'Andor' Creator Tony Gilroy Defends Sexual Assault Scene: "We Are All The Product Of Rape"
Andor creator Tony Gilroy defended a sexual assault scene in the beginning of the show’s second season, which began streaming on Disney+ on April 22nd, claiming that everyone alive today is a “product of rape.”
The scene in question, which takes place in the latter half of the the second season’s third episode, shows an Imperial officer, Lieutenant Krole, attempting to abuse his position of power during an inspection of grain production.
While the officer and his soldiers are inspecting the grain siloes he makes advances on Bix Caleen, a mechanic repairing the agricultural equipment after having fled the planet Ferrix. She and her two compatriots are illegal workers brought in to help maintain production levels for the Empire. During this first encounter with her, the Imperial officer is interrupted by Caleen’s partner Brasso.
However, when he returns a second time, he has discovered that Caleen and her compatriots are illegal. He attempts to use this as leverage against her and begins attempting to seduce her. However, she rejects him and a struggle ensues with Krole attempting to force himself on her. Caleen eventually kills him striking him in the face with one of her tools.
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Gilroy defended the inclusion of the scene telling The Hollywood Reporter, “I get one shot to tell everything I know — or can discover, or that I’ve learned — about revolution, about battles, with as many incidents and as many colors as I can get in there, without having [the story] tip over.”
“I mean, let’s be honest, man: The history of civilization, there’s a huge arterial component of it that’s rape. All of us who are here — we are all the product of rape,” he elaborated. “I mean armies and power throughout history [have committed rape]. So to not touch on it, in some way … It just was organic and it felt right, coming about as a power trip for this guy. I was really trying to make a path for Bix that would ultimately lead to clarity — but a difficult path to get back to clarity.”
When asked if he received any pushback from Lucasfilm or The Walt Disney Company about the inclusion of the scene, Gilroy shared, “No one ever ever said anything about it, ever.”
“But I mean, we have limits on what we can do. We are very aware of what we can do sexually and violence wise,” he said. “Those limits are made very clear.”
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The portrayal of sexual assault is not uncommon to Star Wars. George Lucas depicted it in Return of the Jedi when Jabba the Hutt attacked his Twi’lek slave Oola. After Oola began to resist him he activated his trap door and watched gleefully as the Rancor feasted on her.
Jabba would replace Oola with Princess Leia after she was captured attempting to free Han Solo. Leia would eventually kill him by strangulation with the chains that enslaved her when Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian enacted their plan to free Solo before he was to be fed to the Sarlacc Pit.
As far as Gilroy’s idea that he needed to include the scene because armies and power throughout history committed rape, it’s ridiculous on its face especially since the scene he chose to have it depicted in is not one of a conquering army pillaging and raping a city as he implies. Rather, he depicts Imperial officers conducting an audit on an agricultural planet.
Of note, at least one observer has compared the scene to the real world writing, “Andor dared to to the darkest places Star Wars could offer. An Imperial Officer abusing his untouchable status to rape an undocumented migrant, while his troops are rounding up other undocumented citizens. This is the real world seeping into Star Wars storytelling; this is the world WE live in, reflected in the galaxy far, far away, this is Star Wars at its most political, its most potent, its most frightening.”
“I must commend the writing team's bravery to not shy away from such topics. To depict fascist regimes as they are, speak the word 'rape' directly into the camera, show just how despicable fascists really are,” the user added.
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Ironically, the scene shows the dangers of illegal immigration and how it puts women in extreme danger from individuals who want to exploit the system. In the real world this is typically done by the cartels and coyotes.
Furthermore, the idea that this behavior would be tolerated in the Galactic Empire runs contrary to its desire to bring the rule of law back to the galaxy.
What do you make of Gilroy’s defense of the scene?
This weirdo should speak for himself. That's the absurd feminist "rape culture" lies repeated in this awful woke show.
Illegals are a rage for Democrats and cause this. It is written in their hearts to then create false narratives, bear false witness to project such on Christians who are fighting against illegal immigration, slavery and sexploitation.