The new Star Wars series Andor will add new depth and backstory to Mon Mothma, one of the franchise's longest-surviving characters according to series star Genevieve O'Reilly. O'Reilly reprises her role, having played the character in Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One, with Andor bridging the timeline between the two films. The part was previously played by Caroline Blakiston in Return of the Jedi in 1983.
Andor will follow Cassius Andor (Diego Luna) as he takes part in the growing Rebel Alliance that opposes the malevolent Galactic Empire. Mon Mothma served as a Republic senator and co-founded the Alliance, later serving as Chancellor of the New Republic following the fall of the Empire. O'Reilly will be billed second in Andor under Luna, suggesting the character will have a major role in the story that goes beyond her comparatively minor canonical appearances so far.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, O'Reilly talks about reprising her role while fully getting to explore the character. She says how different it feels from her other appearances, as it reveals depths that the movies didn't explore, and how interesting it was to channel that substance in her performance. She also mentions how refreshing it is to play a woman of depth, particularly in Star Wars, which noticeably lacks an abundance of three-dimensional female characters. Read her quote below:
I have even more admiration and respect for the character than I did before, once we've been able to excavate her, and see what her life is really like. What it was like to be a senator and to be married from the age of 16; how you've had to navigate the Imperial construct, and what that means to your life and choices. How free are you? And how difficult is it as a woman to have a voice in that environment? I feel terribly proud of her. I'm thrilled because, in a way, this is unlike anything I've done before. I kind of know where she ends up, right? I'm interested in her journey to get there, and already I feel deeply proud of her. I'm a big fan of hers as a woman. After spending so much time with her, I really want to stand up for her. I really want to shine a light on her. And I think what we're working to do in Andor will hopefully allow us to then see her, and to see those very small moments in those later films have weight behind her. We're almost creating a foundation now for a woman that we will see later on. Gosh, it's exciting to be able to do that.
O'Reilly is right when she says the foundation for the character could lend a lot of weight to her moments in the Star Wars movies, as all characters have backstories that add nuance and complexity. With Andor's more ambitious story goals, it'll hopefully be able to have enough character development to balance out the action. Andor is set to run for two seasons with a total of 24 episodes, which should be plenty of time to add distinction to Mon Mothma.
With the return of Rogue One writer Tony Gilroy, Andor should be able to reach the loftier heights of Star Wars' big screen installments, with the added benefits of character development and more intentional pacing that television affords. Hopefully with that comes the chance to properly explore one of the franchise's oldest characters through Mon Mothma. In the end, O'Reilly will get the opportunity she deserves to shine as Mon Mothma, and with a bit of luck, Andor can meet and surpass expectations and make a valuable addition to the Star Wars canon.