Season 2, Episode 9, titled Welcome to the Rebellion, directed by Janus Metz and written by Dan Gilroy, explores the emotional and political aftermath of The Ghorman Massacre and its lasting impact on the central protagonists. The massacre has left the Rebel Alliance furious, galvanized, and forever changed. What was once seen as a corrupt but complex political entity—the Galactic Empire—has now fully revealed itself as a monstrous regime that must be dismantled. The scale and brutality of the event forced the Rebellion to shed all remaining illusions. The bitter irony, of course, is that the destruction of Alderaan by Grand Moff Tarkin using the Death Star in the near future will make Ghorman look like a warning ignored. For leaders like Mon Mothma, the massacre is a breaking point—proof that hiding, negotiating, or waiting is no longer an option. The time to fight is now, or the Empire’s grip will choke out every shred of hope.

The central theme of this episode is truth. Truth is what binds people together—friends, allies, comrades. It offers clarity in chaos, light in the darkness, and the possibility of shared joy in a world dominated by sorrow. But, truth is fragile. It stands in opposition to tyranny, fear, and deception—forces that form the very backbone of the Galactic Empire. As a government ruled by the Sith Order, the Empire manipulates truth until it no longer exists, replacing it with fear-driven obedience and carefully constructed lies. The death of truth is the death of democracy, and when truth dies, so too does freedom. In such a world, happiness becomes a memory and love a myth. The Empire doesn’t just seek to control people—it seeks to reshape reality into a joyless void where even its own citizens are not safe.

This is the foundation of Mon Mothma’s speech—a fierce condemnation of the Empire’s tactics and ideology. Her message is clear: allowing evil to thrive under the pretense of “protection” only empowers the greedy and the sadistic. The real beneficiaries of this system are the wealthy elites who feast off the suffering of others and monsters like Emperor Palpatine—known in secret as Darth Sidious—who thrive on cruelty and control. Mothma’s words serve as both a call to arms and a warning. The truth must not be silenced, even if speaking it puts lives at risk. The cost of rebellion may be high, but the cost of submission is the end of all things worth living for.

Leaders of the Rebellion

On Coruscant, Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) and Senator Bail Organa (Benjamin Bratt) witness the shocking arrest of Ambassador Oran of Ghorman by stormtroopers in the very halls of the Imperial Senate. The brutal public display confirms their worst fears—the Empire has no regard for diplomacy, law, or decency. Deeply shaken, the two Rebel leaders discuss the massacre of Ghorman in hushed tones, mourning the lives lost and condemning the atrocity as a genocidal act by a tyrannical regime. Mothma is consumed with righteous fury and declares her intention to publicly accuse the Empire of genocide during the next Senate session.

Despite Mothma’s resolve, Bail urges caution and strategy. While she prepares to leave Coruscant for Yavin Four to assume direct leadership of the Rebellion, he will remain behind, working within the Senate to delay Imperial decisions and gather new allies. The extraction plan for Mothma has already been arranged—she is to be escorted to a hidden safe house and then flown to Yavin Four by Gold Squadron. However, this seemingly airtight plan begins to fall apart when a critical piece of intelligence reaches the hands of the Rebellion’s spymasters.

Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård) and Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau) are alerted by their ISB mole, Lonni Jung (Robert Emms), that Organa’s extraction team has been compromised. The infiltration runs deep—ISB agents planted by Jung himself are embedded within the operation. As a result, Luthen and Kleya pivot quickly, deciding to place Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in charge of Mothma’s extraction. Though still grappling with survivor’s guilt after witnessing the Ghorman Massacre, Cassian reluctantly agrees, aware that protecting Mothma is now essential to the future of the Rebellion. Failure is not an option. 

Mon Mothma’s Speech

The evening before the Senate session, Luthen meets Mothma face-to-face as she practices her speech in the plaza, having discovered an Imperial listening device planted in her office. Mothma is unsettled by Luthen’s unannounced appearance and grows even more disturbed when he reveals her aide, Erskin Semaj (Josh Brener), has been one of his agents all along. Enraged and paranoid, she confronts Luthen about his radical methods—his comfort with secrecy, murder, and sacrifice. She accuses him of orchestrating the death of Tay Kolma, her childhood friend, and calls out the blood price he has forced others to pay in his crusade against the Empire.

Luthen, ever pragmatic, doesn’t deny the costs of rebellion. He reminds Mothma that his actions—however cruel—exposed the Empire’s evils and helped galvanize the Galaxy against Palpatine. Without these sacrifices, the Rebel Alliance might never have taken shape. Though Mothma remains distrustful, Luthen provides her with the code phrase Cassian will use to earn her trust during the extraction, reaffirming his commitment to her safety even in the face of her condemnation. Their uneasy alliance endures, if only out of necessity.

The following day, Mothma ascends to the Senate floor with the help of Organa and another allied senator who use obscure procedural rules, legally granting her the floor. The Empire’s protocols are turned against it—at least for a moment. As she begins her speech, ISB agents attempt to shut down the broadcast, but Luthen’s embedded operatives ensure that enough of the transmission reaches the public. Mothma speaks passionately, condemning the genocide on Ghorman and decrying the Imperial Senate for allowing Palpatine to wield absolute power. It is a moment of profound moral clarity in a system ruled by fear.

Cassian Saves Mothma

Following the success of the operation, Cassian and Erskin escort Mothma to one of Coruscant’s many secret rebel safehouses—Cassian’s old apartment repurposed for rebellion. Her departure for Yavin Four is postponed, and instead, she is rerouted to Dantooine, where she will continue rallying support and deliver two more speeches denouncing the Empire’s crimes. For now, Mothma is safe, but her journey as the political leader of the Rebellion has only just begun. The tides of resistance are rising, and her voice will become one of its most powerful beacons.

Back on Yavin Four, Cassian returns to the quiet sanctuary of his modest cottage and reunites with Bix (Adria Arjona). He tells her of his decision to leave the Rebellion behind, yearning for a peaceful life free of war and violence. Bix listens but resists the idea. She reminds him of his importance to the cause—as captain of Rebel Intelligence, he holds more weight than he realizes. But Cassian, haunted by all he’s seen and done, stands firm in his choice. That night, Bix makes a difficult decision of her own.

Unwilling to hold him back, Bix secretly records a message, expressing her hope that Cassian will return to the Rebellion despite his desire for peace. She leaves Yavin Four to continue her mission as a rebel operative elsewhere in the Galaxy. When Cassian listens to her recording, he realizes he cannot change her mind. Her parting words are filled with hope—that they will reunite one day after the war is won. But viewers know that such a future will never come. Cassian will ultimately give his life during the Battle of Scarif in Rogue One, and the scars of war will remain etched into the lives of those left behind.

Rating: 10/10