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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters just a few short days ago, and has been the talk of the town ever since. One major topic of conversation has revolved around the romances in the film, as Finn and Rey had an unfinished conversation, Poe and a new character hit it off and Rey and Kylo Ren even got a steamy moment. However, the oft-touted Finn and Poe romance was not to be seen, and if you ask Oscar Isaac it has to do with the “Disney Overlords.”
According to the actor, who plays Poe Dameron in the latest trilogy of Star Wars movies, he would have volunteered his character to bring more representation to Disney and Star Wars. Yet, that wasn’t something the overarching studio was seemingly ready for.
I think there could’ve been a very interesting, forward-thinking - not even forward-thinking, just, like, current-thinking - love story there, something that hadn’t quite been explored yet; particularly the dynamic between these two men in war that could’ve fallen in love with each other. I would try to push it a bit in that direction, but the Disney overlords were not ready to do that.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker did make a minor foray into inclusivity with a scene toward the end of the movie that ultimately got censored in at least one country, Singapore. The scene showed two LGBTQ characters from the Resistance reuniting at the end of the movie. Regardless, neither character was a main component of the new Star Wars movie, and from what Oscar Isaac said in his interview with IGN, perhaps a bolder LGBTQ romance should have been pursued.
He’s not the only one still interested in the Finn and Poe dynamic. Mark Hamill even wrote a poem about Finn and Poe and the alleged romance some of the people involved with the fanbase have assigned the two characters.
Luke never met either Finn or PoeSo what they do behind closed doorsI guess I'll never know...But I would like to also note that love is loveWhatever floats your boat.
At the end of the day, Disney had the biggest box office total this year, and so the company often gets scrutinized under a microscope because of the fact it is so giant and so prominent in the industry. Disney movies have started to push toward more diversity in storytelling recently, particularly within the MCU, that had its first female superheroine leading a movie, its first prominently black cast and a similar LGBTQ moment in Avengers: Endgame.
If you ask Oscar Isaac, it seems he feels the studio could be doing more. This isn't the first time he's explored this idea and it's unlikely to be the last time either. (Although with the trilogy ending, who knows?)
That said, the Finn/Poe thing always seemed a little bit more in the realm of fan fiction to me, particularly once Finn and Rose really seemed to hit it off in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. And one thing I really did like about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was Keri Russell’s Zorii Bliss and the intrigue around the past she shared with Poe Dameron.
I suppose there’s always a universe where Finn and Poe hit it off and Poe and Zorii hit it off, but it’s more likely that when Star Wars introduces an LGBTQ lead it will be with different characters entirely. Given the studio has an entire universe, and multiple formats – now including Disney+ -- that type of story will likely come down the pipeline at some point.
In the meantime, you can see what Disney+ has coming in 2020 with our full guide and can sign up for a free 7-day trial if you haven’t already.
