Editor's note: The below contains minor spoilers for Andor.Andorhas distinguished itself from the other Star Warsprojects on Disney+ so far with its deliberate lack of obvious fan service and connections to the Skywalker saga. There’s no creepy CGI Mark Hamill or Hayden Christensen, as Tony Gilroy has given us a more grounded look at the galaxy far, far away that doesn’t need lightsabers or the force to be captivating. The lack of cameos and overt references is one of Andor’s best attributes. By telling a unique and original story, it makes the Star Wars universe feel even more expansive.
That being said, it’s not as if Andor exists within a vacuum. The series has surprisingly pulled off some references to some of the best projects from the non-canon “Legends” universe, including Heir to the Empire, Knights of the Old Republic, Fate of the Jedi,and Splinter’s of The Mind’s Eye. Although these stories are no longer part of the official Star Wars timeline, they’re still worth looking into and have attracted loyal fanbases. Andor’s subtle reintroduction of some characters from Legends has been a nice way to reward fans of the older material.
One of the pivotal characters in the first season of Andor is Leida (Bronte Carmichael), the teenage daughter of Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly). Although she’s wealthy, entitled, and more connected with her father, Perrin Fertha (Alastair Mackenzie), Leida begins to suspect that her mother is hiding some secrets from her. Although Leida’s storyline is original, her character originates from the early Legends universe.
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Who Is Leida in 'Andor'?
Leida’s childhood has likely been dominated by her role as the daughter of two senators. Although she comes from Chandrila like her parents, Leida hasn’t had that much time on her homeworld. Both her parents play important roles in the Imperial Senate, so the family has had to stay in their apartment on Coruscant. While Mothma is actively pursuing peaceful solutions to Imperial expansion, Perrin seems to enjoy keeping close company with those within Emperor Palpatine’s (Ian McDiarmid) inner circle.
The rift in Mothma and Perrin’s marriage is likely one of the reasons that Leida has such a hard time expressing herself. She has become a pawn in her parents’ chess moves against each other; who gets to take her to school even becomes a subject of debate. It’s also clear that there may be some issues resulting from Mothma and Perrin's arranged marriage. It’s clear that any passion that may have arisen from their initial pairing has long since dissipated.
Although Leida seems to favor her father and even criticizes her mother’s charitable activities, her worldview is at least understandable given her upbringing. When Leida is reintroduced to Tay Kolma (Ben Miles), her mother mentions that it's been years since they’ve been to their homeworld. If Leida has only grown up on Coruscant and been exposed to Imperial propaganda for her entire life, then she has never seen what democracy truly looks like. She’s a unique counterpart to Leia, who had the luxury of growing up with her adopted father Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) on Alderaan.
Who Is Leida in Legends Canon?
Although Star Wars multimedia had been largely dormant for the majority of the 1980s, the franchise was essentially relaunched in 1991 with the release of two major projects set after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Timothy Zahn’s novel Heir to the Empire explored the rise of the ruthless Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn and his attempts to thwart the New Republic, and the Dark Horse Comic series Dark Empire followed a clone of Emperor Palpatine that attempts to turn Luke Skywalker to the Dark Side. In both of these storylines, Mon Mothma plays a pivotal role as one of the leaders of the New Republic council.
Details about Mothma’s family life are scarce, but a 1993 West End Games Dark Empire Sourcebook mentioned that she had a daughter, Lieda, who was born sometime before the Battle of Yavin. Lieda had a childhood that was dominated by tragedy. Mothma and her family were forced to flee from their peaceful homeworld after her role in the Rebel Alliance became public, and her duties as a resistance leader prevented her from spending as much time with her daughter as she wanted. Lieda’s older brother, Jobin, was a soldier within the Rebel Alliance, but he was killed during the Battle of Hoth.
Lieda’s role in Legends was mostly used to explore the consequences that her mother’s years of service had on her. Mothma dedicated her life to public service, and she remained an important leader within the New Republic until her death. It’s mentioned in The New Essential Guide to Characters and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia that Lieda remained at her mother’s side on Coruscant as they worked towards peace with the Imperial Remnant.
Although there aren’t a lot of Leida Mothma storylines with much depth, it should be exciting to see the role she plays in the rest of Andor's first season and beyond.
Andor premieres new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.
