Andor season 2's portrayal of sexual violence is a first for Star Wars – and an incredibly impactful depiction
Adria Arjona gives a powerful performance in a distressing - but important - moment.
*Warning: This article contains discussions of sexual abuse that some readers may find distressing.*
Andor is one of the most grounded entries in the Star Wars slate with a central focus on the everyday experience of living under a repressive regime from a multitude of perspectives in the galaxy.
It’s extraordinary due to its ordinariness, as regular people’s lives are exploited, upheaved and decimated by the brutality and horrors of war. Nowhere has this been more evident than in Andor season 2, episode 3, Harvest.
In episode 2, Bix (Adria Arjona), Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) and Wil’s (Muhannad Bhaier) secluded haven is interrupted when an Imperial ship arrives to conduct a visa audit to find any undocumented individuals.
One lieutenant takes an interest in Bix and invites her out to dinner, which she politely declines by inventing a husband, who is off-planet, that would not like it.
The threat to her physical safety in this scene is palpable, though he never touches her or approaches her. But with every forced smile and tense breath Bix takes, it’s clear she’s terrified of being alone with him.
Thankfully, Brasso arrives and the forward officer swiftly leaves. Yet, in the next episode, Andor crosses over into more distressing territory when the officer returns to her home and tries to rape her.
In the graphic and distressing scene, Bix begs him not to assault her. He pins her to the wall and attempts to coerce her by telling her it’s a ‘simple choice’ to not resist his violent advances, as he threatens her over her presence on the planet.
It’s one of the most disturbing scenes in the franchise to date and the first time a character has said the word ‘rape’ on-screen in Star Wars. Bix is dragged across the floor, thrown across the room and fights for her life against his relentless advances, before she manages to kill him.
When his driver demands she surrender, Bix explains: “He tried to rape me.” By his unfazed response and refusal to drop the weapon, it becomes clear that this kind of exploitation has happened before.
In Return of the Jedi, it is implied that Princess Leia may have been raped when she was a prisoner to Jabba the Hut, enslaved in that sexualised gold bikini. Connotations of sexual violence could also be read into other dark and light power dynamics, but nothing manifests in the way it does in Andor.
It is apparent that this fictional world mirrors our own, as the same prejudices are present in both. In season 1, Dedra (Denise Gough), the ruthless ISB supervisor, is belittled and demeaned by her colleagues, as she is the only (and potentially first) woman to sit at the table.
This reiterates the misogynistic culture in the Empire, and when combined with the authority and fear Imperial soldiers instil, it’s surprising that Star Wars has never explored a woman’s perspective in this way before.
For the first time, Andor has drawn a spotlight to women’s unique experience in both the rebellion and the Empire as a whole, which is different to that of a man’s, as there is always an undertone of sexual violence from their oppressors too.
Star Wars is allegorical and George Lucas has spoken at length about taking inspiration from the Vietnam War, but Andor is the first project that hasn’t shied away from addressing the scope of such viciousness on-screen.
Bix was psychologically abused in season 1, but Harvest took this one step further by introducing grotesque sexual violence into the show, which has previously been left out of the franchise. It’s a difficult scene to stomach, but important viewing. Andor is pushing the boundaries of the adult content within Star Wars to showcase something new, but harrowingly familiar.
The series also benefits from having the scope to explore these short, but memorable individual experiences across 12 hours of screen-time, as opposed to a two-hour film.
Harvest consolidates Andor as one of the strongest entries in the canon, as it brings to the forefront formerly overlooked perspectives of living under a terrifying, sadistic regime.
For support and advice on matters raised in this article, please visit www.rapecrisis.org.uk, call the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line on 0808 500 2222 or chat to Rape Crisis online 247sexualabusesupport.org.uk.
Andor season 2 continues weekly on Disney Plus.
Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on this week. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
