There’s no shortage of brutality in the Star Wars galaxy — it is, after all, about the rise of (and resistance to) fascism. The Death Star eviscerates entire planets, laser swords slice through flesh and bone. The franchise has a lock on visceral violence; it’s even brushed against the subtler, but no less insidious, violence that women face in suppressive times. But no Star Wars story has ever well and truly “gone there” where the latter is concerned. That may be because Star Wars is largely a family-friendly franchise, but that’s what makes Andor, Star Wars’ most “adult” offering, such an important addition to it.
In its second season, the prequel series is a much more overt mirror to our real world. It crosses a line into unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory, depicting the true evils of the Empire with an attempted rape scene. But it also give new meaning to the fight against the new regime, making it personal for our cast and for audiences watching.
Spoilers ahead for Andor Season 2 Episode 3.
The first arc of Andor Season 2 pits Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) against the sleazy lieutenant Krole (Alex Waldmann). He’s spearheading an Imperial audit on the planet Mina-Rau, where Bix, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), and their allies have carved out a comfortable new life. Given their hasty departure from Ferrix at the end of Andor Season 1, our heroes don’t have immigration documents or visas, which puts their cover in jeopardy. Though they try to escape the audit, the Empire’s already a step ahead. When Krole visits Bix’s safehouse in Episode 3, he reveals that he knows all about their illegal status. He does offer to look the other way... but only if Bix returns his kindness with a sexual favor.
Bix tries to refuses Krole’s advances, but once the gravity of her situation, and her utter isolation, crystallizes, she has no choice but to fight. Their altercation is brutal to witness, made even more frightening with the fear that Bix may not be able to overpower her attacker. Fortunately, she incapacitates Krole by bludgeoning him with a wrench — and just so there’s no confusion about his intentions, Bix clearly states later that he tried to rape her.
This is the first time we’ve ever seen such an overt example of rape in the Star Wars galaxy. More than that, this is the first time anyone has ever uttered the word “rape” in the franchise. It’s a jarring (and potentially triggering) dose of reality: even if Andor is the most grounded Star Wars story, it’s still a fantasy at the end of the day. Featuring an attempted assault so prominently and directly feels almost like the breaking of an illusion. But it also provides a new level of context for what the Empire is capable of, establishing a new set of stakes for our characters.
Andor is a series about survival. Its heroes are backed into an existential corner, forced to fight for their lives against the Empire’s oppressive regime. Bix’s ordeal in Episode 3 makes that struggle all the more literal, but it also shows how much harder the women in this galaxy — and marginalized women in real life — have to fight for their right to exist. Sexual assault has long been used as a tool for oppression, for dehumanization. That Imperial soldiers would stoop to that level shouldn’t be surprising: it’s a twisted way to reinforce an imbalance of power, and it’s what the Empire has always done best.
Each of our rebels is vulnerable in a different way, each desperate for their own version of freedom. Bix’s fight is different from someone like Cassian’s, but no less dangerous, and the threats she faces deserve to be explored at face value. It’s not easy watching this character suffer, especially given the Imperial torture she suffered in Season 1. But this is still a story that needs to be told, especially in something as big as Star Wars. It’d be a disservice to the show to look away.
