Disney XD’s animated series Star Wars Rebels has become beloved by viewers over the course of its three seasons so far. And that’s not only because of its great original characters, but also thanks to its fan-pleasing connections with the movies. Throughout the years, a bunch of familiar faces have turned up on the show, which bridges the gap between the prequel and original trilogies, including Darths Vader and Maul, Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and more.
In season 3, Mon Mothma joined the cast. Doing what it does best, Rebels was able to explore how the character transitioned from the politician we saw in Revenge of the Sith to the Rebellion leader featured in Return of the Jedi. Bringing the role to life once again was Genevieve O’Reilly, reprising the part from Revenge and, more recently, Rogue One.
Now, thanks to a new video courtesy of Syfy, fans can go behind the scenes of Mothma’s appearance on Rebels. In particular, Lucasfilm Animated VP Carrie Beck talks about how this was a unique opportunity to flesh out Mon as a character, beyond her largely exposition-heavy roles in the films.
“When we see her, most often, prior to this, is often in briefing situations, often up in front of a crowd. 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…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.”
As Rebels continues to sow the seeds of the Rebel Alliance, tying in with A New Hope, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Mothma turn up a few more times in the show’s fourth and final season. We’ll find out for sure if that’s the case when Star Wars Rebels returns to our screens on September 23rd.