Andor Season 2: A Queer Representation Milestone Amidst Tragedy

The second act of Andor season two has been a significant moment for the series, reuniting insurgent lovers Vel Sartha and Cinta Kaz as part of Luthen’s efforts to gauge resistance to the Empire on Ghorman. After being separated for years, following the events of season one, their reunion in these episodes allows them to reflect on their relationship with Luthen and the growing Rebellion, as well as with each other. This culminates in a tender moment, marking one of the most explicit showcases of on-screen queer intimacy in Star Wars history, especially considering the casual queerness of their arc across season one.

However, this moment of happiness is short-lived. Tragedy soon strikes when, amidst a heist of Imperial weaponry by the Ghorman resistance, an accidental blaster discharge results in Cinta’s death. This event serves as an excellent dramatic moment, particularly in the aftermath, where Vel’s grief is palpable, and she confronts the reality of loss and blame. Nonetheless, it’s also a precarious moment for Andor, as it navigates the controversial trope of disposing of LGBTQ characters, known as "Bury Your Gays," where a queer character is introduced and then killed off for shock value without a substantial character arc.

The Challenge of Representation

Star Wars, especially in on-screen material, still has a long way to go in introducing prominent LGBTQ characters, five years after its watershed moment with Rise of Skywalker‘s fleeting sapphic kiss. While queer characters exist in Star Wars media, such as comics, books, and games, the franchise is primarily known for its film and TV content. Vel and Cinta were arguably the most prominent on-screen LGBTQ characters in the last decade, making Cinta’s death a significant and potentially painful moment for queer audiences. The decision to give one of them a tragic end, especially after allowing them a moment of happy reconciliation and romance, would always have stung, regardless of how well it was handled.

A More Nuanced Approach

On the other hand, Andor does not treat Cinta’s death as mere shock value. The moment is presented with tremendous weight, reflecting the tensions of what it truly means for people to take resistance into their own hands. Cinta’s bravery could have earned her a heroic death, but the harsh reality of conflicts like Andor‘s is that people don’t always get the death they’ve earned. It can be sudden, messy, and indelicate, serving as a harsh lesson for both the characters and the audience: revolution is rarely clean and rarely without cost.

Vel and Cinta’s relationship is one of several romances Andor explores, and their queerness is not the sole defining aspect of their story. In contrast to Rise‘s fleeting queer moment, Andor treats both Cinta and Vel as enriched, fleshed-out characters who happen to be queer, rather than capital-Q, capital-C Queer Characters whose existence only serves to check a box for diverse representation. This approach makes their queerness one aspect of their whole, without erasing it.

Conclusion

Andor‘s narrative treats Cinta and Vel like any other member of its cast, giving them the narrative right to be jeopardized, put in harm’s way, and experience random tragedy, just like any heteronormative character. While Star Wars still takes small steps towards better representing queer characters, it’s essential that the franchise doesn’t shy away from risking these characters due to their representative importance. Neither Cinta nor Vel had to be doomed by the narrative, but their potential for tragedy is a testament to Andor treating them as more than just a checked box on the list of diverse representation.

Star Wars needs more gay people in it, and the loss of any at this point will always hurt. However, part of the journey to tangible, quality representation means that queer characters need to be as messy, complicated, and nuanced as their straight counterparts. They should be treated as actual characters to whom queerness is just one quality among many, and sometimes that means being able to put them in harm’s way and experience tragedy.

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Andor season two is now streaming on Disney+.