Why The Finn And Poe Shippers Were Right (& JJ Abrams Was Wrong)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker quashed all hope of a romantic relationship between Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (John Boyega), but shippers of the couple were right to support the romance, and director J.J. Abrams was wrong to invalidate it. Optimism about the relationship came to an end when Poe reunites with an old flame, Zorii Bliss (Keri Russell), whose backstory includes leading an illegal spice running operation on Kijimi with Poe. Although the film left the future of their relationship uncertain, it’s clear to audiences that Zorii, rather than Finn, occupies Poe’s romantic attention.

This came as a shock to some who had viewed Poe and Finn’s relationship as the perfect romantic subplot for the sequel trilogy. The two first meet at the beginning of Star Wars: The Force Awakens with Finn helping Poe escape from the clutches of the First Order. The pair split up, and Poe is presumed dead by Finn until a heartwarming scene at the end of the movie in which he realizes that Poe survived the crash on Jakku. Fans found many reasons for shipping the romance and even garnered public support from Isaac and Boyega. They cited the actors’ chemistry, how Isaac’s confident charm plays off of Boyega’s uncertainty in a way that creates undeniable flirtatious undertones. The relationship also intrigued shippers by creating a star-crossed lovers dynamic, a Stormtrooper and a Resistance pilot finding romance through conflict.

The relationship was set up perfectly by the end of The Force Awakens, and it was a mistake for later films to not develop it. Keeping the Poe/Finn romance would have added a greater level of depth to both characters as well as providing them both with a more satisfying ending. By denying the love story between Poe and Finn, Abrams missed out on a huge opportunity to develop the characters together and create much higher stakes for the audience as the couple navigates danger and war.

The sequel trilogy failed Boyega and Isaac’s performance in The Force Awakens by not maximizing on their flirtatious chemistry, but it also prevented them from cultivating the sort of deeper bond that takes time to develop. The foundation of their relationship had been established, and building on it would have further endeared audiences to Finn and Poe because viewers easily relate to characters based on their emotional connections. It would have created a greater sense of urgency when they faced danger because fans would engage with the potential heartbreak of losing one’s romantic partner rather than just a character. The relationship also would have provided a far more satisfying ending for Poe and Finn since they would have overcome the challenges of their forbidden romance and finally been together in a galaxy at peace.

Instead, the love interests that Poe and Finn develop ended up feeling rushed and uncompelling. Zorii is a romantic relationship forced into Rise of Skywalker as a plot device, and this causes her chemistry with Poe to feel inauthentic. The kiss between Finn and Rose at the end of Star Wars: The Last Jedi felt like it came out of nowhere even though the characters had spent most of the film together, and it was never followed up on in The Rise of Skywalker. In just a few short scenes, Boyega and Isaac had created more romantic chemistry between their characters than two movies could undo.

It’s worth noting that Abrams isn’t entirely responsible for killing the romance between Finn and Poe. The Last Jedi was directed by Rian Johnson, and the film barely saw the two interact at all. This made it difficult for Abrams to follow up on their romance and likely contributed to his decision to axe it, but the obstacle could still have been overcome especially since the romantic link between Finn and Rose later dissolved. J.J. Abrams was wrong to quash the Poe/Finn romance in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and he should have listened to the shippers.

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