The Galactic Empire is exceedingly good at a few things, from holding the Guinness World Record for using the most black/gray color schemes to allowing the Millennium Falcon to slip through its fingers at only the most opportune moments. Chief among those “accomplishments” is its constant innovation in the field of brutal torture. From the moment the frightening black interrogation droid and its menacing needle floated into Princess Leia’s cell in A New Hope, it has been clear that torturing prisoners is part of the Galactic Empire’s core means of doing business. From Luke to Han, Hera, Kanan, and even poor Chewbacca, the roster of Imperial torture victims is so deep the best question to ask is what prisoner has the Empire somehow not tortured?
Andor showcases one of the darkest examples of this ruthless practice in Season 1, Episode 9 (titled “Nobody’s Listening!”), as Bix Caleen, Cassian’s longtime friend and ally, is brought in for questioning on Ferrix. Following the Rebel raid on the Imperial garrison at Aldhani, the Empire tightens its galactic noose in an effort to identify and destroy Rebel networks. Lieutenant Dedra Meero, ever the dutiful fascist, leads the ISB effort to identify the Rebel agent believed responsible for planning the raid—someone they dubs as “Axis” (whom the audience knows to be Luthen Rael, portrayed masterfully by Stellan Skarsgård). Her efforts lead to the capture of Bix and her colleague Salman Paak, who are hauled in for questioning.
Dedra wastes no time in laying out her demands to Bix, seeking information on Axis, Cassian Andor, and every piece of equipment that she’s had a role in stealing or selling. However, it quickly becomes clear that this will not be any normal interview. Dedra reveals that Salman resisted his interrogation and suffered a terrible fate at the hands of the exceedingly creepy Dr. Gorst. With Gorst lurking in the background, Dedra warns Bix that failure to cough up every bit of information would result in Dr. Gorst taking over. The threat of torture couldn’t be clearer if Dedra had “REFUSE AND YOU’RE GETTING TORTURED…BIG TIME” tattooed across her forehead.
After Bix shows the slightest bit of defiance, Dr. Gorst steps in and lays out one of the most brutal methods of torture ever seen in the galaxy far far away. Using a specialized headset, Bix is subjected to enhanced recordings of children dying en masse. Gorst explains that the recordings came from the Imperial massacre at Dizon Fray, in which the Empire wiped out the moon’s native sentient species after they resisted construction of an Imperial facility. The Empire discovered that recordings of the Dizonites’ screams while dying possessed unique acoustic characteristics that caused devastating psychological impact on anyone listening. Never one to miss a sadistic opportunity, the Empire weaponized the recordings as a novel method of extracting information from prisoners. Bix is strapped to her chair and subjected to the recordings, almost immediately letting out a primal scream that makes Luke’s yell on Cloud City seem like a tiny mouse squeak.
Before Dedra unleashes Dr. Gorst, she makes clear her belief that Salman and Bix are part of a Rebel cell, describing Bix’s connections with Salman, Cassian, and Axis as a “nest of relationships.” Dedra’s mission is to bring the weight of the Empire down on the nascent Rebellion, destroying Axis and his Rebel network before more damage can be done.
The Rebellion’s struggle against the Empire implicates the real-world Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), also known as International Humanitarian Law (IHL)—the branch of international law that governs how warfare is conducted. IHL is a large web of treaty, domestic, and customary laws that aim to reign in the destructive effects of war and provide critical legal protections that help reduce suffering.
Before diving into the business of torture, it’s important to assess the type of armed conflict occurring in Andor. Real-world armed conflicts are classified as either “international” or “non-international.” The classification depends on the parties involved in the conflict. International armed conflicts (“IACs”) involve two or more nations fighting each other, such as World War II or the current Ukraine conflict. On the other hand, non-international armed conflicts (“NIACs”) involve a nation fighting an organized non-state armed group (e.g. Iraq versus ISIS), or multiple non-state armed groups fighting each other in a country. The law behind how conflicts are classified is best saved for another article, but how a conflict is classified means a great deal. For our purposes, we’ll consider the Rebellion’s fight against the Empire to be what’s known as a “non-international armed conflict.” That classification determines which provisions of IHL are applicable during the fighting.
There is a big difference in legal coverage between the two types of armed conflicts. IACs trigger the full suite of IHL, including more than 600 treaty rules. Contrastingly, NIACs trigger only a portion of IHL, including fewer than 30 treaty rules. This difference in legal coverage is especially pronounced when it comes to protections for those captured on the battlefield. For example, combatants captured during IACs are generally considered to be Prisoners of War (POWs). While “POW” is a commonly used term, it refers to a key legal status that grants a robust set of protections. There is no such thing as POW status during NIACs, which has huge implications for captured fighters.
Even though NIACs don’t trigger the full complement of IHL rules, that doesn’t mean there are no protections at all. Both Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions (CA 3) and Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions (AP II) provide the bedrock set of rules for NIACs. Those rules include provisions for the protection and humane treatment of prisoners, including addressing torture.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court defines “torture” as:
The intentional infliction of severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, upon a person in the custody of the accused.
In the case of Andor, Dr. Gorst’s method of extracting information from prisoners like Bix and Salman absolutely qualifies as torture. The Empire’s use of the recordings to inflict mental suffering is unquestionably intentional. The Empire is fully aware of the serious mental effects inflicted on those who listen to recordings of dying Dizonites. After discovering three of their own officers huddled in various states of emotional distress after listening to the scream recordings, the Empire elected to weaponize the audio for use against prisoners. They even took the additional astoundingly cruel step of isolating a section of audio featuring dying Dizonite children, which apparently has an even more devastating effect on the listener, in an effort to maximize the psychological damage.
Even though Dr. Gorst doesn’t lay a finger on Bix, his intentional infliction of severe mental torment squarely fits the definition of torture. The law recognizes that physical harm isn’t the only method of inflicting suffering upon a prisoner. Infliction of severe mental distress counts as torture the same as any punch, kick, or other physical abuse. The Empire clearly saw the Dizonite recordings as a way to inflict a tidal wave of mental anguish on prisoners in order to quickly get them to divulge information. Here, Gorst and Dedra went above and beyond in their effort to maximize Bix’s mental distress by telling her the disturbing backstory of the recordings and disclosing the awful effects they’d just had on Salman.
The extreme severity of mental suffering caused by the records is immediately apparent, as Bix is in obvious distress. Within seconds of donning the headset, she is sweating, shaking, and lets out a bone-chilling guttural scream. Dr. Gorst fully understands the effects, requiring her to be strapped down and noting that she might not even have the ability to speak while listening. When we next see Bix, she’s laying in a devastated heap on a mattress in her cell after only a short time listening. Under IHL, there is no requirement that torture last for a certain amount of time to qualify as “severe”—here, the Empire was able to inflict an extremely high degree of distress in a short period.
Although IHL differs in many aspects between IACs and NIACs, torture is treated the same across the board. Torture is flatly outlawed in all circumstances under IHL, regardless of the type of armed conflict. Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions bans torture outright, including in NIACs. Similarly, Additional Protocol II, Article 4 enshrines its ban on torture as a “fundamental guarantee” for those detained during NIACs. This flat ban reflects the uniform view of the international community that torture has no place in any type of armed conflict. Torture as a practice represents the exact type of needless suffering that IHL is in place to eliminate.
Dedra and her stiff-collared ISB colleagues might argue that Bix’s torture was necessary because of an urgent need to identify Axis and gain information about his Rebel cell. However, IHL bans torture without any exceptions. In other words, there is no legal justification for torture. Period. That includes situations where interrogators have a perceived pressing need for information—a scenario commonly played out in movies and TV against the backdrop of some looming major threat (looking at you, Jack Bauer and 24). Simply put, the law of war roundly rejects torture in all circumstances.
That means there is no excuse for the ISB’s use of torture as an interrogation tactic. Even if Bix held a treasure trove of valuable intel, including Luthen’s exact whereabouts, Mon Mothma’s ATM PIN code, and the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker’s juicy personal diary, that still wouldn’t legally justify her torture. Making things worse, Dedra and the ISB seemingly torture Bix and Salman because they want to, not because they think they must due to some existential threat to the Empire. Both Dedra and Dr. Gorst seemingly take twisted pleasure in subjecting Bix to this awful new torture technique.
Even if an exigent security threat justified torture—which is absolutely does not—there is no such urgency at the time Bix is tortured. The raid on Aldhani was long finished by the time Bix is tortured. As Bix is strapped to her chair, the Empire has no actionable intelligence on any imminent Rebel attacks—even the plot against the Imperial power station at Spellhaus isn’t discovered by the ISB until after her torture, following the unrelated capture of a Rebel pilot.
While Dedra is attempting to gain critical intel—Axis’ identity—she also seems determined to inflict severe suffering as a way of maliciously punishing Bix for daring to defy the Empire. Dedra’s arc over the first nine episodes has showcased the caustic and corrupting effects of power, which is on full display as she briefly questions Bix before turning her over to Dr. Gorst. This is exactly the type of sadistic, pointless infliction of suffering that IHL aims to prevent by outlawing torture.
Ever the ambitious evil Imperial officer, Dedra can therefore add “war criminal” to her ISB resume. While the Empire and ISB play by only the laws that suit their needs, the legal ban on torture under IHL remains an enduring protection for those captured on the battlefield.
