Tony Gilroy and Adria Arjona on Andor’s Darkish Season 2 Scene

The primary season of Andor took moments to point out the small methods the Empire oppresses its individuals. Season two’s premiere episodes proceed that thread, with the darkest instance to this point coming in episode three, “Harvest.” Spoilers and a content material warning for discussions of assault under.

On a farming settlement, Cassian’s outdated pal Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) remains to be recovering from her torture on Ferrix final season. The Empire’s come for a routine inspection (and to seek out undocumented employees), and an officer has taken a selected curiosity in her, asking when her “husband” is coming house and casually noting comms have been blocked. He then forces himself on her, leading to her killing him in a blow to a head and a declaration to the person’s subordinate: “He tried to rape me.”

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Tony Gilroy—the present’s creator and author of this season’s first arc—mentioned it felt “natural and proper” to include the scene, which is a part of Bix’s “troublesome path” again to herself pre-torture.

“I get one shot to inform every thing I do know or found about revolution and battles, with as many incidents I can get in there with out having the story tip over,” he defined. “I imply, let’s be sincere: within the historical past of civilization, there’s an enormous arterial part of it that’s rape. […] Armies and energy all through historical past have dedicated it.”

Star Wars has beforehand touched on sexual assault by way of Leia’s slave outfit and mentions of Qi’ra’s backstory in Solo, but it surely’s by no means proven an tried assault. Gilroy famous the “very clear” limits of intercourse and violence Andor is allowed, however in any other case, Disney had no pushback on the scene.

In a separate interview with Variety, Arjona recalled a mixture of feelings studying and filming the scene. On one hand, she admitted being “actually scared” beforehand, however she thought-about it “actually fucking highly effective” to get to do it on this franchise. “Bix is in essentially the most susceptible state she will potential be in, and somebody tries to reap the benefits of her,” she mentioned. “We’ve heard that story many instances. The truth that Tony gave it to Bix was a giant honor—and it was proper.”

There was “a lot energy” felt in declaring the assault an tried rape, added Arjona, and suggested for “any girl, for anybody, when you could have a stranger, a male stranger, in your individual house, every thing turns into survival.”

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