Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Andor season 2 episodes 1–3.Andorseason 2 has finally been released on Disney+, and this Bix scene from season 2, episode 3, is the darkest thing I’ve ever seen inStar Wars.Andorseason 2’s place in theStar Warstimelineputs episode 3 approximately one year afterAndorseason 1’s ending. This is a pivotal point intheStar Warstimeline, as tensions are reaching an all-time high between the Empire and the rebels.
It was therefore expected thatAndorseason 2 would go to some very dark places, not unlike its “sequel,“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. I had expected that darkness to be in keeping with much of what has been shown inStar Warsmovies and TV shows before, though: violence, death, betrayal, and so on.Yet, one scene inAndorseason 2, episode 3, went so much darker than I expected to ever see inStar Wars.
Andor’s Bix Scene Makes Star Wars History In The Darkest Possible Way
This Is Star Wars' Very First Use Of The Word “Rape” On Screen
InAndorseason 2, episode 3,Bix becomes the very firstStar Warscharacter to utter the word"rape” on screen, and it’s because she’s just survived a rape attempt by an Imperial officer. In the scene, Bix is cornered by the officer, who has already come onto her before. In this final interaction, though, things escalate, with the officer backing Bix against the wall as she begs him to stop. Thankfully, Bix then shoves the officer away and fights back, ultimately killing him in their physical fight with one another.
This scene truly makesStar Warshistory in the darkest way—but it’s such an important scene. There are many other moments throughoutStar Warsin which rape or sexual assault are implied, sometimes heavily so, but there has never been one that has directly depicted a rape attempt in this way, nor has the word rape ever been used on screen in the franchise.It is particularly meaningful that this happens in the context ofAndor, a show that is meant to capture the brutal realities of the war against fascism.
This scene truly makesStar Warshistory in the darkest way—but it’s such an important scene.
Andor Actually Seems To Be Mirroring A Shocking Legends Scene
The Legends Story Of Tregor And Bex Is Jarringly Similar
Although this is a first-of-its-kind scene inStar Warsmovies and shows,this story actually bears a striking resemblance to a scene in Legends. In theStar Wars: Rebellionseries of comics, written by Brandon Badeaux and Rob Williams, an Imperial officer named Tregor tried to sexually assault Rasha Bex, a former Imperial agent who had become a rebel sympathizer. Similar to Bix inAndor, Bex was able to fight Tregor off; although she didn’t kill him directly like Bix did, Tregor did die in the end.
The names alone suggest the similarities between these two stories are no accident or coincidence, given Bix and Bex are nearly identical. Likewise, the plot points in this arc of theRebellioncomics and inAndorseason 2, episode 3, follow very similar beats. Presumably, this Legends story had a direct influence on this surprising arc inAndorseason 2. The decision to include this scene inAndoris nevertheless a shocking one, though, as depicting a moment like this on screen is a different matter entirely.
Andor Reveals The Everyday Evils Of Fascism
Andor Doesn’t Shy Away From The Brutal Truths—Far From It
Andorseason 2 is the perfectStar Warsproject to depict such a heavy scene,givenAndoris meant to reflect the real-life horrors of fascism and the brutality everyday people experience in regimes of this kind. This is just one example of many that provesAndordidn’t pull any of its punches, especially in season 2, which leads directly intoRogue One. While thoseStar Warsmovies of course also represented the painful truths surrounding rebellion and war,Andoris distinct among them.
Andoris meant to reflect the real-life horrors of fascism and the brutality everyday people experience in regimes of this kind
This is clear especially in the handling of sexual assault/rape. In movies likeReturn of the JediandStar Wars: The Force Awakens, for example, there are undertones that hint at rape, but neither movie outright says the word or makes that an overt threat. InReturn of the Jedi,rape is implied in Leia’s enslavement to Jabba, during which she’s forced to wear a hypersexualized outfit and stay chained to Jabba. In fact, there are suggestions of sexual assault when it comes to all of Jabba’s dancers.
InThe Force Awakens, the threat of sexual assault is arguably even subtler. In the interrogation scene, Kylo Ren has Rey physically restrained and tells her,“You know I can take whatever I want.“Technically, he is referring to using the Force mind probe on Rey to find out what she did with the map to Luke Skywalker. However, the context combined with what he says makes it clear what the underlying threat is. These scenes are important in their own right, butAndorsheds light upon sexual assault in a time of war in an entirely different way.
It May Be Shocking, But Andor’s Bix Scene Is So True To Lucas' Vision
George Lucas Based Star Wars On The Vietnam War, And This Scene Captures That History
There will undoubtedly be backlash to this scene, part of which will likely argue that bringing rape intoStar Warssomehow changes, damages, or even ‘ruins’ the franchise. Yet, the reality is,this scene with Bix and the Imperial officer is exactly what George Lucas intended to show withStar Wars. Lucas has long been clear that the Vietnam War was a direct influence on the originalStar Warstrilogy, with the Empire positioned as America and the rebels meant to represent the Viet Cong.
It’s a brutal reality—just as it is meant to be inAndor—but Vietnamese women (and children) were raped during the Vietnam War. If that fact is difficult or uncomfortable to accept or sit with, that is very much the intention behind this scene inAndor. It is meant to highlight what can too easily be overlooked or pushed aside in discussions of real-life wars, such as the Vietnam War. Horrifyingly, rape has been a part of war and at times even a tool of war for centuries.
Related to this is the fact that, when fascist regimes rise, it is often women and other marginalized groups who pay the price first and, arguably, the most in the long-run. This is yet another realityAndortackles beautifully; the show is clear in depicting how such oppression impacts women in particular. I was absolutely shocked to see this Bix scene inAndorseason 2, but, in an odd way, I was also glad to see it because it is a painful truth that should be shown.
New episodes of Andor season 2 release weekly on Tuesdays at 9 PM EST, 6 PM PST on Disney+.
Andorseason 2, episodes 1-3
Andorseason 2, episodes 4-6
Andorseason 2, episodes 7-9
Andorseason 2, episodes 10-12
