Mon Mothma's sacrifices in Star Wars. Andor season 1 features twists of various magnitudes, from backstabbing mercenaries to the reveal that the prisoners on Narkina 5 are building Death Star components. The acclaimed Disney+ series also includes several twists involving Mon Mothma.
One of Andor's key themes is sacrifice. The series provides a much deeper look into the sacrifices it takes for the Rebel Alliance to go from guerilla warfare tactics to a legitimate threat that can wage outright war against the Empire. Rebellions cost money, even in Star Wars, and Mon Mothma's family twists, including marrying off her daughter to the son of a mobster, are all rooted in financing the Rebellion. While her sacrifices pay off in significant ways, the way Mon Mothma’s death pans out adds a sense of tragedy.
Mon Mothma's Death Makes Her Sacrifices Sadder
One year and four days after the second Death Star's destruction, the Empire finally surrenders at the Battle of Jakku. Mon Mothma subsequently establishes and heavily demilitarizes the New Republic. Unfortunately, her leadership is partially responsible for the New Republic’s fracture into several political parties, with the two largest either sympathetic to the Empire or explicitly ive of the First Order.
Tensions, and the First Order, keep rising, and Mon Mothma’s retirement and death precede renewed galactic conflict and the subsequent events of Star Wars‘ sequel trilogy. While it may have been inevitable that history would repeat itself, it's still devastating to realize Mon Mothma sacrificed everything just for a few decades of relative galactic peace. It’s a surprisingly bleak outcome for a franchise that emphasizes the importance and power of hope.
Mon Mothma's Fate Helps Star Wars Feel Grounded
It's a simple truth that well-meaning actions don’t inherently have positive outcomes. The sequel trilogy, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Andor have helped Star Wars feel much more grounded by exploring a common ground shared between reality and fiction, the proverbial gray area. Given the murky and complicated results of Mon Mothma’s sacrifices in season 1, it makes sense the sacrifices themselves aren't straightforward endeavors.
Mon Mothma’s sacrifices are even more meaningful because fans already know her pure intentions and pacifist nature from the rest of her Star Wars arc. Andor expertly leverages that historical context to prove its point, that rebellions are built on hope, sure, but also a ton of money, and ethically and morally dubious behavior from even the best-meaning people. Mon Mothma’s fate reveals the harsh realities of what can happen after rebellions are built and completed.