Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sought to provide a sense of closure to the story and characters created for the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but missed the mark when it came to handling central protagonist Poe Dameron. After being introduced way back in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Poe and fellow heroes Rey and Finn went through a lot together, and audiences were eager to see how each would finish out the franchise. But while most of the plot of The Rise of Skywalker focused on Rey’s identity and personal journey, and even found time to conclude Finn’s limited arc, precious little time was spent on developing the trio’s hotshot pilot.

Poe Dameron’s evolution throughout the three Star Wars sequel films was underwhelming at best, and a missed opportunity at worst. After learning important lessons about trust and leadership during the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Poe seemed primed to take on larger responsibilities for the Resistance in The Rise of Skywalker. With the ragtag rebellion’s leadership practically nonexistent by the time General Leia passes away, the stage seems set for Poe to step up and apply the lessons he’s learned to becoming a leader in the final fight against the resurrected Galactic Empire.

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Unfortunately, this isn’t how things play out. While Poe does become a General and command a squadron of Resistance pilots against the Emperor's fleet of Star Destroyers, The Rise of Skywalker fails to depict him as the kind of leadership material the Resistance needs. Instead of building on Poe's growth in The Last Jedi, the film instead falls back on his most well-known trait: his piloting skills. In the end, Poe even gives up hope during the climactic battle over the Sith world of Exegol, and the Resistance is only saved when Lando arrives with his massive fleet. Instead of growing as a character and rising to the occasion, Poe instead proved that he was largely incapable of filling Leia's shoes and becoming the hero the galaxy needed. This lack of character growth seems to confirm that, even after three films, the Star Wars sequels never really understood Poe.

Poe, Finn, and Chewie in The Rise of Skywalker

In a lot of ways, the lack of purpose for Poe in The Rise of Skywalker is understandable. It’s no secret that a slew of behind-the-scenes changes and decisions affected the character, with the biggest one taking place during the production of The Force Awakens. Originally, Poe was meant to die shortly after he escapes from the First Order with Finn. It was ultimately decided that Poe should be allowed to live and take part in the battle to destroy Starkiller Base. In other words, Poe was upgraded from a limited, supporting character to one of the new trilogy's central protagonists. This decision had a ripple effect on the next two films, as Poe would need to be incorporated into the rest of the story. Unfortunately, the result was a hero who never seemed to get the attention he deserved. Despite a solid effort to give Poe an arc in The Last Jedi and a bit of backstory in The Rise of Skywalker, the character felt oddly out of place and neglected.

All of this seems to point to a clear lack of understanding on the filmmakers' part as to who exactly Poe is. Each entry in the trilogy presents him a little differently, creating a lack of consistency in his portrayal. In The Force Awakens, Poe is depicted as a reliable sharpshooter with a heart of gold. In The Last Jedi, Poe becomes reckless, hotheaded, and even paranoid as the First Order closes in on the Resistance. And in The Rise of Skywalker, he seems to revert back to how he was depicted in his first appearance, with practically none of the setup from The Last Jedi carrying over.

With no central creative vision to guide Poe through all three films, the character was unable to develop naturally, giving many viewers the impression that the trilogy simply didn't know what to do with him. As a result, by the time Lucasfilm concluded the Skywalker saga, Poe had achieved little beyond leading a squadron at Exegol and shooting down TIE Fighters. It’s obvious that, with the right care and a unified vision for the character across all three films, Poe Dameron could’ve achieved so much more. Unfortunately, this deficit of care resulted in an audience who never truly got to understand or connect with Poe, despite Oscar Isaac's strong performance, and the rebellious flyboy trudged through The Rise of Skywalker as considerably less than the sum of his parts.

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