Mon Mothma, like Boba Fett, is a minor film character from the Original Trilogy. The intrigue of stoic but impactful characters has led to expanded stories in Star Wars animation, books, comics, and now full deep dives within Disney Plus live-action shows.
Mon Mothma’s backstory will be explored in Andor, a series with an initial release date for its first three episodes on Sept. 21. The show is set 5 years before Rogue One and the character exploration of Mon Mothma will inform audiences of the work she did behind-the-scenes in the Galactic Senate, as well as who this unflappable leader actually is as an individual. But will it also align with the Mon Mothma of Alexander Freed’s short story “Contingency Plan” from Star Wars: From A Certain Point Of View?
The human female politician from Chandrila, who becomes the first Chancellor of the New Republic, didn’t battle with blasters and jets packs. She, along with Bail Organa, Padme Amidala, and others, gave birth to the Rebellion while watching, almost helplessly, Emperor Palpatine undermine democracy to create his Empire.
Helplessness is a theme for Mon Mothma in Freed’s 10-page story, set after the retrieval of the Death Star plans from Scarif but before they arrived at Yavin 4 on Princess Leia’s ship, the Tantive IV. In the story she hasn’t slept in three days and is preparing to leave the Rebel headquarters before the Empire arrives—a fail-safe should the Rebellion not meet the challenge of destroying the “planet killer” space station.
General Jan Dodonna shares updates as Mon Mothma completes packing a “stack of datapads: rebel cell listings, coded contact frequencies, safe house locations, stolen Imperial documents.” She understands his salute as a final farewell as the deadly tipping point of their efforts nears.
She thinks about the intel she is carrying as “twenty years of work reduced to a courier package,” as she joins her assistant, Cianne, and they ascend into the shuttle for a quick getaway. It is here that readers truly get into Mon Mothma’s head and start to understand, that “the wounds she sustains never bleed; she has no corporeal scars to assure her that she’s suffered for her cause.”
At this time she still believes in what she pursued but reflects back on all the lives she put in harm’s way. She had imagined “toppling the Emperor in a matter of months, not decades,” and the time and effort have taken a toll. She is Hope shrouded in pain, loss, and resentment—but, from her upbringing on Chandrila, remains regal and almost arrogant in her mannerisms. That strength doesn’t reveal that her contingency plan is to secretly leave the critical Rebel information with Cianne and the pilot as she surrenders to Emperor Palpatine in hopes of providing room for the next wave of rebellion.
Of course, all of that changes as Cianne informs Mon Mothma that the Death Star has been destroyed—and the never-to-be-spoken-of contingency plan merely becomes another unknown battle scar on the mind and soul of one of the bravest leaders of the Rebellion.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Gray, Claudia (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 416 Pages - 09/01/2017 (Publication Date) - Random House/Star Wars (Publisher)
