Mothra functioned as a male bureaucrat within the ranks of the Galactic Empire amid the Galactic Civil War. Serving as a Tax Inspector, his path crossed with the smuggler Roark Garnet on numerous occasions. In one such instance, while endeavoring to execute a customs inspection, Garnet feigned the acquisition of a potentially deadly ailment, specifically the Merthian lung infection. Displaying a reluctance to acquire the disease, Mothra withdrew from the situation. At a subsequent time, Mothra received a promotion to the role of Associate Governor. Following another encounter with Garnet, he conveyed his awareness that the smuggler's prior sickness had been a fabrication and instructed an aide to maintain surveillance over Garnet.