Star Wars 9 Could Have A Rey-Poe Relationship

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Last Jedi ahead

Star Wars: The Last Jedi features a brief but charged moment between Poe Dameron and Rey, possibly indicating that Star Wars 9 will feature a romance between the two. Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi follows on from the chapter that relaunched the franchise, J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and is meant to bridge the gap until Abrams returns for Star Wars: Episode IX.

In terms of characters, The Last Jedi continues the story of the new trilogy of heroes introduced in The Force Awakens: Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), the Force-sensitive scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley), and the former-Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega). As is the case with most leads in popular franchises, fans have speculated about which characters will become romantically entangled over the course of this latest trilogy. After The Force Awakens, many fans were dedicated to the Poe/Finn 'ship (short for relationship) as well as the possibility of a romance between Rey and the villainous Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) - though there were other popular 'ships among fans.

Now, The Last Jedi has further developed the characters who made their debut in The Force Awakens - and introduced even more characters, like Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran). As a result, some relationships fans suspected may be burgeoning in The Force Awakens now seem unlikely to happen, while new romantic relationships have been established. However, one dynamic in particular is introduced in The Last Jedi and it's unclear where exactly the relationship is headed - that of Poe and Rey. The characters have a moment toward the end of The Last Jedi that makes it seem as though Star Wars 9 could have a Poe and Rey romantic relationship.

Will Poe/Rey Happen in Star Wars 9?

Unlike another romantic relationship in Star Wars: The Last Jedi - which explicitly featured a romantic moment - the dynamic between Rey and Poe is much more ambiguous. In fact, it may not even be setting up a future romance in Episode IX. The moment in question comes at the very end of The Last Jedi, after Rey has reunited with the remaining members of the Resistance and they've fled Crait on the Millennium Falcon. Poe introduces himself to Rey and the two share a moment the feels weighty.

Of course, it may just be that the moment has a sense of weight because it's Rey and Poe's first official meeting, but that seems to rewrite the ending of The Force Awakens. Following the destruction of Starkiller Base, the Resistance regroups at their base on D'Qar. It's then that R2-D2 awakes and the Resistance is able to put together the entire map of how to find Luke Skywalker. In that meeting, Rey and Poe are both in attendance, standing not too far from each other. Still, it's likely that, considering how large the Resistance is at that point, Poe and Rey didn't actually cross paths, especially since Rey leaves shortly after to go find Luke. So, it's possible that Rey and Poe truly don't officially meet until the end of The Last Jedi.

While it's possible that their scene on the Millennium Falcon may feel weighty just because it's the first meeting between two members of the newest Star Wars trio, it's also likely that this exchange is meant to set up a relationship that will be more developed in Episode IX. Finn, Rey, and Poe are three key members of the Resistance, so it makes sense for the dynamics between them to be further explored in Episode IX. With Finn otherwise romantically entangled, after The Last Jedi, Rey and Poe seem to be the most likely candidates if Star Wars is aiming to establish a romance among the main trio.

Still, there's always the possibility that the scene between Poe and Rey in The Last Jedi isn't meant to have any romantic subtext. (Though fans interpreting it that way would undoubtedly be justified since Oscar Isaac has chemistry with everyone and everything.) However, with two years until Episode IX debuts, fans will no doubt be speculating about what exactly is going on in Rey and Poe's meeting. While the possibility of Rey and Poe becoming romantically entangled in Episode IX will no doubt please fans who have 'shipped them since The Force Awakens, would that dynamic work within this Star Wars trilogy?

Is A Poe/Rey Relationship A Good Idea?

Star Wars has always included elements of romance, with many fans still loving the relationship between Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in the original trilogy. Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Padme Amidala's (Natalie Portman) relationship may have been less well received in the prequels, but it was undoubtedly an important aspect of Episodes I - III. This latest Star Wars trilogy doesn't quite have anything akin to those relationships yet, though the burgeoning dynamic between Rose and Finn in The Last Jedi has the potential to become much more.

If Rose and Finn do become more involved romantically in Episode IX, then it's possible Rey and Poe could also form a romantic attachment. As key members of the Resistance, they may be spending a great deal of time together. However, there's no real reason Star Wars needs to include a romantic subplot in Episode IX. With the Resistance forces continuing the fight against the First Order, they'll no doubt be more focused on war than romance. Even Rose's declaration of love at the end of The Last Jedi is more about further establishing the Resistance needs a spark of hope to keep fighting. In that moment, the romance - the only explicitly romantic scene in the whole movie - takes a back seat to further hammering home the movie's theme.

In that case, a romantic subplot suddenly appearing between Rey and Poe in Episode IX likely would feel ham-fisted into the film in order to fill some kind of romance quota, which would be a disservice to fans. While romantic storylines have been threaded through the previous two Star Wars trilogies, there hasn't been one through The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Instead, Episodes VII and VIII have proved to be successful without major romances, and it's likely Episode IX could be just as well received by fans even if there's no explicit romance.

Finn and Poe Dameron in Star Wars The Force Awakens

All that said, there has been a great deal of discussion since The Force Awakens surrounding the character of Poe and to whom he could be romantically linked. Certainly, there are fans who are hoping to see him paired up with Rey - and there's nothing necessarily wrong with that idea. If Episode IX develops a relationship between Poe and Rey that is compelling and feels earned, the two could prove to be this latest trilogy's great love story. But, if that were to happen, there would no doubt be fans disappointed that Star Wars had the chance to introduce an explicitly LGBT character and didn't.

Ever since The Force Awakens, fans have campaigned for the creative team behind the Star Wars films to have Poe come out as gay and explore a relationship with Finn. Although it was suggested in the novel Leia: Princess of Alderaan that Laura Dern's Amilyn Holdo is bisexual, Star Wars hasn't introduced any main and explictly LGBTQ characters in the live-action films. Holdo's sexuality is vague even in the novel, and movies of late have seemingly taken the 'have your cake and eat it too' approach to LGBTQ representation. Rather than include overt LGBTQ characters, movies feature vague or throwaway scenes seemingly confirming a character's sexuality, allowing films to take the credit for representation while not rocking the boat too much.

Poe being gay - or bisexual - would go a long way to LGBTQ representation in the Star Wars movie universe, and many fans would love to see that realized in Episode IX. Certainly, fans have pored over scenes from the films and supplementary information about Poe to determine whether he could be gay or bisexual. In fact, fans called attention to an entry in the Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary about Poe's necklace, which states, "Poe wears the wedding ring of his late mother, Shara Bey, on a necklace, waiting to share it someday with the right partner." The use of the word "partner" has led fans to further speculate about whether Poe will come out at some point in the movies.

If Poe were to explore a romantic relationship with Rey in Episode IX, it would be a missed opportunity to have a main Star Wars character come out as gay. Of course, he could still be bisexual, which would be a chance for representation, but fans may feel cheated depending on how the franchise handles it. As for whether Poe will come out as gay or bisexual, Abrams has voiced support of LGBTQ characters in Star Wars, though that doesn't necessarily mean he'll incorporate such representation in Episode IX.

At the end of the day, Lucasfilm, Abrams, and the other creatives behind the franchise will make the decisions for how to continue and complete this latest Star Wars trilogy. That could mean a romance between Rey and Poe, or a relationship between Poe and Finn - or no romantic relationships at all - in Episode IX. Until we find out how exactly this chapter of the ongoing saga ends, fans can continue to speculate and hope their 'ship is realized in Star Wars: Episode IX.

Next: Why Star Wars Should Avoid a Kylo-Rey Romance