'Rogue One' news, spoilers: Mon Mothma to have much bigger role in stand-alone than in 'Return of the Jedi'

Mon Mothma, one of the original leaders of the Rebel Alliance, is set to have a "significantly larger" role in the upcoming "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" than she had in "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" (1983).

While she features prominently in the "Rogue One" trailer, in which she appears to be sending the film's heroine, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), on a mission, the character is reportedly set to do much more than that in the upcoming film, the first stand-alone in the "Star Wars" anthology.

"We actually see quite a bit of her," Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told Entertainment Weekly about Mon Mothma, who is played in "Rogue One" by Genevieve O'Reilly. "The Rebel Alliance is in disarray. Pretty panicked. Up against it. And she is trying the best she can to provide the leadership, in amonst a wide variety of Rebel soldiers that have very differing opinions as to what to do."

Though hers was a critical role in "Return of the Jedi," fans should expect Mon Mothma, who is referred to as the "Mother of the Rebellion," to have a bigger role in events in "Rogue One."

Mon Mothma, who was played by Caroline Blakiston in "Return of the Jedi," is a former Senator of the old Republic who became one of the first to back the Rebel Alliance and work to unite the various planetary systems being threatened by the rule of the Empire.

Interestingly, O'Reilly, the new Mon Mothma, actually played a younger version of the character 13 years ago in "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith." However, her scenes were deleted and her character ended up appearing only on the DVD. Nevertheless, O'Reilly's uncanny resemblance to Blakiston, the first Mon Mothma, landed her the role in "Rogue One."

Meanwhile, fans have received new details about the film's villain. According to "Rogue One" writer John Knoll, Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) is an ambitious Imperial Army official intent on crushing the Rebels using his Deathtroopers to get into the Emperor's good graces.

"The bad guy is a lot more terrifying when he's really smart, and really effective," Knoll told EW. "There is a lot of palace intrigue going on in the Empire, with people conspiring to move up the ranks and sabotaging each other. There's not a lot of loyalty there."

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" opens Dec. 16.