Mon Mothma gets cryptic message in excerpt of new Star Wars book on early Rebel days

Ahead of returning to the television screen in Andor Season 2, Mon Mothma will reappear on the printed pages of Star Wars.

Introduced as the leader of the Rebel Alliance in Return of the Jedi, Mon Mothma has recurring appearances in The Clone Wars, Rebels, Rogue One, Ahsoka, and most prominently, Andor. The Chandrilan senator-turned-revolutionist will now be a part of a trilogy of Star Wars books telling the story of how the rebellion started.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the first in a new Reign of the Empire series, Star Wars: The Mask of Fear by Alexander Freed will be released on February 25. The Random House publication will revolve around Mon Mothma and fellow rebellion generals Bail Organa and Saw Gerrera and how they each contributed to the formation of the Rebel Alliance.

The official book description for The Mask of Fear reveals that the book is set in the first year after the formation of the Galactic Empire, when Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Saw Gerrera are working separately for a future they're not sure they will ever see.

Entertainment Weekly's exclusive excerpt gives the audience a glimpse into Mon Mothma's arc in the book. In the revealed segment of the story, we see her having lunch with one Lud Morrai, who warns her against forming a coalition with the who's who of politics to oppose the Empire. He hints that a congregation of the galaxy's rich and powerful would remind people of what they disliked about the Republic.

"Palpatine is a populist," Lud tells Mon, insinuating that he believes the Sith Lord's regime may have something in it for them. "He cracked down on the corporations. He ended the war." Mon, one of the biggest anti-war and democracy advocates during the Republic era, sees the Emperor for who he is.

Mon Mothma stops herself from saying the words out loud, but in her head she thinks:

"He’s not giving power back to ordinary people. He’s only shifting who holds it. He and his cronies don’t care about your world any more than they care about mine."

She does not wait for her friend to finish his cautionary speech. On her way back to the Senate office, Mon worries about her safety after the recent murder of Zhuna, who seems to be her former assistant. Before boarding the tram, she runs into a man in a farmer's cloak who catches her wrist to keep from falling.

When her wrist starts itching and forming a big, blotchy red rash in some time, all signs hint toward a lethal poison. However, instead of killing her, the dark bruise forms patterns together to announce: "TYCHON NULVOLIO WILL SPEAK TO YOU." It proceeds to declare, "NO OBSERVERS. NO SPIES." Its purpose is done, the tattoo falls out of her wrist in a drop of sweat on the floor.

We are already following Mon Mothma's side of the story in Andor, where she is shown living a double life. Still a senator after the fall of the Republic and Palpatine's ascension to power, she secretly collaborates with militant leader Luthen Rael to organize and strategize rebel movements.

Andor season 2, with Diego Luna in the titular role, will be released worldwide on Disney+ on April 22, 2025.