Star Wars Fans Have Been Waiting For Mon Mothma's Unforgettable Andor Season 2 Speech

This post contains spoilers for "Andor" and "Star Wars Rebels."

"Andor" has been fleshing out overlooked, abandoned corners of "Star Wars" history in ways we never thought were possible. The third arc of season 2 — which includes episodes 7, 8, and 9 — forces us to confront the horrifying, spine-chilling reality of a second Ghorman massacre instigated by the Galactic Empire, where hundreds of protesters die. The show extracts the first massacre directly from the non-canon "Star Wars" Extended Universe (now known as Legends), granting it canonical legitimacy to brutal effect.

With these dual Ghorman massacres, "Andor" underlines the bloody, violent cycle of history repeating itself, where the Empire has repeatedly weaponized local resistance groups to trigger political unrest and planet-wide genocides. After both Cassian (Diego Luna) and Wilmon (Muhannad Ben Amor) manage to survive the Ghorman massacre, we arrive at an unavoidable realization: the Rebellion must stop hiding in the shadows and find a way to directly challenge the Imperial superstructure.

This is where Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) comes in. Throughout the series, Mothma has been tirelessly working behind the scenes to fund the Rebel cause, and recently, she did her best to rally fellow senators to de-escalate the Ghorman situation. Regrettably, her efforts are rendered futile after the wide-scale massacre at Ghorman Plaza, which leaves both her and Senator Bail Organa (Benjamin Bratt) shattered. After the two discuss their plans to eventually meet at the Rebel base, Yavin IV, Mothma decides to give a speech at the Senate in the aftermath of the incident. In true "Andor" fashion, Mothma's speech is scathingly passionate and heartbreaking, emerging as a worthy successor to Luthen Rael's profound monologue in season 1.

This unforgettable moment, however, has been a long time coming, as it dramatizes a critical juncture in "Star Wars Rebels." Let's explore these speeches and compare them.

In a season 3 episode of "Star Wars Rebels," titled "Secret Cargo," the Ghost crew is tasked with the sensitive mission to escort someone important to safety, even though the identity of said person is initially kept secret from them. Chopper plays a news broadcast to the crew while they wait, which is when they learn that Senator Mon Mothma (voiced by O'Reilly) has made "treasonous" remarks against Emperor Palpatine, drawing the Empire's ire. In this snippet of her Senate speech, we see Mothma criticize Palpatine for the Ghorman massacre in 2 BBY, calling him a "lying executioner" for the endless persecution of local populations across the galaxy. Later in the episode, Mothma (after being rescued by the Ghost crew), makes a rousing public broadcast to rally all rebels, officially forming the Rebel Alliance with hopes of restoring the Republic.

"Andor" approaches these events through a slightly altered lens. Although we do not see Mothma address any rebels yet (which might as well happen down the line), she makes the incredibly brave decision to condemn Palpatine with a decisive speech at the Senate. While "Rebels" gives us a brief gist of what she says, episode 9 of "Andor" dives into the palpable anxiety of the moment, along with the real fear and panic that grips the Empire while her speech is being broadcast. Moreover, the way Mothma expresses horror and grief over the Ghorman massacre feels more immediate here, as we are privy to the horrific nitty-gritties of a genocide that was meticulously planned by a fascist regime.

While Mothma's speech is shut down by a desperate Empire, her closing statement is as firm and unflinching as her commitment to the Rebel cause:

"This chamber's hold on the truth was finally lost on the Ghorman Plaza [...] What happened yesterday on Ghorman was unprovoked genocide. Yes, genocide! [...] and the monster screaming the loudest, the monster we helped create, the monster who will come for us all soon enough....is Emperor Palpatine!"

To discern the full weight of Mothma using her voice to challenge the Empire — and Palpatine, no less — in front of a Senate filled with spineless sycophants, we must consider the nuances of her arc in "Andor." Although Mothma is integral to the Rebel cause, her public position demands the constant donning of a mask that must never slip. We see aspects of this suffocating double life throughout, where Mothma is unable to be her true self even in front of her loved ones. Only the likes of Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård) or Tay Kolma (Ben Miles) allow her to drop her guard to an extent, but even that is snatched away when Luthen orders Kolma's murder after the latter seems a bit too close to (inadvertently) exposing their covert operation. This directly leads to Mothma's anxiety-fueled breakdown via dance, where her pain is expressed through a rare attempt at social catharsis. 

Mothma and Luthen's alliance is severely tested once he reveals that Bail Organa's security detail consists of an Imperial double-agent who plans to assassinate her. Although Mothma is conflicted about Luthen's intel, he sends Cassian to safely escort her anyway, despite the risk that she might not trust him enough to lend cooperation. As soon as Mothma finishes her speech, the Senate building descends into chaos: everyone is jolted awake by Mothma's actions, the Imperial mole gears to kill her, and Cassian convinces her to trust him.

Even if Mothma had never made the speech, the Imperials were going to remove her from the equation anyway, solely because she seemed suspicious. Irrespective of these machinations, Mothma chooses to rip off her social mask to highlight and challenge the Empire's inhumane cruelty, even when the price for such a public transgression is her very existence. Although she doesn't mention the Rebel cause, her strong condemnation of Palpatine is proof enough of where her true allegiances lay all along. 

Thankfully, Cassian succeeds in bringing her to safety, ensuring her critical role at Yavin IV in the future. Just like she says in her speech, Mothma will make sure to never lose sight of objective reality, as the fight against the Empire also includes separating caustic Imperial propaganda from the unblemished truth. Once she reaches Yavin, Mothma will actively help shape events that eventually feed into what happens in "Rogue One," and beyond.

New episodes of "Andor" drop on Tuesday nights on Disney+.