In the second season of ‘Andor,’ undocumented agricultural workers are given visibility

We need to talk about that scene.

But before we do, consider this your obligatory warning: This newsletter contains spoilers for “Andor” Season 2 Episode 3. The article also discusses the portrayal of sexual assault on screen.

At the end of the first season of “Andor,” the titular Cassian Andor (played by Mexican actor Diego Luna) completes his transformation from a disaffected small-time criminal to a radicalized insurgent ready to topple the evil Galactic Empire. The second and final season of the “Star Wars” spinoff series, which premiered on Disney+ on Tuesday with a three-episode drop, opens up a year later in the show’s chronology. Cassian is now a secret spy for the budding Rebel Alliance. Meanwhile, his friends Bix (Adria Arjona), Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) and Wilmon (Muhannad Bhaier) are political refugees hiding out in Mina-Rau, an agricultural planet. They’re lying low as undocumented workers helping out with the harvest until an Imperial ship shows up.

It doesn’t take long before we’re introduced to Lieutenant Krole (Alex Waldmann), a menacing Imperial officer who begins to creep on Bix. By the latter half of the third episode, he reveals his intentions.

“I know you’re illegal. We’ve been counting visas,” he tells her after cornering her in her own home. “It’s a tough spot for everyone. The Councils need the help or there is no harvest. The help is undocumented. The rules are clear but the situation requires nuance, and it all ends up on me.”

Krole then attempts to rape Bix and a struggle ensues. She manages to fight him off and ends up killing him.

The disturbing scene, played brilliantly by Arjona, spurred online discourse and has angered a subset of “Star Wars” fans. Some believe that portrayals of sexual assault have no place in a fictional franchise that has depicted the murder of children, slavery and genocide (RIP to the Latino planet of Alderaan) in the past, albeit in a rather anodyne manner. Others have complained that making a character be a vulnerable undocumented agricultural worker was just woke posturing. Keep the politics out of this beloved I.P., they say.

But as my colleague Tracy Brown argued in her November 2022 review of the show’s first season, “Star Wars” has always been political. That it has a message is arguably one of the reasons why “Andor” is so beloved in the first place.

Great television can entertain and serve as a critique of modern society. Some of the best shows in the medium’s history have been both: ”Mash,” “The Wire,” “Watchmen,” and “Black Mirror” all come to mind. “Andor” certainly fits the bill. It’s a compelling watch that also happens to unambiguously be a metaphor for this country’s slide into authoritarianism. Sexual coercion by immigration officials doesn’t just happen in a galaxy far, far away. It is also very much a reality in our world.

Though difficult and uncomfortable to watch, the scene never feels gratuitous. Bix isn’t a faceless invader. We know her backstory and why she and her friends fled their home planet. We are supposed to root and care for them. We hardly ever see a nuanced portrayal of individuals who lack documentation in high-profile prestige television. What a radical act to make someone from a marginalized community seem like real people in an era in which the powers that are intent of stripping them of their humanity.

Related coverage from The Times

• ‘Star Wars’ has always been a family saga. For ‘Andor,’ Tony Gilroy tapped his brothers
• Did ‘Star Wars’ teach us the wrong ideas about rebellion?

Remembering Pope Francis

A parishioner at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles kneels before a portrait of Pope Francis during a noon Mass on April 21. Catholics across the Southland and around the world were mourning the death of Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff and leader of the Catholic Church.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Pope Francis died Monday morning of a cerebral stroke that led to heart failure, according to the Vatican. He was 88.

Born in Argentina, Francis became the first pontiff from Latin America. His 13-year papacy was characterized by his compassion and advocacy for marginalized groups, including immigrants and the poor. He was a believer in climate change and urged action, and made inroads with the LGBTQ+ community — with a few missteps.

In his latest, De Los contributing columnist J.P. Brammer, a self-proclaimed “gay, lapsed Catholic,” writes that while his feelings on Catholicism are complicated, his admiration for Pope Francis is not. Brammer’s beautiful tribute is very much worthy of your time. I was particularly struck by this section:

It increasingly seems like our world is dominated by two types of leaders: those guided by gleeful, vindictive spite, and those guided by wherever the wind happens to be blowing that day. It’s a match made in hell, and hell is exactly what awaits us if we continue to permit abuses against people who we’re told are acceptable targets. It’s no surprise that those profiting off of such scaremongering have dismissed Francis as “the woke pope.” There’s a vested interest in euphemizing and dismissing kindness itself. What we need, I believe, are people willing to defend kindness without any caveats, people willing to stand up for the weak even if the weak can give nothing in return, because it’s the right thing to do. In this way, I hope the life of Pope Francis serves as an inspiration.

Related coverage from The Times

• ‘He embraced all people’: Californians mourn a pope who shared their values, brought excitement to church
• ‘He made Catholicism cool again.’ SoCal’s Catholic leaders reflect on Pope Francis’ impact
• Gustavo Arellano: Archbishop Gomez, you still have time. Follow Pope Francis’ example
• Sammy Roth: Pope Francis was a climate hero. Trump’s reign gives his words extra meaning

See you at L.A. Times Festival of Books!

If you live in Southern California and are looking for something to do this weekend, come join us at the L.A. Times Festival of Books at the USC campus. The festival, celebrating its 30th anniversary, is the largest literary event in the United States. More importantly, general admission is free!

Swing through the De Los Stage in Association with L.A. Times en Español, which will feature panels that center on Latino stories and storytellers. Come meet the team at the De Los booth, where we’ll be giving away free posters to those who are signed up to this newsletter. We’ve also made a batch of tote bags, which we’ll be raffling off to L.A. Times subscribers. To learn more about our programming and the giveaway, click here.

Stories we read this week that we think you should read

From the L.A. Times

Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio poses for a portrait inside his studio.

(William Liang / For De Los)

Artist Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio, affected by the Eaton fire, traces memories and time

The Salvadoran American artist often engages with the concept of ever-shifting time and materiality as a tool for preserving and archiving realities. The torched properties in Altadena were a reminder of how the fire that devastated his community is connecting to his work.

Josefina López brings Boyle Heights to Broadway in ‘Real Women Have Curves: The Musical’

Playwright Josefina López spoke to De Los about the musical’s roots and why its debut this Sunday couldn’t have come at a better time.

“This story is coming out exactly at this time when we need a story to change the narrative about immigrants being criminals,” said López.

At Puppy Fades dog salon, the formerly incarcerated get a second chance

The Pasadena pet grooming salon is the latest social enterprise of East L.A. organization Homeboy Industries.

Mexico’s president wants to ban U.S. ads warning against migration

Mexico’s president said her government asked TV stations to pull a Trump administration advertisement warning against undocumented migration to the U.S.

‘It is time for you to leave’: DHS mistakenly sends notices to U.S. citizens

The Department of Homeland Security sent an email to Los Angeles immigration attorney Harriet Steele, who was born in the U.S., an email demanding that she leave the country. Steele is not the first U.S. citizen to receive that notice.

From elsewhere

The immigrant families jailed in Texas [New Yorker]

My former colleague Jack Herrera reports that under the Trump administration, ICE is jailing families who have lived in the U.S. for years and is sending them to Texas. This story is behind a paywall.

Her husband was mistakenly deported. Now she’s caught in a political frenzy. [Washington Post]

Jennifer Vasquez Sura, the wife of Kilmar Abrego García, revealed that she has been moved to a safe house after DHS publicized her family’s home address in a post on X that included unredacted court documents. Abrego García was among the immigrants sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador by the Trump administration.

Historic Chicano Mural Whitewashed in Culver City [Hyperallergic]

“Moonscapes III,” a public art work by collective East Los Streetcapers completed in 1979, used to adorn the exterior of the Culver City Department of Motor Vehicles. Earlier this year, the California DMV decided to paint over the mural, claiming that the wood it was painted on had deteriorated. The agency is now in talks with Paul Botello, one of the artists, to restore it.