Mon Mothma is one of the most interesting characters in theseriesAndor.Generally, in aStar Warsfilm or tv show, we’ve given a protagonist who is strong and fights their battles with a blaster or a lightsaber. Mon Mothma, while not this series' protagonist, is a featured character who finds herself in a very precarious position despite the absence of violence. She is an Imperial senator stationed on Coruscant who is quite rich and has a lavish home on the urban planet. Most of the time,Star Warsheroes are orphans or lower-class citizens of the Empire.
Mon Mothma gives us a look at a side of the Rebellion we haven’t seen before, one where battles are fought with subtlety and financial means. When in almost every otherStar Warsproduction, our hero is struggling to get by and must confront his enemies in epic battles. But this change in aesthetic for a character doesn’t mean that the stakes aren’t just as high. We know from her fateas a Rebel leaderthat she will eventually lose all of this wealth and security. And we can see the beginnings of this terrible decline right now inAndor.
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Mon Mothma’s Family
One of the key elements ofMon Mothma’s characteris her relationship with her husband and daughter. From the first episode, we saw that Perrin Fertha was a carefree citizen of the Empire, one that cared more about dinner parties and personal relationships than politics. When Mon Mothma tried to impress upon him the importance of political action to keep the Empire from harming its citizens, Perrin shrugged off what might happen to people of a lower class. He seemed too preoccupied with the comfort of his own life to begin worrying about someone else’s. It appears that as long as the Empire is working for him, he doesn’t feel the need to worry so much.
He attempts to explain this to Mon Mothma, occasionally trying to get her to relax, as well as throwing parties and generally enjoying his life. Perrin enjoys the social aspects of being a senator’s husband and might even resent the fact that Mon Mothma is always working.
In the most recent episode, she denied a drink because during this party Perrin was throwing, she knew she would have to quietly work around the room to accomplish her goals for the Rebellion. Perrin seems to dislike this more and more, as Mon Mothma ignores him for her duties. She is too passionate about the Rebellion to enjoy her family and social life. This was acutely compounded when Mon Mothma brought on an old friend from school, Tay, to help her in her efforts to subvert the Empire. Along with being an old friend from school, Tay is Mon Mothma’s ex-boyfriend, and every time Perrin mentions his name, it is with some disdain.
This is just the beginning of the strain her duty to the Rebellion is beginning to put on her family. Although we don’t see much of her daughter, when we do, she always exchanges these waspy barbs with her mother. Though Mon Mothma seems to truly love her daughter and makes an effort to be nice to her,Leida is constantly resentfulof her mother. It’s likely because she hasn’t been spending a lot of time with them, but more than that, we know from some of what Leida has said that she prefers her father’s company. Her father is nicer and more indulgent, and this influence isn’t a small thing.
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Mon Mothma’s Loss
This continually difficult relationship with her family will set the stage for her biggest downfall. We know from the originalStar Warsmovies that this senator from Coruscant will one day become a prominent leader of the Rebellion and instrumental to their victory on the second Death Star. What she is doing now will create an entrance for her into that life, but it may also be the thing that finds her ejected from her comfortable, privileged existence.
But the thing that will cause her downfall won’t come from some Imperial spy orexposed Rebel mission. It will come from her family. To speculate: Perrin will probably grow increasingly frustrated that his wife is now spending much more time with her old boyfriend instead of with him. He likely has no idea of his wife’s Rebel plots but mayask his daughterto spy on her. Perrin will use his connection with his daughter to subvert Mon Mothma’s friendship with Tay because he believes she is being unfaithful. When he sends Leida to spend the day with her mother, she will undoubtedly find some suspicious evidence that will lead back to the Rebellion.
