14. Mon Mothma
Image Credit: Lucasfilm
If Mon Mothma wanted to turn the Empire into a monarchy, we would have gladly supported her as queen.
The fact she would never in a million years make herself queen of anything makes us love her even more. We’re satisfied with her being the leader of the Rebel Alliance and, later, the chancellor of the New Republic.
In both Legends and canon, Mon is the obvious choice for the first head of the new democratic government post-Empire. She is kind, wise, soft-spoken, but determined. She does what needs to be done and doesn’t shy away from hard facts. Her bravery is boundless; during the Dark Times, she actively led the Rebellion while representing Chandrila in the Imperial Senate.
In Legends, Mon contracts a disease in her later years that almost kills her. One of Luke Skywalker’s new Jedi apprentices manages to heal her. Still, Mon is not the same vital person she was before the disease. In the new canon, it’s only hinted that Mon has an illness post-Return of the Jedi. Her resulting condition was severe enough to cause her to leave political office altogether.
We adore Mon for her strength and optimism. It takes a great deal of both to foment and organize a rebellion. For these reasons, Mon is number 14 on our list.