Why ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Made Reylo Canon Instead of Stormpilot
There are lots of different romantic ships in the Star Wars fandom. Some fans wanted Finn and Poe Dameron to be a couple while others wanted Kylo Ren and Rey to be endgame. Going into Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, fans were eager to see if Stormpilot or Reylo would become canon.
In the end, only Reylo, the pairing of Kylo Ren and Rey, had a romantic relationship in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Maryann Brandon, an editor of the movie, recently revealed why Reylo was made canon over Finn and Poe’s possible relationship.
Oscar Isaac wanted a Stormpilot romance in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’
Ever since Star Wars: The Force Awakens, fans have wanted Poe Dameron and Finn to be boyfriends. The fandom came up with the ship name “Stormpilot” for the pairing. When an LGBTQ story line was teased leading up to the movie, fans were hopeful it meant Finn and Poe would be together.
Since the first movie of the trilogy, Isaac, who plays Poe, has been a strong supporter of the ship. The actor wanted the two characters to have a love story in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Unfortunately, Disney was not on board.
“I think there could’ve been a very interesting, forward-thinking — not even forward-thinking, just, like, current-thinking — love story there, something that hadn’t quite been explored yet; particularly the dynamic between these two men in war that could’ve fallen in love with each other,” Isaac told IGN.
He continued, “I would try to push it a bit in that direction, but the Disney overlords were not ready to do that.”
John Boyega also supported the ship in ‘Star Wars’
Isaac is not the only Star Wars actor who supported Stormpilot. Boyega, who plays Finn, also wanted the pairing to be romantic.
“Personally, I kind of hoped and wished that maybe [Poe and Finn’s relationship] would’ve been taken further in the other films, but I don’t have control. It seemed like a natural progression, but sadly enough it’s a time when people are too afraid, I think, of… I don’t know what … They’ve always had a quite loving and open relationship in which it wouldn’t be too weird if it went beyond it. But at the same time, they are just platonic at the moment,” Boyega told Variety.
Brandon only views Stormpilot as friends
While Boyega, Isaac, and fans viewed Stormpilot as a possible romance, Brandon did not view the pairing as romantic.
“Because I’m cutting it together, I’m kind of taking it at face value, and I’m not reading as much into it as an audience. And maybe that’s just my nature. I don’t know,” she said. “But I think, again, they’re best of friends. There is a kind of brotherhood there where they understand each other, and they’ve got each other’s back.”
Reylo was controversial in the ‘Star Wars’ fandom
Like Stormpilot, some fans of the franchise have viewed Reylo as a possible romance since Star Wars: The Force Awakens. However, the ship was divisive in the fandom, as some viewed the relationship as abusive. Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, was even iffy about the nature of the relationship.
“I do know about Reylo. I don’t know how I feel about it because everyone’s talking about the toxic thing of a relationship when it’s essentially emotional [abuse]. It’s a tricky road,” she said at Star Wars Celebration.
Ridley continued, “I do feel like, deep down, Kylo thinks what he’s doing is right and he doesn’t think he’s wrong, but he has also killed so many people. So I can’t really get behind in that, in a personal way.”
Brandon knows Reylo is not for everybody
In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rey and a newly-redeemed Ben Solo share a kiss after he sacrifices his life force to revive her. Brandon knew the kiss would be controversial for some fans and did not take its inclusion lightly.
“I always said, ‘The movie will tell us whether they should kiss or not. We will know by the time we get to the end of our process, if it should happen.’ And I felt it should, and [director J.J. Abrams] agreed with me, and other people who saw the film agreed,” she said.
Brandon also acknowledged that not everyone would be supportive of the pairing.
“I know it’s not for everybody. I know there will be people who wish they hadn’t, but this is a film that was never going to please everyone, and I think that the reviews are kind of reflective of that,” she said. “The things that certain people love, other people hated. And that’s the phenomenon of ‘Star Wars.'”
