"It was such a huge thing to me to give that whole speech," O'Reilly tells EW. "The monster who will come for us all soon enough is Emperor Palpatine." With those resounding words, Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) gives up any pretension of allegiance to the Empire and declares herself a member of the Rebellion.

The actor, who plays Chandrilan Senator Mon Mothma, breaks down the journey of the future Rebel Alliance leader and her big speech denouncing the Emperor in Episode 9.

Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy explains why the show deviates from established Star Wars canon seen in the animated series Rebels.