FinnPoe: a romantic pairing that many Star Wars fans (and actors) have been hoping for and advocating for since the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. At the risk of sounding dated, my long-time OTP. Handsome and kind ex-Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) rescues dashing rebel pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) from the clutches of the evil First Order; Poe gives him a real name (before this he is referred to as FN-2187; Finn wears Poe’s jacket and in a short but memorable moment Poe bites his lips, looks Finn up and down and says, “Keep it. It suits you. You’re a good man, Finn.”
FinnPoe (or StormPilot, initially) soon became immensely popular, and fans were set on seeing this be the first queer relationship shown in a Star Wars movie. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” was released in 2017 and they barely shared any scenes together, but it felt romantically charged. There was a reason for it. Both Boyega and Isaac have been vocal about their support for their characters getting together and you can see it in their portrayal. But in a recent interview with Variety, Isaac spoke about the relationship, “It seemed like a natural progression, but sadly enough it’s a time when people are too afraid…”
Hearts were broken. Movie tickets torn up. It seems pretty clear that we won’t be getting any FinnPoe in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” the final entry of the trilogy. But what’s the big deal? I mean, according to JJ Abrams, director of both “The Force Awakens” and “The Rise of Skywalker”, said in his interview with Variety that to him, FinnPoe “is a far deeper one than a romantic one.”
On the one hand, it’s true that seeing to men that aren’t romantically involved have intimate or vulnerable moments together is important. It’s powerful to see. However, it isn’t as powerful as it would be to see Disney show some bravery and make one of their main characters explicitly LGBT. Not a background character, not queer-coding, but given the same treatment as Han and Leia or any other prominent straight couple. Because let’s be honest here; if either Finn or Poe were a girl, they would already have kissed at least once.
But setting aside FinnPoe (like Disney did), will Star Wars ever be gay? I don’t mean in the books or comics, which have already diversified more than the movies likely ever will. I am meaning the movies that premiere around the world by children and adults alike. JJ Abrams says yes, saying in his interview that it was important to him that the LGBT community feel represented in his film. But I still say that no, Star Wars will not be gay.
My reasoning? We’ll have to pivot to another Disney franchise: Marvel. Marvel Comics have been gay for ages. Their TV shows, especially “Runaways,” have included explicitly queer main characters in healthy romantic relationships. The movies? Not so much. In the recent film, “Avengers: Endgame”, there was hype created around the inclusion of the franchise’s first openly gay character. Who could it be? Spider-man? Lesbian-coded Captain Marvel? Maybe Bucky and Steve would finally hook up! Nah. It was an unnamed man (played by director Joe Russo) in a support group that mentions a date he went on with another man and is never seen again.
So when Abrams promises representation in the new Star Wars film, I’m hesitant to celebrate. Given Disney’s history, I’d put my money on that representation being a background character, or a throwaway line from a minor character like the lovely Billie Lourd’s Lieutenant Connix. “Blink and you’ll miss it” moments that can easily be edited out are not representation. So, dear JJ Abrams: if you won’t make FinnPoe canon, I hope you made Rey a lesbian.