Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) and her daughter Leida (Bronte Carmichael) had a strained relationship during Andor. Following Episode 3 of Season 2 of the Disney+ Star Wars series, Leida was not seen again, raising the question of what happened to Mon's daughter and whether the two ever reunited after the events of the series. Andor covers the five years in the lead-up to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which is a formative and dangerous time for the Rebellion.
Much of Leida's story in Andor saw the young Chandrilan embrace her conservative culture, which put her at odds with her mother. This came to a head in Andor Season 2 when Leida took part in a traditional arranged Chandrilan wedding, marrying Stekan Sculdun, the son of a Chandrilan oligarch. While Mon initially supported the marriage as it gave her the financial backing to help feed the Rebellion, she came to regret putting her daughter in this position, which is why O'Reilly told SFX magazine in an interview that it was important for Mon's character to "give [Leida] an out" from the marriage:
"Tony and I had discussed this when he said she was getting married and I was like, 'Oh, no, she's not gonna do this to her daughter,'... I remember saying to him, 'She has to give her an out. If it's that woman who was there in 'Rogue One' and 'Return Of The Jedi', I understand that there's a pain within her. But if it is that woman who can be a pillar, then what would she do?' "
Prior to the wedding, Mon approaches Leida reveals that her own marriage was forced upon her by her mother and that she didn't want to perpetuate this cycle. But still, Leida defies her mother and goes through with the marriage in S2E3, which is the last time she's seen in Andor. O'Reilly said this was a "deeply brutal" moment for Mon (one of many such devastating storylines in Andor) and is one of the events responsible for turning her into the leader she becomes:
"She talks about her mother, so you get these intergenerational layers of one woman. And then for Leida to turn the way she did, it just broke my heart. It's deeply brutal but it was a moment for Mon to gather herself. We saw that. We saw the pain. And I'm sure there were many reasons, but there is a power dynamic shift where Mon steps in to who she is.
You end in this huge, big (dance] piece where you understand the chaos that everyday people have to hold. And not just everyday people, but somebody who's managing to help build rebellion; what that is and what that chaos within that woman must be."
Mon continues to be seen in the remaining episodes of Andor, which reveal how she became the integral Rebel leader she's known for being in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. As for whether she and Leida ever saw each other again after the wedding, O'Reilly believes that Mon "can't have both." The actress suspects that Mon "devoted herself to fighting the Empire," and chose that over her daughter, although she believes this was still a sacrifice to protect her family:
"In my head, you can't have both. Of course, maybe you would want both, but by even wanting both, you risk everybody. You risk those outside the rebellion and those within it. My instinct, and this is only me, is that she devoted herself to fighting the Empire and making lives better that way."
Andor Season 2 marks the end of the Star Wars show created and overseen by Tony Gilroy. The series primarily follows Rogue One star Diego Luna, who reprises his role as Cassian Andor, a thief-turned-freedom-fighter, in the formative years of the Rebel Alliance.
What Happened to Mon Mothma's Daughter In Star Wars Canon?
Leida Mothma was introduced in Andor and hasn't been referenced anywhere else in Star Wars canon, so it's left to viewers to draw their own conclusions about what happened to Mon's daughter.
Andor did hint at what happened to Mon's husband Perrin, after Mon left him on Coruscant, with the Chandrilan seemingly remarrying and continuing to enjoy his life of luxury, but perhaps less fulfilled. It's possible that with Leida and Perrin sharing a love of the Chandrilan customs that the father and daughter have remained in touch over the years, despite Mon remaining a void in their lives.
While Leida did not adhere to Mon's rebellion, she was a rebel in her own way, defying her mother's shirking of the Chandrilan culture and seeking to conform to her family's traditions instead. It can be assume that Leida stayed married to Stekan and is probably living a similarly luxurious life to her father.
Fans never got to see whether Mon's departure had any influence on Leida's life, so it's unclear whether she was inspired or appalled by her mother's actions in the Rebellion or if she even knew about them at all.
