the Death Star and Galen's location. The Alliance also needed Jyn to verify Galen's identity. When General Davits Draven objected to Jyn's presence on the Operation Fraction team due to her criminal and violent tendencies, Mothma countered that Jyn was essential to identifying Galen and persuading him to testify in the Senate about the Death Star. While recognizing Jyn's criminal tendencies, Mothma argued that everybody including criminals and outcasts deserved a second chance.
Mothma also supported General Draven's recommendation that Captain Cassian Andor be assigned to Operation Fracture. While describing him as one of the best and brightest rebel operatives, Mothma expressed concerns that rebel fighters like Andor had to grapple with doing terrible things in the course of their services to the Rebellion. In addition, Mon Mothma was also briefed about several topics including Galen Erso's expertise on crystal science and energy generation, suspected Imperial disinformation, speculation about the Empire's planned weapons test, Grand Moff Tarkin, and Alliance military assets by various colleagues including General Draven, Senator Nower Jebel, Advisor Hostis Ij, General Jan Dodonna, and Admiral Raddus.
Jyn convinced Saw to show her the message, which detailed the superweapon's destructive power and a weakness that Galen had deliberately set in the station. He also explained that a copy of the weapon's technical readouts were kept in the Citadel Tower on Scarif. Jyn was unable to deliver the holographic recording to the Alliance due the Destruction of Jedha City. Erso and Andor were able to escape Jedha, and set course for Eadu. En route, Andor relayed news of Jedha's destruction, while General Draven confirmed his orders to kill Galen Erso.
Andor's U-wing crashed on Eadu because of the planet's foul weather. The loss of contact with Andor and his team forced Draven to launch a mission to Eadu, which succeeded at killing Galen Erso. Following the return of Andor's team to the Massassi base, Mothma led a discussion among the Alliance's leaders regarding the future of the rebellion. Despite knowing that full-scale war against the Empire was inevitable and wanting to escalate the fight, Mothma followed the recommendations of the council and denied Jyn Erso permission to launch a mission to retrieve the Death Star plans. Mothma and Organa knew that war was unavoidable, and sought to bring as many allies to their cause as they could. While Mothma remained on Base One, Organa tasked his subordinates and Leia to prepare to go to Tatooine. Erso, Andor, and their crew disobeyed her orders and formed the Rogue One squad, which fired the opening shots of the Galactic Civil War at the Battle of Scarif. When Base One intercepted communications that there were rebel actions on Scarif, Mothma was walking with Generals Dravin and Antoc Merrick when informed. Mothma requested to speak with Admiral Raddus, but was told that he's gone to his vessel, the Profundity and that they were going to fight. Rogue One's actions led to the intervention of the Alliance Fleet, which allowed the successful theft and transmissions of the plans to the Profundity and Leia's ship, the Tantive IV.
Shortly thereafter, the Empire used the Death Star to destroy Alderaan, killing Bail and Breha Organa with it. Mothma became the sole political leader of the Rebel Alliance, serving as its own chancellor throughout the Galactic Civil War. As the Rebel Alliance awaited Leia Organa's success or failure in delivering the Death Star plans, Mothma prepared multiple contingency plans and gathered intelligence resources. Due to the possibility that a rebel assault on the Death Star would end in defeat, Mothma's survival would ensure the rebellion lived on. Her aide Cianne accompanied her as she departed in a shuttle. Mothma was in the process of writing a surrender speech she may have to deliver to Emperor Palpatine and his Empire when she received the news that the rebels had won.
====After Yavin====
After the Battle of Yavin, in which Luke Skywalker, who had become a Rebel pilot, destroyed the Death Star and prevented the annihilation of the Rebel Alliance, the Alliance debated trying to convince the Chekkoo clan of Rodia to join the Rebellion. Mothma was unsure of the idea, but Ackbar and Leia Organa agreed with it, and it was eventually decided they would send Skywalker on the mission.Heir to the Jedi Mothma later sent Skywalker on a mission to retrieve logs of Imperial communications that were intercepted by several rebel cells along the Shipwrights' Trace.The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure
At some point later, the Alliance High Command met in the Alliance Fleet to discuss what actions to take next. Organa, who had just completed a successful assault on Weapons Factory Alpha on Cymoon 1, urged the leadership to allow her team to continue pressing the Alliance's advantage against the Empire. Admiral Gial Ackbar told the princess that they could not maintain such an offensive due to still being on the run, a stance that Mothma agreed with. The chancellor said that the few resources that they had must be put towards keeping the fleet moving so the Empire could not find them. Only by establishing a new base, Mothma said, would they be able to change that stance. Concerned for the well-being of her old friend, Mothma also reminded the princess that she could not afford to continue pushing herself or her team so hard in the fight against the Empire.
High Command later received word that Skywalker had been captured by Grakkus, a Hutt crime lord, on the moon of Nar Shaddaa. Despite Skywalker's value to the Alliance and his status as the hero of the Battle of Yavin, Mothma made the difficult choice to decide against using any large amount of Alliance resources to rescue him, knowing that the Rebellion could not move against a Hutt stronghold. She also believed that sending a covert team would be a suicide mission. Nonetheless, Skywalker's Wookiee friend Chewbacca and protocol droid C-3PO agreed to travel to Nar Shaddaa to help the captive Rebel.Star Wars (2015) 9 With help from Organa, the smuggler-turned-Rebel Han Solo, and astromech droid R2-D2, who rendezvoused with them on Nar Shaddaa, Chewbacca and Threepio successfully rescued Skywalker.Star Wars (2015) 12 Despite the valuable victory at Yavin, the Alliance remained on the backfood as the Empire's full fury was brought down on the rebels. Offensives in the Mid Rim turned into retreat, and the personal toll on Mothma throughout the war was heavy, but she remained steadfast.
After Alliance forces managed to shoot down Darth Vader onto the planet Vrogas Vas during the battle, Mothma approved of Leia's request for a coordinated Alliance strike on the Sith Lord, stating that his capture was preferable but eliminating him was acceptable. Later, Mothma attended an Alliance High Command meeting in which Skywalker and Organa suggested that the Alliance attempt to hijack an Imperial-class Star Destroyer in order to break the Siege on Tureen VII. Mothma was skeptical of the plan, but ultimately approved it due to Skywalker and Organa's reputation.Star Wars (2015) 23
====Battle of Hoth and aftermath====
As the Alliance focused on building their new Alliance High Command headquarters in Echo Base on Hoth, Chancellor Mon Mothma was present on the Home One alongside Admiral Gial Ackbar, General Crix Madine, and others when bounty hunter Beilert Valance provided the Rebellion with the plans for a shield generator that could withstand orbital bombardment. When questioned about the engineer who was supposed to bring them the plans, Valance informed them that he didn't make it, and expected to be paid half of the credits he was owed. Mothma asked about him being paid half, to which Valance said that the other half would be for the ransom for the engineer's family that was held by the Empire. By this time, General Madine had quickly become a valued advisor to Mothma.
One night at Echo Base, General Carlist Rieekan was off-world with Mothma, leaving General Leia Organa in command of the base. At that time, the heaters failed and Leia had to place everyone in starships as a temporary measure and evacuate the base when the reactor was briefly compromised.Star Wars (2020) 12 Echo Base was eventually discovered by the Galactic Empire, commencing the Battle of Hoth when the Imperial Death Squadron arrived and landed Blizzard Force. Generals Rieekan and Leia Organa commanded the Alliance forces, which at the time of the battle, had more than 7,500 personnel at the base. The Alliance command staff, including Chancellor Mothma, had not yet arrived when the battle began.
Following the battle, Mothma met Lieutenant Thane Kyrell, an Imperial-turned-Rebel, after he had become intoxicated following a night of drinking. Though he did not know who she was, Mothma helped find a chair so he could sit down, and he told her all about how he had defected from the Empire but still loved Ciena Ree, a childhood friend turned lover who served in the Imperial Navy. Mothma listened to his story, including how he was afraid that he might shoot Ree down in battle someday and that he did not want to let his fellow Rebels down for fear of killing the woman he loved. The next morning, Mothma briefed Kyrell and other pilots on a mission they were to carry out for the Alliance. At the end of the briefing, Mothma spoke to Kyrell, who apologized for his actions the previous night. Mothma told him that she did not drum anyone out of the Alliance for getting intoxicated once in a while, lest there be no Rebellion left to fight the Empire, but she did want to know he was capable of doing his duty. He assured her that he was, and he took heed of her words that it was acceptable to love someone on the other side of the war so long as he loved the cause of the Rebel Alliance more.Lost Stars
In the aftermath of their defeat at Hoth, the Alliance Navy split into naval divisions.Star Wars (2020) 15 After she spent a time with the Seventh DivisionStar Wars (2020) 8 aboard the rebel flagship Home One, Mon Mothma, along with Admiral Ackbar and the Eleventh Division, found herself blockaded by the Galactic Empire on Ab Dalis when they were discovered. During the Battle of Ab Dalis, Colonel Chouch and the Ground Defense Command protected Mothma and the Eleventh Division's ships until Starlight Squadron from the Fourth Division arrived to reinforce them. After destroying the Ultima II, Mothma thanked the pilots of Starlight Squadron, and that now they would be able to join the fight.
====The Death Star II====
Eventually, Luke Skywalker decided to pursue a distress call from two individuals, Bevelyn and Jon Melton who claimed to be former Imperials. After rescuing them and their children, Skywalker learned that they had worked as double agents for the Empire-antagonistic Crimson Dawn criminal syndicate, and revealed that they had been stationed on a second Death Star that the Empire was building. Skywalker then met with Mothma, General Syndulla, and Admiral Ackbar and told them who the Meltons were. Ackbar was concerned about Crimson Dawn having spies within the Alliance, but Mothma was more interested in the news Skywalker had brought. When the Jedi-in-training revealed that the Empire was building another Death Star, a shocked Mothma declared that they had defeated the first Death Star, and would defeat the new one as well.
Three years after the Battle of Yavin, Mothma depressingly passed on the information provided to her from the Bothan Spynet to her senior commanders and advisors, and that what she told them had to remain secret as she knew that after the defeat at Hoth, news of the DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station could shatter the Alliance. Knowing that the information leak was likely a trap, Mothma and her military advisors had no choice but to fully commit the Alliance in destroying the station and the Emperor. The Alliance learned that the battle station was in the orbit of the Forest Moon of Endor and under construction. Mothma met with the Alliance High Command to discuss strategy for how to deal with the threat of a new Death Star, and it was agreed that the battle station had to be destroyed before it was fully operational. The leadership began planning for an assault on the Death Star II over Endor, but first the Alliance Fleet, which had broken up following the Rebellion's defeat during the Battle of Hoth—Mothma insisted that it break into smaller groups to avoid another disaster that the Empire could celebrate—would have to regroup near Sullust. Organa volunteered to lead an operation, codenamed Operation Yellow Moon, to distract Imperial forces while the Alliance Fleet gathered together. Mothma was opposed to the idea at first, and she spoke with the princess about her concerns—concerns stemming from Organa's willingness to sacrifice herself for the Alliance. Although Madine provided the idea of training commando infiltration teams to sabotage the station from within, Mothma did not want to delay as she feared that entire worlds would be destroyed before they were ready.
The chancellor knew that Organa was in love with Captain Solo, who had been taken captive by Jabba the Hutt months earlier, and worried that Organa was willing to sacrifice happiness to die for the Rebel cause. Mothma also knew that Organa blamed herself for the destruction of Alderaan, so she told the princess a piece of intelligence: the Emperor intended to use the new Death Star to destroy worlds such as Mon Cala and even Chandrila, all to eliminate opposition to his rule. Mothma knew that if she allowed herself to be ruled by such fears, she would not be able to serve the Alliance. The chancellor approved Operation Yellow Moon, and urged her young friend not to deny herself an opportunity for love—a love denied because of total devotion to the Alliance—because of what happened to her parents and to Alderaan. Operation Yellow Moon was successful and the Alliance Fleet gathered near Sullust. 
====The Battle of Endor====
When it was assembled, the High Command addressed Rebel forces aboard Home One, the Rebel command ship, and shared the existence of the second Death Star. Mothma also revealed that the Emperor himself was personally overseeing the completion of the station's construction. During the briefing, Admiral Ackbar and General Crix Madine outlined the plan of attack. General Solo was picked to lead a ground assault to destroy the shield generator protecting the Death Star, while Organa, Chewbacca, and Skywalker volunteered to accompany him. After the briefing, Mothma spoke to Organa and expressed concern that the princess had volunteered for the mission.Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side! As with Operation Yellow Moon and the rescue of General Solo from Jabba the Hutt, Mothma feared that Organa was putting herself, a valuable member of the Alliance and the future republic that they hoped to build, at too great a risk. Mothma shared a story of how, after the Empire's massacre on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, she thought that diplomacy was dead and she trained as a starfighter pilot in order to fight against the Empire. She realized, however, that while she could have helped win a battle, she could contribute more as the leader of the Alliance. Despite Mothma's concerns, which the princess understood, Organa felt it was her destiny to be part of the Battle of Endor and chose to accompany the Rebel forces to the Forest Moon.
Before the Alliance Fleet left for Endor, Mothma's ship departed so she could be taken to a safe location. Mothma considered traveling to the rebel-friendly planet Durkteel to help distract from the attack on the Death Star, but her closest aide, Hendri Underholt, convinced her not to take the risk: as Underholt reasoned, she could go with a detachment and, being Mothma's closest aide, it would look like the rebel leader was present without needing to personally arrive. In what would end up being Mothma's final message to Underholt, she thanked her aide for her friendship and the leadership she displayed. Underholt's proposal to Mothma ultimately saved the rebel leader's life: the Empire dispatched three Star Destroyers to Durkteel and bombarded the planet, with Underholt dying in the attack. Meanwhile, the Battle of Endor commenced once the Rebel forces arrived over the Forest Moon. Unknown to the Rebellion was that the Emperor had allowed them to learn of the station's existence to lure the Rebels into a trap meant to destroy them once and for all. However, the Alliance emerged victorious: the second Death Star was destroyed, the Emperor was killed, and the Empire was left leaderless and in chaos. The tide had turned in the war against the Empire.Shattered Empire 1
===New Republic===
====Creating a new order====
Twenty days after the Battle of Endor, Mothma tasked Organa with traveling to Naboo in order to gather support for the formation of a New Republic. Organa was reluctant to leave her other duties and recommended that Mothma send diplomats in her place, but the chancellor believed that Organa's skill and reputation were essential for the mission as the princess represented the best that the Rebel Alliance had to offer. Organa, along with her assigned pilot, Lieutenant Shara Bey, departed for the mission. Their time there coincided with the Empire launching an attack against the planet, as part of Operation: Cinder,Shattered Empire 2 but Organa and Bey fought alongside Queen Sosha Soruna to repel the Imperial attack.Shattered Empire 3 The Alliance continued fighting back against other strikes in Operation: Cinder for months.Shattered Empire 4
The Alliance formed the New Republic in the months following the Battle of Endor. The Galactic Senate was reestablished and headquartered on Chandrila, as the New Republic felt that Chandrila represented a planet with big ideas that the Republic would need in order to be successful. Mothma was elected as the first chancellor of the New Republic Senate, and, to her great reluctance, the charter of the chancellor included the emergency powers that had once been given to Palpatine during the Clone Wars. It was Mothma's intention to do away with those powers, believing them to be a poison to democracy. Mothma also planned to propose a massive military disarmament once the Galactic Civil War came to end, hoping to cut the size of the New Republic Defense Fleet by ninety percent. The other ten percent would go towards training and supporting local militias, which would be responsible for the defense of their worlds. She proposed to put these ideas on the agenda of the first meeting of the reconstituted Senate.
Later, Chancellor Mothma corresponded via hologram with Admiral Ackbar, General Crix Madine, Commander Kyrsta Agate, and Captain Saff Melor. The New Republic officers discussed the disappearance of Captain Wedge Antilles during a mission to Akiva and the reliability of an Imperial informant known as the Operator. When Melor advocated sending military ships to Akiva as a show of force, Mothma cautioned against it because she did not want to promote an aggressive image of the New Republic in the Outer Rim Territories.
Captain Melor disagreed with the Chancellor and argued that Akiva was a marginal world whose government were allies of the Empire. In response, Mothma countered that the people outweighed strategic and political considerations. Mothma revealed she had intelligence of a rebellion on Akiva; which she attributed to the success of the New Republic's messaging campaign. Admiral Ackbar agreed with the Chancellor's assessment. As a compromise, he proposed sending a small strike team of New Republic Special Forces to Akiva. The group agreed to Ackbar's proposal. As a result, Akiva became one of the first Outer Rim worlds to join the New Republic.
====Juggling ideals and reality====
In 5 ABY,Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Aftermath: Life Debt to 5 ABY. Chancellor Mon Mothma continued to preside over the New Republic's war against the Galactic Empire. The New Republic liberated more worlds from the Empire including Akiva and Arkanis. Chancellor Mothma and Princess Leia later traveled to the oceanic planet of Velusia to meet with Grand Vizier Mas Amedda, who was still struggling to rule the Imperial capital of Coruscant; which was in the throes of a civil war. On the atoll Kolo-ha, the Grand Vizier tried to surrender but the Chancellor refused to accept his surrender and ordered him to find a way to secure the Empire's surrender. If he tried to walk away, Mothma and Leia threatened to have him tried for war crimes.
Later, Chancellor Mothma presided over a meeting to discuss the state of the New Republic. During the meeting, Mothma urged her fellow leaders to focus on winning more member worlds. When her adviser Hostis Ij advocated finding new lines of food, fuel and other vital supplies, Auxi Kray Korbin interjected that a stronger military was not the solution. When Leia entered the room, Chancellor Mothma greeted her and apologized for not inviting her. Mothma was aware that Leia was under stress since her husband Han Solo had embarked on a mission to rescue Chewbacca.
When Leia tried to lobby for ships and resources to be sent to liberate Kashyyyk, Mothma praised her for her idealism but warned her that the New Republic was preoccupied with trying to govern the galaxy. Despite Leia's pleas, Mothma reasoned that the New Republic lacked sufficient resources and manpower to liberate Kashyyyk. Frustrated, Leia stormed off.
====The faux peace offer====
After Admiral Ackbar liberated the planet Kuat and the strategically important Kuat Drive Yards, Chancellor Mothma contacted the Admiral via hologram to inform him and Princess Leia that she had received a communication request from the Operator, a shadowy Imperial operative who had been supplying vital intelligence on Imperial movements to Admiral Ackbar. Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, the leader of the Empire, then joined the conversation and claimed that she was the Operator. While Leia and Commodore Kyrsta Agate expressed skepticism, the New Republic leaders including Mothma took an interest in Sloane's offer to discuss peace with the New Republic.
Believing that victory was imminent, Mon Mothma agreed to submit Sloane's offer to the Senate. As a gesture of trust, Sloane offered to have the Imperial–Republic peace talks take place on Chandrila with minimal guard. Mothma accepted Sloane's offer and agreed to remain in contact with her using a special channel. Later, Chancellor Mothma and Senator Organa greeted a hundred prisoners that the former New Republic pilot Norra Wexley and her team had liberated from Ashmead's Lock prison on Kashyyyk with the help of Han Solo. Unknown to Mothma and her fellow leaders, the real Operator was Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax, who was ruling the Empire from behind the scenes. In secret, Rax was planning to attack Chandrila using the liberated Ashmead's Lock prisoners to assassinate the New Republic leadership. He used inorganic bio-chip implants to control the former captives.
A month following the rescue of the Ashmead's Lock prisoners, the Galactic Senate agreed to Sloane's offer for peace talks. Mothma timed the peace talks to take place after the Liberation Day celebrations to mark the liberation of the Ashmead's Lock prisoners. To prevent any obstacles to the peace talks, the Chancellor ordered the New Republic military to refrain from making any incursions into Kashyyyk. As a sop to Leia, Mothma agreed to raise the matter of Kashyyyk's liberation in her meeting with Sloane. Her pragmatism failed to sway the idealistic Leia, who insisted that the Wookiees' freedom and dignity was non-negotiable.
After Grand Admiral Sloane landed at spaceport in her shuttle, Chancellor Mon Mothma and several New Republic soldiers, guards, and officials received the Grand Admiral and her entourage. Mothma then took her Imperial guests to the Old Gather-House and the Senate Plaza to watch the Liberation Day festivities, which featured artistic and musical displays by the various member worlds and species in the New Republic. When Sloane made a disparaging remark about Gabdorin music, Mothma responded that the New Republic represented everybody in the galaxy.
Following the parade, Chancellor Mothma began a speech praising the liberated Ashmead's Lock prisoners for their contributions to the Rebellion. Before she could conclude her speech, the prisoner Brentin Lore Wexley tried to shoot her but was restrained by his wife Norra. The other prisoners also opened fire on the various New Republic officials present. Mothma survived the attack due to Norra's quick response but suffered serious injuries. Commodore Agate was badly scarred while General Madine and Adviser Hostis Ij were rumored to be dead. The attack ended any prospect for resolving the Galactic Civil War through diplomacy. In response, Fleet Admiral Rax ordered the Imperial fleets to assemble at Jakku.
====In the thick of politics====
In the months after the attack on Chandrila, Chancellor Mon Mothma chaired a meeting of the Committee for Imperial Reallocation, which dealt with redistributing the resources of the fallen Empire. Growing weary, Mothma advocated ending the meeting early and delaying it till next month. Mothma was preoccupied with efforts to move the Senate and her office to the Mid Rim world of Nakadia. Despite Senator Ashmin Ek's protests, Auxi Kray Korbin reiterated the Chancellor's position and adjourned the meeting.
Before leaving, the Hosnian Prime councilman Sondiv Sella asked Mothma about her arm. Mothma replied that her arm was still recovering and that she was taking therapy exercises. Sella also promised to lobby the committees to fruition and to support her for the upcoming election. After the senators had departed, Mothma and Auxi chatted about her popularity ratings and the matter of appointing a new adviser to replace the late Hostis Ij, who had perished during the attack on Chandrila. After reflecting on her tense rivalry with the Orishen Senator Tolwar Wartol, Mon asked Auxi how she could convince the Senate to vote for her again in the upcoming election.
Auxi reassured Mothma that she was doing the right things by apportioning resources and infrastructure for worlds afflicted by the Empire and the vacuum of leadership. While Mothma had kept the military strong, she had not tried to enforce her will on a weakened galaxy. When Auxi mentioned the liberation of Kashyyyk, Mon respond that Kashyyyk had been a complicated matter since the Senate had resisted their involvement but that Leia had gotten involved. Mothma had approved the clandestine action because it had been successful.
When Auxi opined that Kashyyyk was a victory for them, Mothma reminded her that they had secured this win by defying the will of the Senate. Auxi responded that leadership could mean defiance but Mothma countered that Palpatine was defiant. Auxi reminded her that Princess Leia was defiant but was not Palpatine. Auxi then raised the matter of law and order. Before Mothma could respond, one of the Chancellor's protocol droids R-K77 informed her of an urgent meeting request from Princess Leia. The droid added that the request was a Code K-one-zero request, which meant something of the utmost importance.
====News from Jakku====
Princess Leia had received news from Temmin Wexley and Sinjir Rath Velus that the Imperial remnants had relocated to the Inner Rim world of Jakku. Upon arriving at Leia's domicile, she asked Temmin to recount everything that he had told Leia. Temmin explained that the Empire was on Jakku and that a lot of ships were in orbit including at least one Super Star Destroyer. Sinjir then interjected that his friends Norra Wexley and Jas Emari were on Jakku. When Chancellor Mothma remarked that the situation was fraught, Sinjir appealed to her to send military forces to save his friends and Temmin's mother.
Chancellor Mothma pointed out that their mission to Jakku had been unauthorized. When Leia responded that she had authorized the mission, Mothma countered that she did not have the Senate's authority and that hunting Rae Sloane was the jurisdiction of the Senate. When Leia urged Chancellor Mothma to seize the opportunity to attack, the Chancellor responded that they had to be careful that they had all the facts before proceeding to Jakku. The Chancellor then explained that she was unable to authorize the deployment of military forces to Jakku without consulting the Senate. She also warned the others not to speak of their meeting.
Unknown to Chancellor Mothma and the others, their conversations were being tapped by Senator Tolwar Wartol, who had planted a listening device in Leia's nanny droid T-2LC. Wartol leaked the news of the Imperial presence on Jakku to HoloNet News and took the opportunity to attack Mothma for being secretive and indecisive. After watching the HoloNet news broadcast, Chancellor Mothma conferred with her adviser Auxi and Admiral Ackbar. Ackbar supported her by pointing out that she had been wise for not disclosing the information immediately since she it for less than a standard day.
Mon Mothma then realized that Senator Wartol had a leak or a spy. After reflecting on the situation, Mothma commented that her setback was one one the "necessary bumps and scratches of a growing democracy." In response to Wartol's leak, she instructed Auxi to contact HoloNet News to give her statement. Admiral Ackbar also agreed to send a probe droid and a scout ship to the Jakku system to gather intelligence on the Imperial presence. Leia urged her advisers to remain vigilant for traitors in their midst.
====The derailed resolution====
Later, Chancellor Mothma met with the HoloNet News journalist Tracene Kane and the Sullustan cam-operator Birt to deliver her statement to the press. In her speech, Mothma reiterated that she had become aware of reports that the Empire had retreated to Jakku. She reassured the public that the military had sent a scout ship and a probe droid to confirm this information. While acknowledging rumors that the Imperial remnants had relocated to Jakku, she announced that she had convened an emergency session of the Senate in order to mobilize the armed services. After giving her press statement, Mon chatted with Tracene. When Tracene expressed sympathy for her predicament, Mon responded that the New Republic would persevere like the Rebel Alliance.
That night, Chancellor Mothma gave a speech to the Galactic Senate urging them to authorize military intervention on Jakku. She presented data from the probe droids and the scout ship Oculus as evidence that the bulk of Imperial forces had relocated to Jakku. Following the speech, Mothma retreated to her office to recuperate. While chatting with Auxi, Admiral Ackbar entered the office to inform her that the vote had failed. Unknown to Mothma and her advisers, the Black Sun and Red Key crime syndicates were plotting to prolong the fighting. They had coerced or bribed five senators into voting against Mothma's motion. At the request of Princess Leia, Sinjir contracted the services of his slicer friend Conder Kyl. Conder found Wartol's listening device in T-2LC. After learning about the listening device, Chancellor Mothma decided to pay Senator Wartol a visit.
====Meeting a political rival====
Making use of Chancellor Mothma visited Senator Wartol's Ganoidian tri-deck cruiser just as he was preparing to depart for Nakadia. When Wartol's Orishen guards tried to block her, Mothma warned them that turning her away with the threat of violence would not look good for the Senator. Chancellor Mothma managed to convince Senator Wartol to allow her to join him on his trip to Nakadia under the pretext of meeting with him. While the two shared a meal of roasted Nektods, Wartol asked about the purpose behind her visit since they were political opponents. Mothma replied they both had shared interests and wanted what was best for the galaxy.
In private, Chancellor Mothma asked Wartol about her failed resolution to attack the Empire's fleet on Jakku, which had failed by five votes. Wartol tried to deny his involvement but Chancellor Mothma pointed out that the five dissenting senators Ashmin Ek, Rethalow, Dor Wieedo, Grelka Sorka, and Nim Tar had voted with him in the past and worked with him in various councils and caucuses. While Wartol had voted in favor of military intervention, Mothma observed that the five senators had taken their cues from him in the past.
As the conversation dragged on, Mothma theorized that Wartol had convinced the five other senators to oppose the resolution while voting for it. When Mothma accused Wartol of sacrificing his principles, the Orishen responded that his people knew the meaning of sacrificing their world so that the Empire would not subjugate them. Despite Wartol's rhetoric about sacrifice, Mothma pointed out that he was sacrificing the New Republic's war efforts so that he could conquer the New Republic. She added that by manipulating the five senators, Wartol was sacrificing the safety of the galaxy.
When Wartol accused her of being a weak and indulgent leader, Mothma insinuated that he had sabotaged the vote. Wartol reiterated his denial and accused her of indulging in conspiracy theories. In response, Mothma presented the listening device that Conder had extracted from T-2LC. When Wartol denied planting the bug, Mothma countered that he knew that the Empire was on Jakku and that he had ordered the guards to stop Sinjir and Temmin from leaving on the Millennium Falcon. When Wartol reiterated his denial, Mothma vowed to fight him at the next election.
====Intrigue on Nakadia====
Wartol retorted that her re-vote was scheduled to take place on Nakadia in less than twelve hours and that she had little time to scramble the votes that she needed. However, Mothma then revealed a card up her sleeve; she had smuggled in a small pta fruit. Since Nakadia was an agrarian world, it was classified as a Class A protected planet by the New Republic. Senator Wartol's yacht was prevented from landing by the Nakadian authorities since the pta fruit was considered a biosecurity hazard. Thus, Mothma succeeded in delaying the re-vote.
This gave her allies Han Solo, Sinjir, Temmin, Conder Kyl, and the former New Republic soldier Jom Barell enough time to track down the five senators. Despite Conder being kidnapped by the Red Key syndicate, Jom managed to capture Rethalow. Rethalow revealed that the Black Sun and Red Key syndicates had coerced and bribed the senators into opposing Mothma's resolution. Sinjir and his team managed to defeat the criminal syndicate's plot by rescuing Conder and Senator Nim Tar's child. Posing as the Chancellor's adviser, Sinjir managed to convince the five senators to change their votes by offering to pardon them.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Mothma and Senator Wartol finally cleared the Nakadian customs and addressed the press. To delay the proceedings, Mothma feigned a limp as they entered the Quarrow Senate house. During the session, Mothma gave a short but angry speech urging the senators to vote for intervention on Jakku. She urged them not to hesitate in ending the Empire. While Mothma feared that she sounded like Palpatine, Auxi reassured her that it was a great speech. Mothma was relieved when Auxi later informed her that her vote had passed.
====A new adviser====
Following the Galactic Senate's decision to send military forces to Jakku, Chancellor Mothma returned to Chandrila. After learning of Sinjir's exploits, she secured a meeting with the former Imperial loyalty officer–turned New Republic operative. When Sinjir asked to go to Jakku, Mothma countered that he was not a soldier and that his talents were better applied elsewhere. Mothma offered to hire Sinjir as her new adviser to complement Auxi. She pointed out that she needed a cynic who distrusted the system. After some discussion, Sinjir accepted her job offer.
Chancellor Mothma then sent Sinjir on his first assignment to deliver a small basket of pta fruits to her political rival Senator Wartol. Sinjir and his partner Conder visited the Orishen senator and caught him red-handed trying to trigger a remote-controlled bomb. While they failed to stop Wartol from detonating the bomb, the two managed to overpower the rogue Senator, who readily admitted to plotting to kill the Chancellor. The bomb destroyed Chancellor Mothma's office on Chandrila. While her adviser Auxi was killed, Mothma survived because she was outside the building.
Despite the loss of her friend Auxi, Mothma refused to allow grief to cloud her judgment. With the Battle of Jakku ending in the New Republic's favor, Chancellor Mothma received word that Grand Vizier Mas Amedda had escaped Imperial captivity and was suing for peace. Chancellor Mothma accepted Amedda's offer and enlisted the help of her advisers Sinjir, Sondiv Sella, and Princess Leia. She arranged for the Imperial surrender to take place on Chandrila in the crystal cliffs north of Hanna City under an ancient tintolive tree.
====Galactic Concordance====
During the meeting, Mas Amedda signed both the Imperial Instruments of Surrender and the Galactic Concordance. Per the terms of the Instrument of Surrender, the Empire and the various splinter factions were ordered to cease fighting. Mon Mothma also issued a further declaration designating all surviving Imperial military officers as war criminals. Non-combatant functionaries within the Empire were given conditional pardons provided they complied with the articles of the Galactic Concordance. Grand Vizier Amedda was pardoned and tasked with leading the Coruscant's provisional government. Following the surrender ceremony, Mothma gave Sinjir a bottle of expensive lachrymead wine to thank him for his services to the New Republic.
The Galactic Concordance formally ended hostilities between the New Republic and the defeated Galactic Empire.Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary The treaty forced the Empire to remain inside predetermined territories within the Core Worlds and the Inner Rim. Mothma urged the Republic to remain vigilant in the event that the conflict returned, and temporarily kept the New Republic Starfleet on wartime funding and alert status. Once it became clear that the war was over, and the remnants of the Empire disappeared into the Unknown Regions, the Galactic Senate fulfilled Mothma's goal and passed the Military Disarmament Act. Some time during her tenure, Mothma further reformed the Senate by establishing that member worlds would act as the Senate's capital on a rotating basis. Rotating the capital, and in particular keeping it off of Coruscant, did much to convince member worlds that the New Republic would be different from its predecessor governments.
====Meetings with Syndulla====
Around 9 ABY, Chancellor Mothma and four members of the New Republic Senate, including Hamato Xiono, held a meeting over hologram with General Syndulla. Syndulla, who had just been attacked by Imperial loyalists at Santhe Shipyards on Corellia by Morgan Elsbeth's supporters, proclaimed that the New Republic had to prepare for the worst and expressed concern over the potential return of Grand Admiral Thrawn, a project that the loyalists at the shipyard had been contributing to.
===Retirement===
Sometime later, Mothma became ill and stepped down as Chancellor. However, her successors lacked Mothma's charisma, and failed to create that same political consensus as she did. In her absence, the New Republic fell into chaos and the Galactic Senate became divided into two factions: the Populists, who believed that individual member planets should retain their full sovereignty, and the Centrists, who favored a stronger galactic government and a larger military by 28 ABY. Mothma showed her personal support for Organa after it was publicly revealed that she was the daughter of Darth Vader. Her message to Organa indicated that she had suspected the truth for some time before the announcement.Bloodline
===Legacy===
In some ways, Mon Mothma's actions contributed to the New Republic's eventual undoing. Her drive for ensuring peace and demilitarization eventually left the New Republic in a weakened state of unpreparedness that lacked the strength to combat the rise of the First Order.The Star Wars Book The New Republic she quickly built fractured without her strong presence, and in no small part was caused by the influence of the draconian First Order's growing strength that was not revealed for decades. Nevertheless, decentralized defense forces, fringers who had taken for granted the New Republic's limited enforcement of interstellar law, and ordinary citizens of the galaxy alike united against the oppression of the First Order. They formed a Citizens' Fleet that joined the Resistance at the Battle of Exegol, finally liberating the galaxy from the Sith and inspiring a galaxy-wide uprising against the First Order.Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary
==Personality and traits==
Mon Mothma was a human female with auburn hair, pale blue-green eyes, and light skin. Her opposition to authoritarianism that led Mothma to help form the Rebel Alliance. She pursued peace during the Clone Wars, but she was willing to fight to restore democracy to the galaxy. Her ideals led her to become the first chancellor of the New Republic, where she pushed to avoid the mistakes that the Galactic Republic had made during the Clone Wars. Though strong executive powers were granted to her, she wanted nothing of the sort and believed them to be destructive to the democratic process. During her time as a Republic senator, Mothma held pacifist beliefs which occasionally led to conflict with Amidala though the two never truly fought and they remained close allies.
Mothma was a courageous and outspoken Senator in the Imperial Senate who criticized the Empire's increasingly authoritarian and repressive policies. The final straw that broke the bantha's back came when Mothma denounced the Emperor in a live HoloNet speech for his role in the Ghorman Massacre. Despite becoming a fugitive, Mothma refused to hide herself but was determined to take dangerous risks in order to fulfill her goal of creating the Rebel Alliance. As a leader, Mothma preferred to lead by example in order to gain the respect of her underlings. Mothma also took the time to build friendships with other rebel fighters, like Hera Syndulla and Garazeb Orrelios. After the Imperial Senate was dissolved and Bail Organa was killed on Alderaan, Mothma invested herself fully into the Rebellion. As its leader, she made difficult decisions, a number of which would continue to haunt her. Despite this, she remained strong due to the individuals she worked with in Alliance High Command.
Mothma's devotion to her ideals did prove difficult at times. After the Empire's massacre on Kashyyyk, she thought diplomacy was dead and considered becoming a fighter pilot in the war against the Empire, but she learned that she provided more value to the Rebellion as its leader than as a soldier. When she learned of the existence of the second Death Star, she immediately believed that they could defeat it and resolved to get to work. Later, when she learned that the Emperor intended to destroy Chandrila with the Death Star II as a means of silencing her, Mon Mothma struggled with the fear that her actions would endanger her people. However, she refused to allow herself to be ruled by fear and regarded giving into her fear as tantamount to surrendering to the Empire. Mothma viewed many of the simplistic Chandrilan customs favored by her daughter Leida as being outdated in modern times. Mothma's arranged marriage to Perrin was an unhappy one, which made the sight of her daughter going down a similar path upsetting to her. Mothma saw Leia Organa in a way akin to a younger sister, almost as a daughter.
Despite her position as Chancellor of the New Republic, Mothma was wary of abusing her powers due to Palpatine's legacy. She was prepared to reduce the powers of her own office and the New Republic military once the threat of the Empire had been ended. As the head of government, Mothma developed a sense of pragmatism since she had to manage a state that was also embroiled in a galactic war. Mothma was aware of the strains on the New Republic's resources and was reluctant to deploy military forces to Kashyyyk. Mothma's pragmatism contrasted with the idealism of Princess Leia, who was unwilling to let obstacles block her goal to liberate the Wookiee species. Believing that the Empire was facing defeat, Mothma agreed to peace talks with Rae Sloane. As a politician, Mothma sought to capitalize on the liberation of the Ashmead's Lock prisoners as an opportunity to win more worlds to the New Republic.
As Chancellor, Mon Mothma was skillful and savvy but strove to keep in touch with her constituents. Despite her powers and privileges, Mothma saw herself as serving the galaxy. She consciously struggled not to become an autocratic dictator like the late Palpatine. Mothma walked a fine balance between keeping the New Republic strong without turning it into a force for oppression. While Chancellor Mothma was sympathetic to the plight of Temmin and Sinjir who had loved ones and friends on Jakku, she was still determined to abide by the rules and norms of the New Republic. As a politician, Mothma preferred to use the system to achieve her goals.
Despite facing low popular ratings (39%) and having to contend with the hawkish Senator Tolwar Wartol, Mothma resolved to continue leading the New Republic. Mothma used her friendly connections and political savvy to outwit Wartol's plot to discredit her leadership. Chancellor Mothma was also a good talent spotter. She recruited the former Imperial loyalty officer Sinjir as one of her new advisers. She admired Sinjir's ingenious plan to convince five dissident senators to change their votes in favor of her resolution to intervene on Jakku. Though Mothma grieved the death of her friend Auxi during Senator Wartol's failed assassination attempt on her life, she remained resolute and led the New Republic's peace negotiations with Grand Vizier Mas Amedda. While presiding over the Empire's surrender, Mothma took care to co-opt non-combatant Imperial functionaries in order to ensure a smooth political transition.
==Skills and abilities==
In addition to being a keen diplomat, Mon Mothma trained as a fighter pilot, although she never actually saw battle. Mon Mothma was also a skilled speaker who appealed to her listener's hopes, dreams, and values. While Mothma was a politician, she also knew how to detach two docked starships. As a politician, Chancellor Mothma was able to switch from formal talk to plain speaking based on the situation. Despite being wounded in her left arm, Mothma insisted on keeping her arm and took exercises to strengthen it.
==Equipment==
Mothma wore a white Chandrilan tunic and mantle while serving in the Republic Senate.Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
==Behind the scenes==
===Development and portrayal===
Mon Mothma was first introduced in the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, directed by Richard Marquand from a script by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. She was portrayed by Caroline Blakiston, who was cast while working in Manchester, England on a television series. Blakiston met with costume designers in a Manchester hotel room to fit her for a costume and discuss what kind of hairstyle her character would sport, but it was ultimately decided she would use her own red hair. Blakiston was provided with an initial script for her brief part in the film, but, upon arriving on set, she learned that her lines had been changed and she would have to learn an entirely new monologue. This proved somewhat stressful, particularly as a result of the dialogue containing Star Wars terminology like the word "Bothan." While in production, Blakiston came up with her own idea for the character's backstory, hoping to find inspiration in the Star Wars saga's classical underpinnings. She felt that the name "Mon Mothma" bore a similarity to the words "Moon Mother," and as a result she saw her character as someone who would be cool and collected. Blakiston had to re-record her dialogue after it was discovered that pigeons roosting in the set were audible in the original recordings.
A younger version of Mon Mothma appeared in the 2005 film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, written and directed by George Lucas. Genevieve O'Reilly was chosen to portray the role due to her resemblance to Blakiston, and she filmed a few scenes for the film that were meant to set up the eventual formation of the Rebel Alliance. DVD Before filming, O'Reilly studied Blakiston's performance, hoping to capture the character's voice and mannerisms. The scenes in which O'Reilly had a speaking role were cut and later included on the film's DVD release though O'Reilly did appear in one scene in the final film in a non-speaking role. Blakiston hoped to have a part in the film, asking Lucas if she could appear as her character's grandmother, but she never received a response from the director.
The character later appeared in an expanded role in the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In the three episodes in which the character had a speaking role, she was voiced by actress Kath Soucie. Her role as leader of the Rebel Alliance and New Republic has also been expanded upon in several canonical Star Wars tales. O'Reilly would voice Mothma in the Star Wars Rebels animated television series. Mothma has also proven to be a consistent character in the works of author Alexander Freed, who has described her as a character who makes every story better.
===Rogue One: A Star Wars Story===
O'Reilly returned to the role for the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. According to Alexander Freed, the author of the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story novelization, he would have loved to write more about Mon Mothma in the novel. He later had the opportunity to do so in the story "Contingency Plan" of the 2017 anthology From a Certain Point of View.
===Andor television series===
O'Reilly reprised her role as Mothma in the Andor television series. Writer and executive producer Tony Gilroy was interested in exploring the mystique surrounding Mothma and presenting her in a surprising light. He also wanted to explore the orthodoxy and constructs Mothma would have to live with due to becoming senator and getting married at the age of 16. Gilroy called her the "figurehead of liberal democracy that will fail" and compared her to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Chuck Wendig, author of the 2015–2017 The Aftermath Trilogy, had previously described her as a "fairly centrist leader" who proved the difficulty of good governance. Gilroy realized that there was not much canon information on Mothma, allowing him to make Vel Sartha her cousin. He wanted Mothma and the other legacy characters to not provide fan service. Executive producer Sanne Wohlenberg and her team put much thought into how they would represent Mothma and show her journey, and they stayed aware of where she ended up in Rogue One.
Production designer Luke Hull created a sketch of Mon Mothma exiting a Senate limousine on Coruscant. Costume designer Michael Wilkinson styled Mothma in flowing robes that evoked her sense of style seen in her Revenge of the Sith deleted scene. He knew that Mothma was a senator from Chandrila who was stationed on Coruscant, so he thought about people from different countries that work at the United Nations building in New York. Wilkinson's team intended to bring elements of clothing from Mothma's home, so they came up with a set of colors and textures mainly drawn from other iterations of her. He leaned into pale neutral tones, and Mothma was given slightly shimmery organic textures with hints of metals.
The crew tried to show Mothma's public face and the private woman within it. O'Reilly was delighted to have an opportunity to better understand her character. She also wanted to explore Mothma as a Rebel leader and as a woman, which included showing the private face of someone who navigates through systems of oppression. O'Reilly tried to understand the pain and personal cost felt by Caroline Blakiston in Return of the Jedi, and she enjoyed learning more about Mothma's life. She was excited for the audience to see Mothma's journey of becoming the Rebel leader that she is in Rogue One. O'Reilly wanted her character's new look in the show to reflect her new stage as a successful member of high society. Scenes in the Chandrilan embassy were filmed in a practically built set that had a wraparound LED screen that used StageCraft technology.
Composer Nicholas Britell created a musical signature for Mothma. For Season Two, Michael Wilkinson worked on costumes that would evolve Mothma into the leader of the Rebellion.
===Discrepancy over election date===
According to Star Wars: The Rebel Files, Mothma was elected senator in "8 BFE," i.e. 8 years before the proclamation of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY,Star Wars: Galactic Atlas which would place her election in 27 BBY. However, in the novel Queen's Shadow, Mon Mothma says that she was "very new to the Senate when [Padmé Amidala] made [her] speech as Queen of Naboo,"Queen's Shadow referring to a scene of the movie Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. According to Star Wars: Galactic Atlas, the events of the movie took place in 32 BBY, which would place Mothma's election that year or earlier.
===Role in Star Wars Legends===
Mon Mothma appeared in numerous stories in the Expanded Universe of books, comics, and games, which have since become non-canon and rebranded as Star Wars Legends. These stories saw her role in the Rebellion fleshed out, showing her as the leader of the Rebel Alliance. The 1991 novel Heir to the Empire, written by Timothy Zahn, showed her becoming Chief of State of the New Republic,Heir to the Empire setting the stage for her canonical counterpart to become the first chancellor of the New Republic. The 2005 reference book The New Essential Chronology established that the Legends version of Mon Mothma died in her sleep twenty years after the Battle of Endor.The New Essential Chronology After the character continued appearing in Legends stories, Blakiston became aware of her character's prolific appearances. She was intrigued by this fact and credited it to what she saw as Mothma's strong personality. Blakiston stated that, despite the character's limited screentime in Return of the Jedi, she saw Mothma as an archetypal figure not unlike Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
==Appearances==
===Non-canon appearances===
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*Rogue One: Recon A Star Wars 360 Experience 
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*LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
*"Rogue Not Quite One" 
==Sources==
==Notes and references==
==External links==
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Category:Chandrilans
Category:Delegation of 2,000
Category:Diplomats
Category:Females
Category:Galactic Empire senators
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Category:Loyalist Committee
Category:Mothma family
Category:New Republic chancellors