Fast forwarding a year to episodes 4-6 of season 2, and the two women are finally reunited. They are both sent by Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) to help the Ghorman Front steal Imperial weapons, but after an intimate conversation, are ready to put their relationship first after this mission is over. We finally get to see them consummate their bond with a kiss, and it seems like they might be able to have a future together, even in the midst of rebellion. But during the heist, a young Ghor man accidentally fires his blaster during a scuffle, and Cinta is caught in the crossfire. She dies and Vel is left to pick up the pieces.
The nature of this season of Andor means that a lot of things feel fast-paced. The show is moving through four years in the span of 12 episodes, after all. But to finally have Cinta and Vel reunite just to have one of them die feels like a misstep in an otherwise stellar show.
When asked about killing Cinta off so soon after their reunion, series creator Tony Gilroy told TVLine “Look, this [season] is taking place over four years during a war. If people don’t go down in a variety of ways, it would really be disingenuous. I don’t think it would feel right to people.” Which is a fair and valid point. War doesn’t care who you are or who you love. War kills indiscriminately. But at the same time, even though Gilroy says that this was a “tough decision to make,” the decision misses an important bit of context about LGBTQ representation in television.
Queer characters dying on screen has become so common in media that it’s often referred to as the “bury your gays” trope. One of the most frequently-referred to examples of this is from the TV show The 100, which saw lead characters Clarke (Eliza Taylor) and Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) finally kiss after three seasons of buildup and romantic tension only for Lexa to be shot and killed in the same episode minutes later.
Fans were rightfully upset by this, and proceeded to point out how this is just one example of many in media where queer characters don’t get to have a happy ending. It further adds to the idea that queer people are seen as more expendable than heterosexual characters, and makes us feel like we don’t matter, even in fictional worlds.
It was wonderful to see Vel and Cinta finally share an intimate moment in a show as high profile as Andor, especially after the hate The Acolyte previously received for its portrayal of non-straight characters. That series was review-bombed, dubbed “The Woke-alyte,” and became the center of multiple right-wing hate campaigns. Although these loud, but vocal commentators seemed to be in the minority amidst the greater Star Wars fandom, the show was cancelled after only one season, making it feel like Lucasfilm was giving into the hate, though Disney’s stated motivation was financial.
