From the first moment Poe Dameron bit his lip in that oh-so-sexy way while looking at Finn, the ship set sail!
Two of the newest characters introduced into the Star Wars saga in 2015’s The Force Awakens, Oscar Isaac’s Poe and John Boyega’s Finn set Tumblr and shippers ablaze with fan art and dreams of this bromance turning into something more.
And no one seemed to quell the theories. In fact, in an interview with Ellen, Isaac himself said:
“I think there’s a very subtle relationship happening. You have to watch the film a few times to see the little hints, but there was. At least I was playing romance...I won’t say with which character.”
Boyega shared similar sentiments with Radio Times:
“As far as I’m concerned when JJ [Abrams, director of The Force Awakens] sat us down to go through the script, it was a bromance. But now I’m learning what Mark Hamill said before, when he didn’t know that Darth Vader was Luke’s father: ‘You never know what they’re going to pull.’”
And that’s so true. We never know what studios are willing to pull on their audiences. Especially LGBT audiences.
LGBT moviegoers are clearly thirsty for representation in big-budget, blockbuster films. (Why shouldn’t we be?) But while studios seem to be catching on, they’ve failed us (often miserably) in their execution.
From Beauty and the Beast’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it “gay moment,” to Power Rangers’ lame excuse for representation, it’s no wonder LGBT fans have become wary of studios proclaiming “inclusion” and “diversity.”
Marvel has also been hinting at LGBT character representation in their upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 and Black Panther tentpole superhero flicks. But many LGBT fans aren’t buying it (or, at the very least, have adopted a “let’s wait and see” attitude).
When it comes to the Poe/Finn “bromance,” the worries of “gay-baiting” continue in light of Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy’s recent comments. Speaking to Ecartelera, Kennedy discussed the possibility of a Poe/Finn bromance turning into a full-fledged romance:
“We’ve talked about it, but I think you’re not going to see it in The Last Jedi. After 40 years of adventures, people have a lot of information and a lot of theories about the path these stories can take, and sometimes those theories that come up are new ideas for us to listen to, read and pay attention to.”
Okay, so, at least it’s not an outright “no.” And we might see something in Episode IX? But it’s also vague AF. And honestly, if recent examples are any indication, it might better serve LGBT fans if there was a definitive “no.”
For me, at least, an outright “no,” would be far better than an ambiguous “maybe,” which is really only an excuse to keep the shippers drooling for more. It plays with the emotions of a group of fans who deserve full-blown, unambiguous, in-your-face representation. And while the franchise continues to impress with its unprecedented gender diversity, LGBT fans are still feeling the cold shoulder (hell, it was even a main point of discussion during the saga's first ever LGBTQ+ fan panel at this year's mega-event, Star Wars Celebration).
These shadowy story crumbs are nothing more than “maybe they are, maybe they aren’t” lip service, which is, quite frankly, insulting.
So, if you're listening Kathy, Lucasfilm, Disney—do us a solid and don't eff this up.
