Sorry about that, I edited the post. I was having a bit of a rough time last evening, so I guess I just wanted to vent my frustration. I just can’t see MON MOTHMA, of all people, being the real villain all along. I know she also had a bit role in two other movies, but I can’t imagine her being in cahoots with Palpatine the whole time.
Hey, caught your original reply (and no offence taken although I appreciate the support oojason!) - my reasoning is that any sequels really have to contend with the reality that ROTJ was a pretty definitive conclusion. The only possibilities are along the lines of the Empire simply reconstituting itself (like the ST) or there being an entirely new threat (like the SW comics did in the mid-80s) and neither idea is particularly compelling.
The Mothma idea (for me) serves the purpose of honouring the ROTJ conclusion entirely (unlike the Disney ST which is often accused of reverse-engineering both Luke’s and the rebels’ victory) whilst still planting a seed that could legitimately restart the whole fiasco. Mon Mothma (and bearing in mind I have no knowledge of Mothma/Bothan EU - I’m going by the OT alone and not including deleted prequel stuff or Rogue One) is enough of a beloved character to be a compelling figure in the New Republic of a sequel series. If she had been a double-agent in ROTJ (which I still maintain would make that “many Bothans died” scene really disturbing in a cool way) then she’d be in a prime position to logically orchestrate the other necessary elements of a sequel series - she’d have a legitimate beef with the rebels, she’d have the political clout to gather allies from within, she’d be close to Ben Solo and be a worthy corrupting mentor, and because she’s a beloved character it would be something of a shock to have her be the new Emperor (and a double-shock when ROTJ is revisited).
I never made it through the Thrawn trilogy, but it seems to me it was still a case of ‘Empire reconstitutes itself’ (I could be wrong obviously). Marvel in the 80s had space ninjas from outside the galaxy. The ST had Snoke who turned out to be a clone made by Palpatine or…something? I mean all of these stories - good and bad - simply exist because we want more Star Wars. I think the Mothma idea presents a legitimate reason for ROTJ to not be the final word whilst still preserving the integrity of its arcs.