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Andor's Adria Arjona doesn't agree with fans that Bix Caleen is a victim in the acclaimed Star Wars series

Speaking at The Paley Center for Media in LA, Arjona got into her character's arc in Andor season 2, and why she'd like to change some perceptions regarding it

In a show full of breakout characters, one of the most popular of Disney+'s Andor is Bix Caleen, the Rebel fighter and Cassain Andor's love interest played by Adria Arjona. A blue-collar mechanic, Bix is one of the most relatable figures in a galaxy full of space wizards and cyborgs, but that doesn't mean that fans get absolutely everything right about her when they watch her arc in the series. At least, that's what Arjona herself would like you to know.

For context, Arjona was part of the PaleyLive: An Evening With Andor panel at The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles on May 30. During that discussion, the panel's moderator, comedian Patton Oswalt, asked a question about Bix Caleen's character in the second and final season of the Rogue One prequel.

"I love the way that Tony [Gilroy, showrunner] wrote this season for Bix," Arjona said, "Because he really showcases that trauma isn't solved in one episode. [...] She's resilient, you know she's going through so much."

But there is one one thing about this season that Arjona doesn't like, though it has nothing to do with what Gilroy and his team wrote. No, it's about how her character has been perceived by even well-meaning fans.

"I've heard sort of the word victim here and there," Arjona continues, "and I'd actually really like to negate that. [Bix is] so strong; she's going through something so, so tough, and yet she stands up every day and she tries. She's trying so much that she can't sleep." 

Now just to clarify, Arjona isn't implying at all that Bix hasn't been victimized. In episode 3, for example, the character faced a brutal attempt at sexual assault, a moment that shocked longtime fans of the traditionally younger-audience leaning franchise. But unfortunately, there's a connotation in the word victim of someone who doesn't respond with their own actions, and Arjona knows more than anyone that Bix is far from that.

Even if her own actions require some heartbreak.

"All she wants to do is be part of The Rebellion," Arjona concludes. "That scene with Luthen [in episode 4] breaks my heart every time when he walks in and she's like 'This could be my moment.' [....] And 'I lost that shot, that opportunity.'" 

Andor: A Star Wars Story is streaming now on Disney+


Get to know, understand, and love the Star Wars franchise more with our Star Wars watch order, guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies & TV shows, and all the Star Wars movies and Star Wars TV shows ranked.

Grant DeArmitt

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. As Popverse's Staff Writer, he criss-crosses the pop culture landscape bringing you the news and opinions about the big things (and the next big things). In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.

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