Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars #46

Star Wars has revealed the true power of Mon Mothma, a key leader of the Rebel Alliance during the original trilogy. Having played a key role in the live-action Andor series, the show set during the Dark Times of the Imperial regime has depicted Mothma’s evolution from a senator to a full-fledged leader of the Rebellion. However, the latest issue of Marvel’s canonical Star Wars series shows Mothma at the top of her game (while being kidnapped).

Having been captured and held for ransom by a group of mercenaries between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Mon Mothma gets the opportunity to speak directly to one of her captors while a team of Rebels attempts to rescue her. Remarkably, the leader of the mercenaries named Hachi was seemingly convinced to let Mothma go in the new Star Wars #46 by Charles Soule and Madibek Musabekov, having come to a key realization about the Empire thanks to Mothma’s poignant ability to inspire and motivate a change in perception:

Having been moved by Mothma’s words, it certainly seemed as though Hachi was going to let Mothma go and/or return her to the Rebellion had she not been betrayed by one of her fellow mercenaries. Regardless, this issue perfectly highlights the key reasons why Mothma was so important to the Rebellion and later the New Republic as its elected Chancellor.

All It Took Was One Conversation For Mothma To Change Her Captor’s Views

Understanding The True Evil of the Empire

Having been curious about her history and how she became a leader of the Rebellion when she was originally a wealthy member of the Imperial Senate, Hachi simply wanted to have a conversation about Mon Mothma’s life and background. However, she certainly got more than she bargained for. After all, Hachi came to believe that she and her fellow mercenaries made a mistake in kidnapping Mon after only a single conversation with the Alliance leader.

Having revealed the moments of clarity in her personal life when she saw what the Empire truly was as well as when she decided its reign was no longer tolerable, Mon Mothma then doubles down. She assumes the role of the Empire in a critical exercise, showing Hachi exactly what the Imperial machine could do and take from her anytime they wanted if they so chose. Likewise, Mothma also confirms that the only reason the Empire hadn’t is because they simply hadn’t gotten around to Hachi yet.

Star Wars Proves Mon Mothma Was An Alliance Leader For A Reason

A Key Architect of the Rebellion

Mon Mothma’s key abilities to converse and persuade are on full display in this new issue. While they might not be as predominant or exciting as lightsabers or Force abilities, they do hold power all the same. After all, they provided Mon Mothma with the ability to help lead and unite a force against the Empire itself, forging a strong and enduring Rebellion that eventually succeeded in ushering in a free galaxy in the Star Wars canon, not to mention that fact that it nearly got her out of her own kidnapping, though thankfully she was later saved by her fellow Rebels.