A friendly face pops up in Ahsoka series
By Ian Walter
Ahsoka sees another friendly face from Star Wars history in Mon Mothma
Genevieve O’Reilly, despite appearing in the background in Revenge of the Sith (though deleted scenes suggested she played a more significant role in assembling the Rebel Alliance with Bail Organa), made her big-screen Star Wars debut as Mon Mothma in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). Since then, she has been fortunate to reprise the role in Star Wars Rebels, Andor, and now Ahsoka. It’s fascinating to see how the character had to keep her agenda hidden and operate in the shadows to help the Rebellion thrive while playing a game of politics in the daylight.
It would appear things are not much different now in the New Republic era, as Chancellor Mon Mothma must once again answer to the Galactic Senate. In a military meeting with General Hera Syndulla, Mothma appears sympathetic to their plight and seems somewhat disturbed at the notion of the imminent return of Thrawn. However, the senators accompanying her, including Hamato Xiono (father of Kazuda Xiono in Star Wars Resistance), do not want to allocate resources to search Grand Admiral Thrawn or Ezra Bridger.
Even in Rogue One, when Jyn Erso presents evidence from her father that there is a way to take down the Empire’s biggest superweapon, Mothma defers her request to fight back to appease the greater council. Always playing the field, Mon Mothma has shown in Andor that she is ruthless when she absolutely needs to be. Perhaps Mon will work her cunning spycraft yet again and find a way to support the rebels despite the Senate’s disinterest.
In Andor, Mon Mothma was able to hide her involvement in the Rebel Alliance well, even taking from Palpatine the philosophy that she can “show you the stone in my hand, you miss the knife at your throat.” She played the political possum on the surface all while laundering funds for the Rebellion through a ‘charitable’ shell corporation.
Mon Mothma knows this fight well and is very aware of the danger that would befall the galaxy if Thrawn were to return. She jokes with Hera that her young son Jacen (who she had with Kanan Jarrus/Caleb Dume towards the end of Star Wars Rebels) is probably off getting into trouble with Chopper. Hera will likely help Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren with or without the green light from Mon Mothma and the New Republic. Given her strong roots in helping found the Rebel Alliance, there’s a good chance Mon Mothma will once again join the fight against evil and help our heroes of the Ahsoka series confront Thrawn.