Warning: This Article Contains Spoilers for Andor Season 2, Episode 3, “Harvest,” and Contains References to Sexual Assault

When George Lucas brought Star Wars to life in 1977, he envisioned it to be a throwback to the serialized space adventures he watched growing up as a kid. As such, it was filled with wonder and awe, and was something that was meant to be an escape from the real world. Now, nearly fifty years later, it’s clear that the franchise has evolved into a platform that can be used to bring awareness to real social issues. Nothing represents that fact better than Andor Season 2, which included a sexual assault scene that creator Tony Gilroy says was necessary because “the history of civilization is rape.”

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly following the three-episode premiere of Andor on Disney+, Gilroy said he decided to include the first attempted rape scene in Star Wars‘ storied history because “it’s a real thing.” The scene in question comes in Episode 3, “Harvest,” and depicts an Imperial Officer (Alex Waldmann) attempting to force himself on Bix (Adria Arjona) after she fails to produce her visa, which ends with her bludgeoning him to death with a wrench before he can complete the heinous act. For Gilroy, it’s something that happens in the world which he didn’t want to shy away from:

“It’s been a real thing all through history. ‘Do you have your papers?’ And if you don’t have papers, I mean, God, man […] The history of civilization is rape. We’re all the products of rape.”

“I’ve been offered the chance to do a 1,500-page, large-scale canvas about revolution and people trapped in it,” he continued. “It’s a one-time deal and I spent a lifetime learning about that stuff as an amateur popcorn living room historian, reading all this s**t that I never thought I would have an opportunity to use in anything. And now I have a chance to use it.”

More to come…

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Andor

4.5
/5

Release Date

2022 – 2025-00-00

Network

Disney+

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