Andor's Leida Mothma not only agreed to an arranged marriage, but she also agreed to a child marriage, a fate that many children are still subjected to in some societies. It's a practice that robs children of their innocence and a chance to live out their dreams, which is why I had a hard time digesting Leida's fate.
We know Mon Mothma has a hand in this, but ultimately, Leida agreed to this relationship to escape her mother's control. She wanted to make her own choices, as all teenagers do, but at thirteen or fourteen years of age, this decision was too big for her to make. I watched Leida's lavish wedding, which spanned 3 episodes, in horror, and a part of me hoped Mon Mothma would throw the biggest fit and break this relationship at the last minute, or Leida would get cold feet.
None of that happened, and Leida proudly went ahead with everything. The scene where she showed her friends her wedding dress summarized everything; she's a child dazzled by Chandrilla's glitzy glamour and traditions. She's grown up far removed from the realities of life. At thirteen, she can't begin to fathom where life will take her and her husband. Her first fight with the boy she's marrying was enough for her to realize that "he's a child."
Maybe it's a good thing that, being a child herself, she can see the boy's imperfections, but it's haunting to imagine what her future holds. Seeing Mon Mothma's last-ditch attempt to force Leida to call the wedding off was probably the scene I found the most meaningful from this arc. Even though it made no difference to Leida, it showed Mon at her lowest and most desperate. This was her last attempt to save her child from a lost childhood. It wasn't meant to be, as Leida pushed her away for what's likely the final time.
From here, Mon's involvement in the Rebellion will grow, and she may never see her daughter again. I'm scared to imagine how she'll end up, but I don't expect her to be happy. Gilroy has given us no reasons to hope this will go the way Leida imagines. Perhaps she's comforted by traditions and thinks she has control over her life now, but it's quite the opposite. Neither of her parents seems happy for her, and that's a troubling sign. They're over Chandrillan traditions, and Leida will be over them soon, too.
Maybe then, she might find a reason to reconnect with her mother and see why Mon Mothma was so protective of her and kept her away from Chandrillan traditions. It's unlikely we'll find out anything else about Leida before Season 2 ends, as the show has many other characters left to focus on. It's hard for me to see things from her perspective, but watching her get married off as a child made me feel extremely uncomfortable.
Star Wars has always been a franchise where children suffered because of no fault of their own. So, to see a child who has everything pick a life that robs her of her childhood was triggering in a very different, real-world kind of way.
Andor Season 2 is streaming on Disney+.