FinnPoe: A totally platonic love story?
By Meg Dowell
In real life, Oscar Isaac and John Boyega have had a great time working together. It’s the reason their Star Wars characters’ “chemistry” is so believable.
No matter your feelings about the sequel trilogy, there are plenty of good things that have come out of it so far. Example: The instant friendship between rockstar pilot Poe Dameron and ex-stormtrooper FN-2187 (but we’re gonna call him Finn) established in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Quick refresher: Poe and Finn basically helped each other escape the First Order, only to crash-land on Jakku and find themselves separated, and not for the last time. Finn borrows Poe’s jacket because he thinks Poe is dead. Poe is not at all dead and lets him keep it.
And though the duo spent most of The Last Jedi apart, the few scenes they share together reinforce their bond. They care for each other … as friends. Just friends. Right?
Oscar Isaac (Poe) hasn’t had much to say about FinnPoe (that’s their ‘ship name, courtesy of the internet). But he did comment on how much he has adored working with John Boyega (Finn) in real life.
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At the very least, their offscreen friendship doesn’t look like it’s ending anytime soon, unlike the trilogy they’ve been working on.
"I think the one thing I can say [about Star Wars: Episode IX] is that it has been the most fun for me, particularly working with John Boyega because we have just had so much more to do together and we just really connected in a great way. It was really a wonderful way to finish it for me because John was the first person I met right when I screen-tested. It was just with me and him. So it just felt like a real full-circle thing."
We can infer two things from this quote: One, more FinnPoe scenes! And two, the brotherly chemistry between these two characters comes off so well on-screen because it’s totally real.
Don’t like the ‘shipping’ of Poe and Finn? Let the fans have their fun — but also realize relationships can take many forms, even in a galaxy far, far away.
“FinnPoe” doesn’t have to imply a romance (though it could). Bromances are a thing no matter which galaxy you’re living in, and there’s nothing wrong with adding Poe and Finn to the ever-growing list of inseparable Star Wars BFFs (think Han and Chewie; R2-D2 and C-3PO; Padmé and Sabé).
Here’s to hoping both Poe and Finn make it out of Star Wars: Episode IX alive (though Finn already tried sacrificing himself for the Resistance once — who’s to say he won’t try again?). They deserve a happily ever after, even if it’s strictly the just-friends kind.
Do you think FinnPoe will survive the end of the Skywalker saga? Or will their friendship end in heartbreak?