4. Mon Mothma
Star Wars, at its core, is a wonderfully executed and superb realised story. That's why so many people are drawn to the galaxy far, far away. Though it takes place in a world that we can't really relate to, we can relate to the characters and are able to empathise with situations they might find themselves in. Star Wars is a character-driven story. Unfortunately, Star Wars does not have many leading female characters in the six movie saga. Most notably we think of the two famous ones: Princess Leia and her mother, Padmé Naberrie. However, in Return of the Jedi, Mon Mothma plays a prominent role for such a small female part. We see her as an equal to Leia; a leader in the political world of the Rebellion and the burgeoning New Republic. Mon Mothma took center stage in front of the Rebel Forces when she explained the plan for the Battle that was to take place on the forest moon of Endor. We get a chance to see her steely resolve, but also a glimpse of a human affected by the war going on around her when she states: "Many Bothans died to deliver us this message." She understands what must be done to overthrow the Empire, but does not forget the lives that were lost in the process. When Revenge of the Sith was released in theatres, we saw a younger Mon Mothma briefly walking with Bail Organa on the Tantive IV at a point when the Republic had just been converted to the Empire. It's a brief tease, but most of her important scenes were unfortunately cut out of the movie. If you watch the deleted scenes of Episode III, Mon Mothma is a Senator who is deeply active in trying to keep the Republic alive, while forming the beginnings of the fledgling Rebellion. When pointed out that she may be considered a Separatist, she says: "We are not Separatists trying to leave the Republic; we are Loyalists, trying to preserve democracy in the Republic." For such a small female role in the Star Wars saga, she certainly had a lot to do with preserving the Old Republic and guiding it towards a New Republic, while the Empire wreaked havoc on the galaxy.