Disney on ICE
A Rape Scene in Star Wars, Explained
In a bold move for the Star Wars franchise, Andor creator Tony Gilroy introduced the series’ first explicit depiction of sexual assault in Season 2, Episode 3, “Harvest,” released on Disney+ on April 22, 2025. The scene, involving an Imperial officer attempting to rape an undocumented refugee, draws a stark parallel to real-world abuses by immigration authorities, sparking both praise and controversy.
In the episode, Bix Caleen, played by Adria Arjona, is confronted by Imperial Lieutenant Krole, portrayed by Alex Waldmann, on the planet Mina-Rau, where she lives as an undocumented refugee after fleeing Ferrix. Krole, aware of her illegal status, menacingly states, “I know you’re illegal. We’ve been counting visas. It’s a tough spot for everyone,” before attempting to assault her.
Bix fights back, killing him with a wrench. Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, arrives shortly after, witnessing the aftermath. The scene culminates with Bix declaring, “He tried to rape me!”—a first for Star Wars, which has historically shied away from explicit sexual violence.
The scene mirrors documented abuses by immigration authorities worldwide, particularly in the U.S., where 272 allegations of sexual assault or abuse were reported against ICE staff during the four-year period beginning in 2018.
Only nine allegations were substantiated, a mere 3.3 percent, according to a research letter published in the National Library of Medicine by four researchers who analyzed inspection reports at ICE facilities. ICE stopped publishing these reports on their website in August 2023, just before the letter’s publication in January 2024.
Gilroy, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, defended the scene’s inclusion: “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. 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.” He noted that Disney, which owns Star Wars and produces Andor, offered no resistance. “No one ever said anything about it, ever,” Gilroy said, adding, “We are very aware of what we can do sexually and violence-wise. Those limits are made very clear.”
On Disney+’s global stage, Andor unmasks a brutal truth: the same immigration agents who vanish hundreds daily—smashing windows, wielding ski masks, and tearing families apart without warrants—are predators in plain sight. Lieutenant Krole, a thinly veiled stand-in for ICE’s worst, tries to rape Bix because her “illegal” status makes her prey.
In our world, 272 allegations against ICE agents, with only 3.3 percent substantiated, confirm the pattern: these are not anomalies but features of a system that thrives on terror. Watched by millions, Andor screams what we already know—those who “disappear” migrants sometimes also rape them. The wrench Bix swings is her defiance; our silence, watching this mirror of reality, is our shame.