WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, in theaters now.
Within every devoted fan base of a creative property, there seems to be a subsection of followers pining for romance. However, the most popular couplings within fandoms often aren't the ones creators actually establish in their works. A quick glance at the online communities for many properties shows that fans are ready to detect any sort of sexual tension from the interactions between certain characters. Perhaps no pairing has been received more enthusiastically and is more popular at the moment than Star Wars' Poe Dameron and Finn -- dubbed "StormPilot" -- who viewers were hoping would find true love with one another ever since their warm introduction in The Force Awakens.
Unfortunately, for those who ship the Resistance pilot and the former Stormtrooper, The Rise of Skywalker did not grant those wishes. Instead, Poe flirted with Keri Russell's smuggler Zorii Bliss. Despite the more typical direction J.J. Abrams and Disney took the franchise's male characters, however, actors Oscar Isaac and John Boyega may have subtly addressed fans' hopes through their performances.
Oscar Isaac himself has personally stated that he would have liked to see a romance blossom between Poe and Finn. In an interview, Isaac stated that he "kind of hoped and wished to" see the characters' relationship "taken further in other films." He mentioned that "it seemed like a natural progression" but lamented that he did not have creative control to see it through. He went on to further explain in another interview with IGN that "there could've been a very interesting... love story there.... I would try to push it in that direction, but the Disney overlords were not ready to do that."
It's an interesting comment, one that implies Isaac was attempted to hint at a spark between Poe and Finn through his acting. He even admitted years ago, before the release of The Force Awakens, that he was "playing romance."
John Boyega was not quite as explicit, although he, too, seemed ready to toy with the idea of a same-sex relationship. He stated that although the characters are "just platonic at the moment," "it wouldn't be too weird if [their relationship] went beyond it." Boyega also poked fun at the the actors' chemistry in an Instagram video in which he sends a passionate handwritten letter in ink to Isaac, sadly expressing his wish that the two of them were as close as Poe and Finn are.
There are also numerous examples in the sequel trilogy that lend credence to the subtext of a romance between the pair. The scene when Poe and Finn reunite in The Force Awakens has already made its mark on meme culture. Elated to discover they both survived, they warmly embrace as they look into each other's eyes. The pair were unfortunately separated for most of the events of The Last Jedi, but their introduction in The Rise of Skywalker sees them sitting snugly next to each other as they play holochess with Chewbacca. There's plenty of room on the bench for both of them, but they prefer to squeeze close together.
The first act of the film finds the team of Rey, Poe, Finn, Chewbacca and BB-8 traversing the desert planet Pasaana for a Sith dagger, allowing for some more bonding time between everyone's favorite Resistance fighters. When the group falls through sinkholes in the sand, Finn tries to tell Rey a secret in what he believes to be his final moments. However, once he realizes he and his friends are safely alive in the caves below, Finn becomes elusive again and notifies Rey that he'll tell her later in private.
Yet, Poe prods him to share his mysterious message much more aggressively than Rey does, his tone hinting at an underlying jealousy that may be signal more than just curiousity. He seems a little too interested in knowing what Finn is keeping to himself.
The Rise of Skywalker may have disappointed those hoping to see StormPilot become an official part of Star Wars canon, but it's still fun to search for clues that hint at the relationship. Although Disney executives may have wanted to take the franchise in a more conservative, heterosexual direction, the comments by John Boyega and especially Oscar Isaac suggest that the actors may have been trying to subtly satiate their shippers while sticking to the studio-approved script. It's one more complication in a movie that was already complicated by the rush to meet fans' demands and expectations, including the conclusion of the also obsessed-over Reylo arc. But who knows what else may come out of Poe and Finn's interaction? After all, both men are still single when the credits roll.
Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, and Carrie Fisher, with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant. The film is now in theaters.