Finn & Poe - A Star Wars Tale

Beginning with the initial announcement of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, back in October 2012 by the Walt Disney Company, fans have had a series of conflicting opinions. After a progression of negotiations, George Lucas allowed Disney to acquire Lucasfilm, citing reasons for retirement. This deal would end up being one of the most controversial/splitting decisions in the eyes of the fans who would later view it as an absolute, definitively determining if the Sequels were good or bad. It’s especially dividing when one considers the fact that Disney disregarded George Lucas’s own plans/ideas for the sequels. But whichever way your opinion falls for the Sequel Trilogy, it’s likely that you Poe Dameron & Finn. Two characters from the core trio (Rey being the last member) whose relationship with each other boomed in popularity just from the initial trailers for ‘The Force Awakens’. A large portion of the audience instantly found this pair to be incredibly endearing and the idea of them possibly being romantic took off sensationally fast. This even extended past the general audience, thanks to the kind & open nature of ‘Star Wars’ actors Oscar Isaac & John Boyega, they were not afraid to share and encourage speculations of their characters' sexualities. StormPilot, as Finn/Poe is commonly referred to, has brought one of the most public/popularized discussions of LGBTQA+ representation and is wonderfully hard to ignore.

In the lead-up to the release of 2015’s; ‘The Force Awakens’, the magic of Finn/Poe genuinely began its successful ride, the ‘Gay Awakening’ if you will. Beginning with the actors, in an interview on ‘Ellen’, DeGeneres asked the cast if they had a love interest in the film. “I think it’s a very subtle romance that’s happening,” was Oscar Isaac’s response. “You have to watch it a few times to see the little hints. But there was—at least I was playing romance. In the cockpit, there was a very deep romance happening.” (“The Cast of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Is Here!” YouTube, 17 Dec. 2015, https://youtu.be/fuAwgmz7jTc). It’s important to note that the most iconic scene of the film featuring Finn & Poe took place in the cockpit of a TIE Fighter ship where their camaraderie instantly establishes itself as endearing/tender considering Poe is the one who gives ‘FN-2187’ his name; Finn. Then there is, of course, the jacket. When Poe seemingly dies on Jakku, Finn recovers and wears the jacket for the rest of the film. After the characters reunite, Poe insists Finn keep it while giving him a good once-over with his eyes. That moment alone caused a spike of endless content (GIFS, Fanfictions, etc.) like nothing else.

Together, Finn & Poe lit up the mainstream from just their first film in a trilogy. Headlining such media outlets as Vanity Fair, USA Today, Buzzfeed, E! Online, MTV, and many more. The media’s focus on a ship like StormPilot helped to normalize and ignite discussions of queer relationships in overwhelmingly popular franchises. Because, if anything, Finn & Poe in the first film alone share a lot of similarities to other popular straight relationships in the past wherein the two leads meet for just a short while before engaging in the expected romance. As a Twitter user, @Aintyouspecial says; “Honestly more than anything they just had that kind of chemistry from the start you know it had the same vibes to me that you get from the 10 billion hetero pairings that were destined to happen because a man and a woman were friends for 2 seconds.” (Twitter, Twitter, https://twitter.com/aintyouspecial). Most notably, Star Wars contributes to that trope with Han & Leia being instantly portrayed with romantic tension even though they’d only known each other a short while & didn’t even seem to enjoy each other’s company at all. It is easy to believe that had there been a ‘gender-swap’, Poe identifying as a female, for example, the general audience & more traditional fans would have easily pictured them being a couple…in fact, it would have been expected just as Han/Leia or Luke/Leia (Gross) was back in the 70’s/80’s.

‘The Last Jedi’ was released in 2017, obviously after that initial rush of Finn/Poe content though the pairing was still remarkably relevant. This film in particular was splitting when it came to fan reactions and even actor reactions (those will be discussed later) for several reasons. Those who found it awful cited reasons such as; beloved characters acting completely different, poor storytelling, gross romantic underlines between the abusive ‘Reylo’, and more. But some thought the film was new and found it to be refreshing. But beyond that, it was quite disappointing that Finn & Poe didn’t have much of a storyline together. When asked about a potential romance between them, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy even said, “We do talk about that. But no, I don’t think you’ll see that in this new one.” (Errico, Marcus. “Stormpilot down! Sorry, 'Star Wars' Shippers, Poe and Finn Still Just Friends in 'the Last Jedi'.” Yahoo! News, Yahoo!, 4 May 2017). Not only were the two separated for the majority of the film but Finn also developed a sort of romance with Rose Tico, a wonderful new character. However, this did not stop either the fans or the actors. Always the supportive Oscar Isaac commented, “Look, it was a little difficult to see my man kiss somebody else, but, you know, you gotta give up control … you got to watch some stuff you don’t want to watch sometimes.” (Hale-Stern, Kaila, et al. “Oscar Isaac on Finn: Difficult to See My Man Kiss Somebody Else'.” The Mary Sue, 9 Jan. 2018, https://www.themarysue.com/things-we-saw-today-oscar-isaac-finn-poe/). This just goes to show the strength this Star Wars pairing had.

Despite the literal film's lack of Finn & Poe content, the press tour for ‘The Last Jedi’ gifted fans (and Oscar Isaac) with plenty of reason to know they were not just grasping at straws. Mark Hamill’s response to a Finn/Poe fan theory in a video from Rolling Stone was, “This is a wonderful idea. I know everyone in the LGBTQ community is really hoping Poe & Finn are more than just friends. Fingers crossed.” ('The Last Jedi' Fan Theory Exploder with ... - Youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFjaKYGYdfQ). And Mark wasn’t the only one, Kelly Marie Tran was asked which character she’d like to go on a date with (Finn or Poe), and her answer; “You know what’s bad? I ship them actually so I feel like…and that’s just a personal thing. But I think they’re both great, I’d go on a date with both of them. But I wouldn’t like two-time them or anything.” (Star Wars: The Last Jedi Cast Play Would You ... - Youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jehMXPadHS0). However, despite the support which was so obviously behind the idea, Disney and the directors would throw a bone in interviews here & there but ultimately shoot the premise down. There was also the issue they had with prioritizing ‘Reylo’, an abusive relationship, over not just Finn/Poe but Finn/Rey as well (Another wonderful ship). Even though Daisy proposed a wonderful idea to solve the relationship issues, “Would you rather go on a date with Finn or Poe?” “Oh, I can’t choose my boys. I’d rather be on a date with them on a date.” (Star Wars: The Last Jedi Cast Play Would You ... - Youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jehMXPadHS0). See, an easy fix! A Rey/Finn/Poe throuple!

Disney’s ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ obviously did not go with the throuple idea nor the LGBTQA+ representation—but wait, they actually did, didn’t they? Director J.J. Abrams had this to say before the film’s premiere; “In the case of the LGBTQ community, it was important to me that people who go to see this movie feel that they’re being represented in the film.” (Yee, Lawrence. “Is JJ Abrams' LGBTQ Tease for 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Just More Queerbaiting? (Commentary).” TheWrap, 6 Dec. 2019, https://www.thewrap.com/jj-abrams-lgbtq-star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-queerbaiting/). What was the storyline he was referencing? It was a but a quick shot of two female resistance fighters, with no plotlines or backstories, sharing a kiss in the background. This was after Abrams passively dismissed the Finn/Poe relationship, “Their relationship, for me, frankly goes far deeper than a romantic relationship. It is a deep bond that these two have—not just because of this trial by fire in which they met—but also because of their willingness to be as intimate as they are, as afraid as they are, as unsure as they are, and still be bold and daring and brave. I wasn’t surprised by any reaction but I was heartened that people identified that this was the kind of relationship that, frankly, don’t know how often you see men behaving this way.” (Yee, Lawrence. “Is JJ Abrams' LGBTQ…? (Commentary).” TheWrap, 6 Dec. 2019, https://www.thewrap.com/jj-abrams-lgbtq-star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-queerbaiting/). While J.J. is describing a nice and refreshing take on male friendship, this was undoubtedly his roundabout way of saying that Finn/Poe was just not going to happen. He described and acknowledged the intimate connection they had but was quick to call it ‘deeper than romantic’ which reads like a poor attempt at admitting that they just didn’t want to be that openly progressive. It is easy to have a blink and you’ll miss it shot of two women kissing in the background but to represent the LGBTQA+ community through main characters in a popular franchise…Disney was too afraid.

The film couldn’t even follow through on any of the other relationships which had previously been set up earlier on in the trilogy. There was no conclusion on Rose/Finn and unfortunately, Rose’s role altogether was much smaller. Audiences saw them become close friends and even share a kiss in the previous film but they barely interacted in ‘The Rise of Skywalker’. Rey’s story became so tied up with Kylo’s that they had no time to explore her spark with Finn either and a random ex-girlfriend was thrown in for Poe. Many of the actors have expressed upset with the directions Disney chose for their characters in the whole of the Sequel Trilogy but specifics will not be used in anything beyond Finn/Poe out of respect for them. “Really there could have been a really interesting forward-thinking—or not even forward-thinking, just like current-thinking love story there. Something that hadn’t been explored yet, particularly the dynamic between these two men in war who had fallen in love with each other….eh then, the Disney Overlords were not ready to do that.” ('Oscar Isaac: The Ultimate FinnPoe shipper’ - Youtube.com. Oscar Isaac: The Ultimate FinnPoe Shipper). Isaac sums it up quite well with his statement, despite several sources of support, Disney decided it was too much of a risk to portray a healthy male love story in ‘Star Wars’.

This article aims not only to spark the conversation about the LGBTQA+ community lacking representation in hugely popular franchises but also to remind people that there are gay people in space. As an audience member, if you interpreted Finn, Poe, or even Luke Skywalker as part of the community, more power to you! The characters can be anything you want them to be and while it is extremely disappointing that Disney didn’t want them to be boyfriends, you do & that’s beautiful. Never let any other ‘fan’ put you down for it either because the most amazing part of creative expression is what it ignites/inspires in the audience. Lando Calrissian can be pansexual, Luke Skywalker can be gay, Obi-Wan Kenobi can be bisexual and Finn & Poe can be a couple! Finding ourselves in the characters we love can be such a special thing, something that helps us cope. Hopefully, companies like Disney will soon learn that passive-progressiveness is not enough.