Archive of Our Own

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From the well-read classics to modernity, from Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy of Pride and Prejudice  to Jude and Cardan from The Cruel Prince , the enemies-to-lovers trope has been a tried and true staple of literary fiction throughout the ages.

In the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Rose Tico and Armitage Hux may seem to stand as stark contrasts to one another, but their shared character traits, similar interests, and contrasting personalities firmly cement them in the pantheon of enemies-to-lovers ships. On the surface, they are natural adversaries, but while the Star Wars franchise endeavors to paint a stark contrast between who is viewed as a hero and who is viewed as a villain, the sheer volume of new, canon material on these two characters has led them to embody rich, multifaceted backstories and deep-seeded traits that betray this tired dichotomy of “good” vs “bad”. This richness; their convictions, ideals, proficiencies, and past experiences, creates fertile soil in which could bloom a rather unlikely, but fiery roma nce.  

While once considered a “crack ship,” their popularity has grown considerably since The Rise of Skywalker , where Rose’s notable absence and Hux’s turn towards espionage set the perfect conditions to elevate these two neglected, yet richly back-storied characters into becoming more widely accepted as a potential couple. Before we delve into the more nuanced aspects of why their characters would work so well in a romantic setting, we must first broach the subject of their interaction (or lack thereof) in the Sequel Trilogy.

While ultimately cut from the film, the ‘bite’ scene from Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi is undoubtedly ground zero for this ship’s origin. Despite its status as a deleted scene in film, this interaction should still be viewed as canon material, as it remains present in multiple novelizations as well as in Rose’s personal journal. Here, Rose and Finn are slated for execution while Hux lords over them. In this scene, we see a side of Hux that is both new and curious. When Rose drops her medallion, rather than take it for himself as a trophy of his victory over their failed infiltration, Hux willingly gives Rose back her pendant, a  seemingly incongruous decision given how much power he has over her in this moment and his character development thus far in the trilogy. He is undoubtedly doing this to gloat, both raking Rose and Hays Minor through the proverbial mud, but he could have done so without allowing Rose to keep this physical memory of her sister. She is about to be executed, so why give her back the necklace? We are never privy to Hux’s internal motivations here, so his ultimate reasoning remains a mystery. Perhaps it involves some kind of twisted respect at the sheer audacity it takes to steal aboard a First Order flagship .

One must wonder, with the high probability of Hux being briefed on Rose and Finn’s ultimate plan of disabling the hyperspace tracker, if Hux is not, in that moment, aware of Rose’s technological aptitude. He would know that it was not DJ who formulated the infiltration plan, and he would be aware of Finn’s former station as a sanitation worker. This deduction leaves Rose as the brains of the operation.

In the text, he does admit to “the idea of sending both of them to the detention level for extensive interrogation” ^[1] , but after Rose attacks him, he demands, “Execute them both!” ^[2] . Why the distinction here of ‘both’? Both, as opposed to only one of them, prior to Rose igniting his anger? Did Hux always intend to have Rose executed? Could he have been contemplating recruiting her? Hux does “[savor] the fury in her eyes,” ^[3]  and perhaps in that moment he sees an element of his own internal rage reflected back at him.

In this moment, specifically when he notches Rose’s chin, it is the first and only time in the entire cinematic trilogy Armitage Hux ever physically touches, willingly or not, another character. Despite his canon backstory of intense physical violence inflicted upon him by his father, he makes it a point to touch Rose. It is a moment of undeniable connection, with many sexual cues and undertones: their bodies’ positions, one character knelt before the other, the power struggle between them coupled with the soft-spoken praise and chastisement Hux bestows upon his captive, the ‘reward’ of returning Rose’s pendant, his lingering, almost intimate touch upon Rose’s face with his leather glove, and the physical act of Rose biting his hand. The most noticeable use of subtext in this scene would have to be the aforementioned detail of body language; specifically, Rose in a prostrate position, bound on the floor, with Hux lording over her.

In many forms of media, the act of kneeling is accompanied by heavy connotations. For instance, a man kneeling before a woman denotes a certain air of supplication, either in the form of begging for forgiveness or in the form of an appeal to the woman’s heart, such as  a proposal. The reverse of this, where a woman is kneeling before a man, denotes a male-dominated position of authority and sexual power. This is not suggesting that the bite scene itself implies any real, physical acts, but rather a visual representation of an archetypal power position that could lay the groundwork upon which a specific type of intimacy could eventually be built. The concepts of this dynamic can certainly be applied in a sexual way, but it can also be used in the set up for a metaphorical reversal. Should Hux come to fall under the Resistance’s purview, and Rose’s supervision, he would be stripped of power and rank; it would then be Hux who suddenly finds himself in the subservient position.  Such flips in power structure are commonly used in many enemies-to-lovers story arcs, and would fit well with the arcs of these two characters.

As for Rose, her contempt in this scene is quite plain, but she does not blindly bite Hux in a fit of anger. Her decision is quite calculated. As referenced in Star Wars The Last Jedi: Rose Tico Resistance Fighter  by Jason Fry, Rose remarks, “I bit his finger- hard. Not because I thought it could save us, but because I wanted to leave a mark on him- a scar that would make him remember Otomok, and me” ^[4] . She writes this in her personal journal, meaning that she has thought and reflected on this moment privately. The above quotation is also accompanied by a rough sketch of General Hux, seemingly by Rose’s own hand.

In her motivation for being memorable, Rose is successful; a future scene describes Hux  as not acting rashly “for once” ^[5]  after returning to the bridge, having received Rose’s bite and “looking agitated” ^[6] . One must wonder if Hux, like Rose, reflects on this interaction in the future, especially as he bears a physical reminder of her by way of a scar.

Thus, the ‘enemies’ aspect of the enemies-to-lovers trope has been established. Not only are these two characters on opposite sides of a deadly war, but they have made personal slights against each other with lasting impressions.

This brings us to their (headcanon) interaction in The Rise of Skywalker .

While Rose was ultimately, and sadly, sidelined in the final movie, many have deigned to speculate and fantasize about her off-screen exploits. Namely, that she was tasked with her own, secret mission; that of General Leia appointing her to spearhead the Resistance’s more clandestine operations. This is not out of character for Rose, as in the Cobalt Squadron novel, both Rose and her sister Paige are sent by Leia on a spy mission. Rose would, at the time of The Rise of Skywalker , have real field experience in the realm of espionage.

In addition, it is never explained how Hux first contacted the Resistance to pass along vital First Order information. Is it possible that he and Rose were conversing via secret communique before the physical hand-off that was portrayed in the film? This theory opens numerous avenues for these two characters to interact. Either knowingly, where Rose is aware of Hux’s identity but is under orders to keep such information secret, or unknowingly, where she is building a personal and professional connection with Hux unaware of his true identity. The former would pave the way for conflict and sparks as both Hux and Rose fight for dominance while being forced to work together. The latter would allow for a more personal rapport unclouded by prior prejudices, only to have true identities muddy the waters once they are known.

It must be noted here that during this time, between the end of The Last Jedi  and the events in The Rise of Skywalker, when Hux becomes an informant, Rose has “developed modifications in hyperdrive systems that [made] it harder for First Order systems to track ships ^[7] ”. These modifications were a direct rebuff against the hyperspace tracker, brainchild of none other than Hux himself ^[8] . Rose would have needed a comprehensive knowledge of this system in order to counteract it. It is very possible that during their spy games, some of this information was passed off from spy to handler .

This  theorizing is  not to downplay Hux’s deeply personal motivations in his move to turn spy. He was not aiding the Resistance because he believed in their cause. While the movie ‘explains’ that Hux wants Kylo Ren to lose, it fails to delve as deep into Hux’s motivations as the novels. These motivations are another way in which Rose and Hux share a deep connection by way of their personal convictions.

Despite how the audience is conditioned to believe that the First Order is evil, it is more than that to Armitage Hux. He is devoted, however misguidedly, to the organization he helped build. This is made very clear in Alan Dean Foster’s novelization of The Last Jedi,  in which Hux defends the Order to Kylo Ren when he states, “My duty is to fight for the First Order with every iota of information, every scrap of material, and every functioning trooper at my command. That was the oath I took. That is the oath I have sworn to uphold” ^[9] . Thus, when the Order is, in his view, under attack from Kylo Ren and General Pryde, Hux resolves that “his greatest act of loyalty to the First Order would be to betray it” ^[10] . In this way, recognizing Hux’s devotion to the Order and his willingness to literally turn spy in order to salvage what is left of his army, one can argue that he is trying to save what he loves, a major tenant of Rose’s character.  

His devotion to the Order also mirrors Rose’s own convictions as she fights for the Resistance. Rose, like Hux, places her cause “ahead of all things, including herself” ^[11]  and is stated to have been "willing to disobey orders to do what she [thought was] right,” ^[12]  similar to Hux’s underlying justification for his own treasonous acts.

This parallel in character traits brings us to what hurdles, moments of bonding, and healing could be explored should these two characters form a romantic attachment, and how the core elements of this ship tracks well with the overarching themes of Star Wars itself.  

Let us address  Hux’s ambiguous death scene, one in which it  is entirely plausible that Hux is  crafty enough to wear protective armor under his uniform. For the rest of this discussion, we will assume that the First Order has fallen, and that Armitage Hux finds himself at the mercy of the Resistance. This allows for healing and growth on Hux’s part, which is essential for this ship’s longevity, as well as an avenue to highlight   Rose’s much deserved dues as an ideal-driven, passionate character with remarkable abilities. Since Hux is of a similarly technical mind, it would be no hard thing to imagine him dazzled by her spunk and acumen during his time around base. This would be immensely validating for Rose, as Hux is uniquely positioned to appreciate her for her abilities  rather than as  a sidekick character to the predominantly male main cast.

In areas of conflict, it would be no surprise that Hux and Rose would clash on the level of their ideals and loyalties ,   n otwithstanding the undoubtable animosity  between them concerning Hux’s possible hand in the sullying of Rose’s home world and the First Order’s participation in Rose’s  sister’s death.  However  w ithout large, emotionally fraught obstacles to overcome, their relationship would not contain the distinctive spice which enemies-to-loves usually excels in , such as heightened, fraught sexual tension and the way in which previously held assumptions and barriers crumble before the awe-inspiring power of love.

In viewing them through the lens of this trope, as much as there is conflict, there must also be moments of bonding and understanding. When it comes to Hux and Rose, these areas of bonding would undoubtedly center around tech and mechanics.

Rose Tico is commonly described as “an excellent and highly imaginative mechanic” ^[13]  “with a methodical, technical mind,” ^[14]  “resourceful, inventive, and prone to outside-the-box thinking” ^[15] . In addition to designing other crucial technical components ,   she was also pivotal in the plan to disable the First Order’s hyperspace tracking device, Armitage Hux ’s own invention ^[16] , which she was eventually able to permanently circumvent. This clearly establishes a rivalry between their inventions, another way in which they are connected.

Hux himself is described as a “miscast tinkerer,” ^[17]  and besides the hyperspace tracker, he is credited with designing much of the First Order’s new battle-ready technology, and of course, he took command of the designing, implementation, and operation of Starkiller Base. “The future, Hux believed, would be ruled through industry and innovation,” ^[18]  “and as such he regarded himself as a man of science and technology” ^[19] .

This shared interest and aptitude for tech would create an environment for these two characters to understand each other and begin to bond. Although contentious, it would open doors to a deeper, perhaps romantic relationship, especially if Hux was  surprised and impressed by Rose’s intellect and abilities. For Rose’s part, she “has a grudging respect for First Order science,” ^[20]  and would very easily be able to keep pace with Hux in a technical capacity.

Of course, for the  enemies-to-lovers trope to flourish with these two characters , there would need to be significant healing on Hux’s part and significant grace on Rose’s. To understand how both healing and grace can occur, one must delve further into both characters’ rich, and sometimes painful, backstories.

It is in the Age of Resistance - General Hux comic that we first learn that Armitage was abused by his father Brendol Hux, as well as his father’s comrades. This is encapsulated in The Rise of Skywalker Junior Novel  excerpt below:

“... as proud as Brendol Hux was of his own Imperial service, he had no such pride in his son. He’d say that Armitage would never make anything of himself. He was stupid. He was weak. He didn’t have a spine. And then Armitage would endure a slap that turned into a smack that often became a pummeling.” ^[21]

With encouragement from other adults in his father’s orbit, along with the physical abuse he has suffered, young Armitage is conditioned to believe that only pain and dominance will keep him alive.

Couple this with the brainwashing he has received, “his father’s stories of the glorious Empire that had brought order to the galaxy after the chaos of the Clone  Wars,” ^[22] what we witness in the cinematic trilogy are the acts of a supremely damaged b oy, now man, who had little in the way of love and care as a child.

Although  “friendless as a boy, and never knowing his mother,” ^[23]   i n many ways, women  play a vital  role in shaping Hux’s identity . His mother, a kitchen woman with whom  his father had an  ‘ affair’, was absent from his life, left behind by Brendol on Arkanis during a Republic raid and is presumed dead, leaving Hux to be molded and formed by Brendol’s hate. Despite this, Hux’s  only positive relationships have been with  women. Grand Admiral Sloane, for example, protected him as a boy from his father’s wrath and became a mentor to him at a young age. Phasma too became a close friend; a close enough confidant for Hux to share his desire and crime of murdering his father. Rose could be yet another positive female force in his life, and with her unyielding compassion, could inspire and guide Hux as he heals the far-reaching wounds Brendol initially inflicted upon him so many years ago.  

Imagining this level of mercy from Rose tracks well with her characterization, as she is described as “very empathetic” in nature. There can be no doubt that she has been altered irrevocably by the events she has witnessed in her past, the pain she has endured, and the loss of her sister with whom she shared "a bond that would have been extraordinary even between twins," ^[24]  and yet her sense of justice  and compassion has not been shaken.

Rian Johnson highlighted these traits in The Last Jedi , where even amid a devastating war, she comes to befriend Finn, a former stormtrooper and former member of the First Order. Johnson described Rose as the "angel on Finn's shoulder" ^[25]  serving as his moral compass and trying to push Finn in the “right direction” ^[26] . Perhaps Finn is not the only former First Order member she could have a positive, lasting effect on.

Endeavoring to be a positive force in someone's life does not always denote forgiveness, either. Forgiveness, for all the horrific acts Hux has commited, seemed almost unattainable. In fact, one can argue that there is no feasible way, with how many lives have been lost due to his decisions, that any one single person can, or should, forgive Hux for his past deeds. But what of redemption? Doing good works, in penance, tracks well with many of the overarching themes in the Star Wars franchise. In Hux’s case especially, perhaps the only way he can begin on a path towards redemption, is for him to be pushed to be, and do better.

This would undoubtedly be hard for Rose: endeavoring to show kindness to a former enemy who has committed such dark and bloody acts as Hux, but Rose has already been shown to willingly look past her own pain in order to help others. When she gives up her medallion in The Last Jedi , the last physical reminder of her recently deceased sister, for the greater good, we are given a glimpse at how determined and tough Rose can be, especially when she believes she is doing the right thing.

Rose’s mentality to fight for what is ‘good’, rather than destroy what is ‘bad’ is perfectly encapsulated in perhaps one of the most iconic lines in the entire Sequel Trilogy, if not the entire franchise. One that epitomizes one of Star Wars’ very fundamental truths:

"That's how we're going to win. Not fighting what we hate. Saving what we love." ^[27]

This does not mean Rose is a stranger to anger or rage. She exhibits both “at the mistreatment of others, particularly vulnerable populations, as seen by her contempt for Canto Bight and her sympathy for both the enslaved children and the abused creatures there,” ^[28]  but the ultimate expression of this anger are acts of kindness and love; healing and uplifting rather than destructive. Rose both frees the fathiers and shows kindness to one of the young boys, giving him her Resistance ring as a symbol of hope. Perhaps she could even come to recognize the wounded child, still trapped and frightened, within a ruthless man like Hux.

Given everything Rose has seen and endured, given her unyielding compassion in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds, and given her self-proclaimed motto of trying to protect what good one can amid so much devastating loss and animosity, could she not also feel a modicum of sympathy for a General-turned-spy who’s entire life has been a destructive echo of traumatic events in his own past?

Not only would Rose be uniquely capable in seeing what good, however small, is left within Hux, it would be her natural inclination, her fundamental truth, to stubbornly seek out those flickering embers of his humanity and fight tooth and nail so that they may grow.

Where does this leave our couple, now on the other side of their journey from enemies to potential lovers? Tinkering together, perhaps? Holed up in a dingy Resistance lab trading sarcastic barbs and sly quips as Rose peels away the layers of what made Armitage the General Hux ,   a s Hux’s cold exterior cracks  and finally breaks under the enormity of Rose’s heart?

It is certainly a compelling future for them both: Rose recognized by Hux for her technological mind and Hux broken  down and flayed open by Rose’s stern, unyielding compassion. Would she, in her effort to save instead of destroy, demand Hux use his bright mind to mend a  galaxy he has previously devastated?

Although written and rewritten across numerous genres, enemies-to-lovers continues to reign as one of the most compelling, intellectually stimulating, and exciting tropes in fiction. Rose Tico and Armitage Hux stand as perfectly-qualified candidates for such a romantic story arc. Their adversarial positions, contrasting qualities, and shared proficiencies all lend to a rich, dynamic romance that would promote understanding, healing, and growth on both parties. Hux’s turn towards espionage opens the door for his character to grow beyond what others have endeavored him to become, while Rose, uniquely aware of what destruction and hate can bring, has retained not only her capacity for compassion and understanding, but her optimism and her internal fire as well. As stated in the Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary,  she is “eager to capture [First Order science] to repurpose it for a better cause” ^[29] . Perhaps the same concept can be extended to a broken, misguided man with which she shares many of the same passions, traits, and a rather biting past. ❀