Rogue One Mon Mothma & the Council Discussion Thread

This is just a theory. Mothma and her team clearly are more the strategists of the Rebel Alliance. Even the decision to break Jyn out of prison in the first place feels more like their idea than something the politicians would have supported with a vote. She clearly has some autonomy on strategic matters but when it comes to putting a certain amount of ships in the sky or boots on the ground voting is required.

The look of frustration on her face at the Council meeting when she's dealing with bureaucracy and standard political delay tactics during such an important moment in time was quite telling. It immediately transitions to a wry smirk, like she was ready for this. Cassian is one of her best and Cassian had a team ready to go the moment that council made its decision to delay things including K2 being briefed. Mothma was prepared for the council to drag its heels. She knows them and outsmarted them. She and Cassian had this backup plan in place but more disfunctional ensued when Cassian was also given the order to take the shot on Galen regardless and kill him when given the chance.

Possible? Have I missed something?

 

A point was made in Rogue One: Secret Mission of how Draven's disobeying Mon Mothma's orders by giving Cassian that mission. In Rogue One: Mission Files, Mon Mothma seems eager to have Galen captured because his info is so vital.

 

Interesting. So, perhaps even more disfunction even within her own ranks. Still wouldn't change the possibility of her planning for the council's outcome with Draven and Cassian. All 3 planning to support Jyn regardless and then Draven overstepping from there. Perhaps he pushed for that in their own private meeting prior and she disagreed. They all went a little Rogue given the stakes, so to speak. Right down to Cassian trusting Jyn and Mothma by not sniping Galen Erso.

 

I liked seeing the "sausage being made" with the Rebellion Council or whatever we're calling it. It illustrates how Post-RoTJ the New Republic would have a difficult time governing and how many could become disillusioned with the lack of action/progress in favor of endless debate.

 

Again this goes into the Force Awakens discussion.

Who is funding the rebellion? Where are they getting this stream of ships?

 

The Senators from the worlds sympathetic to the rebellion, presumably, are funding it.

According to Rogue One: Ultimate Visual Guide, when the Empire moved to occupy Mon Cala, a bunch of underwater buildings revealed themselves to in fact be spaceships, took off and headed for the Telaris system (not under the Empire's control). There, the Mon Cala started refitting those ships to become warships.

 

There could also be wealthy sympathizers. Resource barons sympathetic to the cause. Contractors and exporters of resources without key Imperial contracts would be worried about losing their path to the market. Many of the weapons might be co-opted from the chaos of the war itself. They anticipated war and may have stole some weaponry from private contractors during the chaos and added to the fleet when people fled. Others may have been provided from nations who later joined the cause amongst the war. It could also be a little bit like the Cuban missle crisis where a powerful enemy from beyond the Empire's reach is providing weapons and ships to the Rebels because they preferred the Republic and see the Empire as a threat to their own existence long-term. My guess is it's a combination of all of this. This is life or death. They have to take what they can get and be opportunistic. It's not ideal.

 

Rogue One: Ultimate Visual Guide went into more detail about where the Y-Wings, U-Wings and X-Wings were coming from.

 

By the way, I like how it's possible this discussion could have occurred off screen prior to the Council meeting or not. The group's decision to follow Cassian works either way. I just feel like there are some hints this may have occurred.

 

Was Bail involved in the funding? I know he was in Legends.

 

Bail was ensuring that a "lost" shipment of U-Wings disappeared in the records while actually going to the Rebels.

 

Mothma seems crafty enough to have a back up plan if the council didn't agree - you could certainly make an argument that she chose her words pretty carefully in order to provoke Jyn into going ahead regardless, and could similarly goad the Mon Calamaris into going into action if they didn't of their own volition. The Rebels are much more democratic and open than the Empire but a canny politician like Mon Mothma or Bail Organa (who have seen Palpatine in action lest we forget) know that democracies can be exploited and manipulated if necessary...

It's the same 'grey morality' that Rogue One was applying pretty liberally across the whole film - Mothma is the Rebel equivalent of Palpatine, and like Palpatine is a manipulator and a chessmaster, only one who operates on what she genuinely believes to be the best of the whole, not the best of the self.

 

Something that I have discussed with a few friends was a little theory of mine that Mon Mothma was actually hoping/intending for the Battle Of Scarif to take place and the raid for the Death Star plans all along. The council scene and her words afterwards to Jyn were an attempt to provoke her into going rogue, and by so doing Not-Ackbar and the other pro-attack Rebels would be similarly provoked into going after her.

From Mothma's perspective, she can hold her hands up as clean and state in all honesty she followed the will of the council, and that Jyn and the others acted entirely on their own initiative, but at the same time she knows the raid will go ahead anyway. When she's told the Admiral can't be reached due to his being on his way to Scarif she has a smile that could just be ''pleasantly surprised'' but just as viably could be ''just as planned.''

I think this would work pretty well with the comparisons and contrasts the film plays up between the Rebels and the Empire. Mothma is the leader of the Rebels just as much as Palpatine is the ruler of the Empire, and like him she could be read/portrayed as a manipulator and a chess-master, nominally holding to a democracy but willing to subvert or manipulate the system if necessary...but where Palpatine's games are in aid of his own personal power, Mothma acts in what she genuinely believes to be the greater good. Democracy and everyone having a say is important, but she knows that the Rebels need something to draw them altogether in unity and having the Death Star plans and a victory under their belts would fit that bill rather nicely.

Am I just reading too much into this, or does anyone else think along similar lines/

 

Not sure she planned it. But she was definitely pleased when RO and Raddus forced the Alliance's hand.

 

That was my impression as well. When Private Weems mentioned Raddus was going to fight I loved the half-smile she gave to General Merrick. From the junior novel:

 

Eh..

 

I also felt exactly the same when i watched it at the cinema. Mon Mothma had a hand in orchestrating that battle. When that private ran up to speak to her it felt as though she was waiting to be informed that war had been broken out and Jyn had led the raiding party. It could also be that when she did not hear back from Rebel intelligence it dawned on her that one of their operations was about to be pulled off so she needed to be quick and order a call to arms on the double to back them up against Imperial reinforcements.

 

no.

 

Had the senators approved of Jyn's plan to go after the Death Star would the loss of life at the battle of Scarif have been lower for as we saw in that scene in which they were debating the pro's and cons of waging a permanent war on the Empire it certainly appeared to me that the timid response to the crisis allowed Jyn to rush to get the Plans with a seriously resource light force.

Thankful Mon Mothma sent reinforcement to assist them before the Devastator & Death Star arrived as they would most certainly have been wiped out on the surface without the ground support. Now with the Senators veering towards surrender at that stage their actions cost lives instead of showing support and approving Jyn's plan which was most definitely the best optician.

 

mon mothma is a politician (a senator). from ROTJ i thought mothma was high up in the alliance and a strategist. she is mainly a political strategist i think. *is confused*

 

Bail and Mothma have connections in the Senate.

 

I think saying Mothma is like Palpatine is a little unfair.

 

yes mothma is a good witch and palpatine is a bad witch. they are both excellent strategists (probably on par with one another).

she reminds me of a light elf in lord of the rings. she's so good this strange aura of light seems to follow her wherever she goes. lol