Star Wars’ Best TV Show Just Mirrored The Darkest Moment In Revenge Of The Sith… But Why Is It So Much Worse?

Review

Star Wars has had its dark moments from the very beginning, but Andor season 2 just took one already disturbing scene from Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith and made it so much worse. Andor season 2 has just three episodes left to go of its 12 total episodes, but even before those episodes release, it has proven itself as unique (in the best way) among Star Wars movies and TV shows. In part, this is because Andor doesn’t pull any of its punches as it depicts the real-life implications of oppression and fascism for everyday people.

This was clear in Andor season 2, episode 8, which finally saw one of Star Wars’ bloodiest events brought to the screen: the Ghorman Massacre. Although previously a Legends story—now a separate canon event called the Tarkin Massacre—the Ghorman Massacre was a turning point for the Rebellion, and it saw countless innocents cut down. Undoubtedly, this is among the most horrifying events throughout the Star Wars timeline. However, there was another unexpectedly dark moment in Andor season 2, episode 8, as well, and it somehow made one of the most brutal moments in Revenge of the Sith even darker.

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader Force Choking Padme Was One of Star Wars' Darkest Moments

Even After Order 66, This Was So Disturbing

Of all the Star Wars movies and TV shows, Revenge of the Sith is among the darkest and most unsettling overall. This is due in large part to the fact that this movie includes Order 66, the horrific event in which the Jedi—including children—are cut down by the clones they’ve grown to trust and, for some, killed by Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader himself. That certainly ranks among the movie’s most upsetting moments, although there was another Revenge of the Sith scene that was just as disturbing because of its implications.

Namely, in Revenge of the Sith, after fighting so hard to keep her alive and risking everything just to be with her, Anakin/Vader Force choked Padmé, his pregnant wife, on Mustafar. Obviously, there’s something to be said for the mass execution of the Jedi being worse than this, given the sheer loss of life and the fact that Vader kills the younglings who are looking to him for help. What makes this moment with Padmé on Mustafar so dark is twofold, though.

For one, this scene between Anakin/Vader and Padmé came rather close to real-life domestic violence, which was difficult to sit through. For another, this revealed just how deeply lost Anakin/Vader was at that point. If Vader was willing to hurt Padmé, there was clearly nothing he wouldn’t do. Yes, he’d already proven to be evil, but this was a step beyond that for Anakin specifically. Unexpectedly, Andor season 2’s most recent three-episode arc took this moment and made it so much worse—and I was shocked to discover it was even more difficult to watch than the Mustafar scene.

This scene between Anakin/Vader and Padmé came rather close to real-life domestic violence.

Syril Karn Chokes Dedra Meero…With His Bare Hands

This Violent Act Was Shocking, Despite The Context

Watching Anakin/Vader choke Padmé in Revenge of the Sith was absolutely horrifying, but because he used the Force to do so, there was still at least one degree of separation from this Star Wars moment and real life. The same cannot be said of the shocking scene in Andor season 2, episode 8, in which Syril Karn takes his former lover, Dedra Meero, by the throat and begins choking her to get information out of her. Specifically, Syril demands answers about what the Empire is really doing on Ghorman, after realizing he’s been tricked.

I was genuinely caught off guard to find that I was so much more disturbed by seeing Syril physically choking Dedra with his bare hands than I was by Vader Force choking Padmé, but that really comes down to the painful realism of that moment. Unlike with Force choking, what Syril did is something that happens all too often in real-life domestic violence situations, and there was something so much more brutal about their proximity and his hands physically gripping her throat. To be frank, I just hadn’t expected to see that in Star Wars.

Unlike with Force choking, what Syril did is something that happens all too often in real-life domestic violence situations.

Physical Choking Made This Brutally Representative Of Real-Life Domestic Violence

Like So Much Of Andor, This Felt Like A Real-World Connection

While the circumstances may be such that connecting this scene between Syril and Dedra in Andor to real-life domestic violence feels like a bit of a stretch, the truth is, several things about this moment make it feel realistic and therefore more painful. For one, Dedra temporarily stops seeming like the vicious Imperial she truly is, telling Syril he was hurting her and begging him to let go before he wrapped his hands around her throat. Again, the context matters, but Syril then threatening to throw Dedra out the window intensified this violence.

This is therefore yet another example in a long line of examples of Andor season 2 not shying away from brutal realities. In fact, the Ghorman Massacre depicted the slaughter of peaceful protesters—something that has also taken place in the real world. Likewise, Andor season 2 included the first use of the word rape in Star Wars. Of course, what complicates this in the case of Syril choking Dedra is the fact that both of these people are Imperials, and it was Dedra in particular who was about to carry out this horrific massacre.

This Scene Was Difficult To Watch, But That Doesn't Make Dedra Any Less A Villain

Both Things Can Be True At The Same Time

It can be difficult to effectively communicate nuance in the age of the internet, where opinions frequently get flattened. Let me be clear: being disturbed by what Syril did to Dedra does not by any means suggest that I am on Dedra’s side, excuse what she’s done, or even really pity her. Dedra, like the other Imperial officers, is truly evil, and even with her crying at the end of episode 8, her role in the Ghorman Massacre was abhorrent. What Syril did doesn’t reverse the nature of Dedra’s character.

That doesn’t mean seeing Syril physically choking his former romantic partner wasn’t difficult to watch, though. However evil Dedra is, it doesn’t change the fact that this scene represented something that really does happen in everyday life. Yes, Dedra is no innocent Star Wars character, but the real-life connections between this scene in Andor season 2 and real domestic violence made it even more brutal to watch than Vader choking Padmé in Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith.

New episodes of Andor season 2 release weekly on Tuesdays at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST on Disney+.

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  Andor

  TV-14 Action & Adventure Drama Thriller Sci-Fi

  8/10

  Andor is a Star Wars prequel series set before the events of Rogue One, ing Cassian Andor as he navigates a world of danger and deception. The series delves into his transformation into a pivotal figure in the struggle against the Galactic Empire.

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  Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith

  PG-13 Adventure Action Science Fiction

  7/10

  Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith details the fall of the Jedi Order and Anakin Skywalker's transformation under the influence of Darth Sidious. Released in 2005, the film explores Anakin's internal conflict and the shifting political landscape, leading to the rise of the Galactic Empire.