Thanks to social media, and fandom’s interest in “shipping” characters, the new “Star Wars” trilogy, which is ending in the upcoming ‘Rise of Skywalker,’ has sparked interest in two potential romantic pairings that may not ever happen on screen — Rey with Kylo Ren and Finn with Poe. And according to the actors involved and the director, the latter romantic pairing is destined to live only in certain fans’ hearts.
While we still don’t know what’s going to happen in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” according to a couple of new interviews, we have an idea of what will and won’t be included.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, JJ Abrams said that Finn, one of the new characters introduced in ‘The Force Awakens’ will have his backstory fleshed out more in the new film.
“It is part of the story of this one,” Abrams said. “And it was alluded to in ‘Episode VII,’ but there’s a bit more light shed on that in this one.”
However, when speaking to Variety, Abrams, Oscar Isaac, and John Boyega confirm that one of the things that won’t be revealed in the new film is a romantic partnership between Poe and Finn.
“Personally, I kind of hoped and wished that maybe that would’ve been taken further in the other films, but I don’t have control,” the actor said. “It seemed like a natural progression, but sadly enough it’s a time when people are too afraid, I think, of… I don’t know what.”
Isaac says the ambiguity of the relationship between his character and Boyega’s Finn is nice, but ultimately he wishes it would have been more explicit.
“But if they would’ve been boyfriends, that would have been fun,” Isaac said.
Boyega echoed the sentiments of Isaac but thinks that, for the moment, the relationship is strictly friendly.
“They’ve always had a quite loving and open relationship in which it wouldn’t be too weird if it went beyond it. But at the same time, they are just platonic at the moment,” he said.
Of course, while the actors do carry a bit of weight in the arc of their characters, the decision ends with ‘Rise of Skywalker’ co-writer/director JJ Abrams and, obviously, Lucasfilm. And for the filmmaker, he sees the Finn/Poe dynamic as something more than just a platonic or romantic pairing.
“That relationship to me is a far deeper one than a romantic one,” Abrams said. “It is a deep bond that these two have, not just because of the trial by fire in which they met, but also because of their willingness to be as intimate as they are, as afraid as they, as unsure as they are, and still be bold, and still be daring and brave.”
The filmmaker does tease that there will be some LGBTQ representation in the flick, however, saying that he wanted people in the community to feel like “they’re being represented.” But Abrams stopped short of actually saying what that means.
“I will say I’m giving away nothing about what happens in the movie,” Abrams explained. “But I did just say what I just said.”
We clearly have no inside information about the specific plot of ‘Rise of Skywalker,” but you can’t help but feel like Abrams’ comments sound similar to what the Russos promised in “Avengers: Endgame.” And considering that film included an openly gay character in one minor cameo (portrayed by the film’s co-director), people were a bit letdown by the promise of representation. So, before we start praising Abrams and Lucasfilm, let’s see what this LGBTQ inclusivity looks like.
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” arrives in theaters on December 20.
