New Featurette Explores the Importance of Mon Mothma’s ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Appearance

The Star Wars saga has never shied away from portraying powerful women, with Return of the Jedi giving Mon Mothma a brief appearance to orchestrate a precise military maneuver that would destroy the Death Star II. Thanks to the timeline of the Star Wars Rebels animated series, the character was allowed to appear in the animated series and show a much different side of herself from what audiences had previously seen. Check out a featurette below that explores the character’s incorporation.

“When we see her, most often, prior to this, is often in briefing situations, often up in front of a crowd,” explained VP of Lucasfilm Animation Carrie Beck. “One of the things that we were able to do, specifically having her and Hera together in the cockpit, is you actually get something a little more intimate.”

Beck continued, “You’re getting a moment that’s really about her own ideology, her own personal philosophy, her personal commitment and what it means to her. Those aren’t moments that we’ve gotten to have with that character before because the opportunity hadn’t presented itself.”

Audiences also got more Mon Mothma in last year’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which featured a reference to Star Wars Rebels, having Hera Syndulla’s name announced in a docking bay.

When speaking about hearing her character’s name in the film, Hera actress Vanessa Marshall revealed to ComicBookMovie, “I almost started crying. I had to remember I was in a public place and had to contain myself.”

She added, “I thought I was losing my mind and started asking, ‘Did that really just happen?’ I went to see it a million times and every time, I was just blown away. It’s good to know that she still exists at that point, so that’s a good thing, but also being such a huge fan of every Star Wars film that’s been released, having a character I’ve played in an animated series be mentioned…it was really rewarding.”

Season 3 of Star Wars Rebels is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.

This animated entry in the Star Wars franchise fills the gap between the events of “Episode III” and “Episode IV.” Imperial forces occupy a remote planet and are ruling — and ruining — its inhabitants’ lives with an iron fist. A clever, disparate crew aboard the starship Ghost takes a stand against the Empire, facing new villains and colorful adversaries. The rebels on the Ghost include leader Kanan, ace pilot Hera, feisty heroine Sabine, tough guy Zeb and 14-year-old con artist Ezra.