nic

For an Imperial, Dedra is surprisingly popular in STAR WARS fandom. It's because she (and other Imps) were written as people first, with their own compelling motivations and plot lines. "Andor" truly showed how everyday people can be accessories to fascists even when they don't think they are. They think they're doing the right thing and by the time they realise they are oppressing others (do they ever realise?) they're so far in that this seems normal.

Where Dedra stood out is that she is the only woman we've seen with this rank, or level of power. High-ranking women in the Empire are few and far between.



I think that's what resonates with me about Dedra. She had to work damn hard against the "old white boys club". And they STILL see her as lesser. She's removed from her pet project without warning to a position that looked like a demotion. (Oh how I relate to that!) She had to fight and prove herself a hundred times over whereas positions were just handed to the white men behind her.

And then at the end, when she took initiative and went wrong - Krennic treated her like a little girl. And oh, that rankled me. (Krennic's actor is Australian. I had flashbacks of when I first started working, dealing with a few men like this. The accent, the way they treat us, as lesser, like we can't possibly know what we are doing.) The fingertip on the head really set me off, and that was so effective at demoralising Dedra, an attempt to put her in her place.

I know that the Empire punishes all failures, so she wasn't punished because of her gender, but the HOW of it felt steeped in gender issues.

Her final fate makes me think she just wasn't important enough to face the Emperor? Just lock her up and know she's never getting out? I was very disappointed that our final scene was of Dedra crying because that didn't feel true to the character to me. Alternate takes were done - where she was screaming, or just sitting there staring. Both of those would have worked better.

Dedra and Syril. When people were shipping them after season 1, I was a bit horrified. After all, he STALKED her. There was no way this was going to be a healthy relationship.

But oddly enough, their fucked-up-together-ness in Season 2 actually worked. And there was truth to it - people will always, always find each other. Humans long for connection and find it in the unlikeliest places. You can tell someone endlessly that a relationship is a bad idea, but they will do it anyway (until it breaks).

So - they were kind of endearing. It made me like Syril more - which is a whole other topic. (He is a character who was a cog in a machine, a human who ended up on the wrong side, but started to realise it eventually. Not fast enough, though, because it resulted in his unmarked demise.) Then again, he was a stalker and apparently capable of abuse - cycles of violence through generations - which is a tragedy within itself.

I was (pleasantly?) surprised that Dedra survived this show. In 3-4 years' time, in-universe, we know that the Rebellion will likely free political prisoners. She might get a fair trial or a reduced sentence. She might get a chance at redemption. Is she redeemable? I like to believe everyone is!

I really hope she shows up in future SW TV.