Andor is developing Mon Mothma as a character in a way that no other piece of Star Wars content had done, and there is a connection between Mon Mothma and Kylo Ren that the show has referenced a couple of times. After briefly appearing midway through Return of the Jedi, Mon Mothma became a key character in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. In terms of the George Lucas Star Wars canon, Mon Mothma was supposed to be revisited in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, but her scenes in the movie were cut and the character only returned in live-action when Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was released.
Though Mon Mothma’s role as a senator and later as a rebel leader were featured in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, not much about Mon Mothma as a person had been revealed until Andor. Still, it had already been established that Mon Mothma was from Chandrila, something that Andor has referenced a few times. In the current Star Wars canon, Chandrila is not only Mon Mothma’s home planet but also the birthplace of Ben Solo, Han and Leia’s son, who would later become Kylo Ren. While that may suggest that the Star Wars universe is too small, there is a reason why Ben Solo was born on Mon Mothma’s homeworld.
Why Ben Solo Was Born On Chandrila
After defeating the Empire, the Rebel Alliance led by names like Leia and Mon Mothma began to form what would come to be known as the New Republic. The idea was for this New Republic to have a decentralized power, and thus Chandrila was chosen to be the first of many rotating capitals. Given that Chandrila had always been involved in the galaxy’s politics, including but not limited to Mon Mothma’s role as a senator and a rebel, it made sense for the planet to be chosen as the New Republic’s capital. That transition, however, did not happen without a fight. Han and Leia were assisting Chandrila in a time of crisis when Leia was already close to giving birth. Right after the conflict ended, Ben Solo was born.
What Else We Know About Chandrila In Star Wars Canon
Mon Mothma is a perfect representation of what the Star Wars canon establishes about Chandrila. The Core World planet was rich, prosperous, and home to several important political figures. In fact, Chandrila was part of the group of 22 planets that founded the Galactic Republic, the Core Founders. As such, Chandrila and their representatives always had a lot of prestige in the Galactic Senate. After Palpatine’s Empire took over the galaxy, Chandrila remained as a key, seemly trustful planet – until Mon Mothma openly challenged Palpatine after the Ghorman Massacre. As soon as Mon Mothma declared herself as a rebel against Palpatine, Chandrila was listed as an enemy of the Empire.
After the end of the Galactic Civil War, which Andor is currently covering, it was no surprise that Chandrila was chosen to be the New Republic’s first Coruscant replacement. Even if the idea was for no planet to hold that much power for too long, having Mon Mothma’s homeworld serving as the starting point for the New Republic was a good idea. The fact that Leia assisted Chandrila during a moment of war while close to giving birth tells a lot about the general of the Rebellion, and it makes Kylo Ren’s story even more bittersweet. Born royal and rebel, Ben Solo ended up turning against the New Republic as seen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
