The Most Forgotten Star Wars 'Villain' Is the Franchise's Most Relatable Character
By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Star Wars is full of the worst villains in the history of the genre. This includes Darth Vader, an evil cyborg wizard with a laser sword. There's also Boba Fett, a ruthless hunter with a cool ship and cool weapons who invented aura farming. Oh, and let's not forget Emperor Palpatine, who walks around in a cozy robe all day, but no one laughs because the guy looks like a zombie and can shoot lightning with his hand.
As good as all those bad guys are, they are not my favorite Star Wars villain. My choice goes to Admiral Motti, who is best known for getting out of Vader before he was captured by the force. A New Hope. Most of the fandom takes this guy as a joke, but he's secretly the most relatable character in the entire franchise. Do you know why that is? It's simple: he takes pride in what he does, hates useless work meetings, calls his colleagues on their BS, and takes a bold stand against religious discussion at work.
The Imperial Everyman
Need more reminder about who Admiral Motti is? He only appears in one scene A New Hopewhen he and the other Imperial commanders placed the said and the dish on the Death Star. When Admiral Tagge reveals that the Death Star is in danger because of the plans Leia stole, Motti defends the Empire's latest creation, eventually declaring, “This station is now the greatest power in the universe. I suggest we use it!” That's when Darth Vader starts berating the admiral, telling him that he shouldn't be proud of the Death Star because “The power to destroy a planet is nothing next to the power of the Force.”
Instead of submitting to Vader, Motti responds cheerfully, telling the Sith, “Don't try to scare us with your sorcerer ways, Lord Vader. Your sad devotion to that ancient religion didn't help you piece together the stolen data tapes, or give you enough clarity to find a hidden rebel stronghold–.” The last word is cut off when Vader decides to force the man, and only releases his hold when ordered by Grand Moff Tarkin.
Finally, A Villain We Can Relate To
Now, why is Admiral Motti the most relatable character in all of Star Wars? First, he takes pride in his work. Considering it explodes at the end of the movie, it's easy to see his defense of the Death Star as mere hubris. But this boy was the head of naval operations at the war station and was proud of the Empire's latest creation. He didn't like anyone talking bad about the Death Star because they blamed him for the shortcomings of others. As in, Vader let the plans slide, leaving the Death Star vulnerable before he badmouthed it. Is it any wonder that Motti hates this guy?
And, although he had no way of knowing this, Motti's plan was actually going to save the anti-community center from certain destruction. When he suggested using the Death Star, he probably meant to use it against any of the growing number of planets that defied the Empire. If Tarkin had agreed to do so, the rebellion would have slowly died as all the planets that supported it would have been destroyed. It's fair to say that the Death Star was about to be destroyed because everyone ignored Motti, and was so focused on recovering the stolen systems, that they brought the battle station to the doorstep of the only people who had a chance to destroy it.
Who Has Never Choked in a Work Meeting?
Finally, Motti has the distinction of being the only character in a Star Wars movie with the balls to insult Darth Vader on his face. That alone makes him cooler than all the other minor characters in the franchise, combined. As an added bonus, he calls out Vader for constantly expressing his beliefs during a doomed mission meeting. Can you imagine working with a guy who constantly interrupts others in a meeting to say things like “the ability to increase shareholder value is nothing next to the power of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings.” Be honest. You would like to see that boy die for the sin of anger.
No one has ever called Vader because they are afraid of him when they see him. Admiral Motti, however, focused on Vader's incompetence, scolded him for always talking about his religion, and even put his life on the line to achieve the greatest achievement in the mission: getting the “this was supposed to be an email meeting” to end early. For all these reasons and more, I think the fandom needs to raise their raw milk and toast Admiral Motti, the most relatable character in Star Wars history!
