Poe’s Greatest Moments

I love Poe! I mean who doesn’t love Poe? He’s funny, he’s charming, and he’s the greatest pilot I’ve ever seen in Star Wars. When he appeared in The Force Awakens I immediately knew he was a character I was going to like and after recently reading The Last Jedi novel and watching the movie, thanks to its digital release yesterday I was further reminded how much I love his character. So today on this segment of Greatest Moments I’m sharing with you all of Poe’s moments that have excited me the most. Enjoy!

1. Captured

This is one of my favorite Poe moments because it was the first time I realized his humorous streak and it was hilarious. It was such a tense moment but Poe brought such levity to that scene. It also spoke to his bravery considering that he wasn’t afraid to joke around with Kylo Ren. That takes a lot of guts. But I’m not surprised because Poe is just that awesome. 🙂

2. Downing Thirteen First Order Enemies in What…Thirteen Seconds?!

We all know that Poe is an incredible pilot but what he did in The Force Awakens is undoubtedly one of the greatest things a pilot has ever done. I remember the first time I saw Poe take out thirteen enemies, in the sky and on the ground, in roughly thirteen seconds as he flipped and rolled and zoomed over Finn’s head. It was in IMAX and I was utterly floored. I had never seen anything as cool as that from a pilot and the incredible thing is he hasn’t slowed down since. I know I’ve said this before but…Poe is AWESOME!

3. Taking out the Dreadnought Cannons

What’s a better way to start The Last Jedi than having Poe single-handedly take out the Dreadnought’s cannons? It’s one of the greatest Star Wars beginnings ever! He took out those cannons so effortlessly and then when he performed that maneuver where he basically performed a 360 around his pursuing TIE fighters before blowing them all away at once is beyond incredible! Poe is undoubtedly the greatest pilot in Star Wars and I can’t wait to see him perform some more piloting magic in Episode IX.

4. Rekindling the Spark

The description for Poe’s story in The Last Jedi is a hot mess. As soon as his beautiful, black X-Wing was blown up everything was basically turned upside down for Poe Dameron and rightfully so. He’s never had to lead, or be led, without the stimulation of his cockpit far from reach. And yet here he was, stuck on a ship, enduring a slow motion chase as the First Order continuously followed the Resistance’s ships until they would run out of fuel and he wasn’t able to do anything about it. His brain practically exploded.

He was so out of line Leia had to stun him! That’s hilarious. But he did learn his lesson and seeing his growth from an ace pilot to a level-headed leader in the The Last Jedi is actually one of the joys of the film for me and this scene accentuates that.

When Luke went to face Kylo Ren he could’ve easily made a brash decision and decide to take that as a chance to fight but instead he chose the smartest thing to do. He led the Resistance to safety instead of leaving them to a heroic death. A much different and wiser Poe made that decision than the same Poe at the beginning of the movie.

When he returns in Episode IX I am beyond excited to see him as a legitimate leader of the Resistance and watch as he takes the spark and lights the First Order up…with his piloting skills. 🙂

These are, to me, his Greatest Moments and I can’t wait to see this list extend in the far future. I thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day.

I’ve Got ‘The Last Jedi’ Novel!

Woo, I’m so excited to officially own the novelization of The Last Jedi! I got it yesterday at my local Barnes & Noble and I can assure you, I’ve already read nearly half the book with my younger sister, and it is awesome!

This is a beautiful book cover.

 

I love that the teaser poster is what graced the cover of this novel because it really speaks to the thematic element of the movie. When you read the novelization of the movie the story of Rey’s ascendance into becoming a Jedi becomes even clearer. I remember when I saw this poster for the first time I was interpreting the light from the lightsaber going between Luke and Kylo Ren’s faces and the colors changing from blue to white to red as a sign that Rey was going to turn to the Dark Side but that’s actually not the case. This poster is actually highlighting the evolution of Rey and her journey throughout the film and novel as she explores the possibilities of the light of the dark and what her place is in the universe as the galaxy’s new hope, like Luke was all of those decades ago. It’s kind of a really cool poster.

I love The Last Jedi.

 

It’s also a few weeks until the Blu-Ray for The Last Jedi is available and I’m so glad I have this book to tie me over until then. It’s not only going to provide a better experience for me when I watch the movie because I’ll have a better understanding of the film and all of its many situations but it’s also exciting just seeing the title. I absolutely love this movie.

The iconic words.

 

There’s nothing better than opening a Star Wars book and seeing those iconic words before you read the novel, A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…. Utter magic, even in a book. It just makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Even though I haven’t finished the book yet it’s already exciting reading all of the scenes, extra and original, in a more detailed fashion. I’d say my favorite portion of the book so far are the Resistance scenes. In the movie the Rey/Luke scenes are undoubtedly riveting but on the other side of the galaxy you have this desperate situation going on with the Resistance and it’s exciting to see those scenes in a greater light. I’m especially loving the interactions between Finn and Rose. The two are magnetic, in a they-have-things-in-common sort of way, but when you read the book you realize Rose wasn’t very fond of Finn at first. In fact, he got on her nerves at most times. But the longer they’re together his adorable personality begins to rub off on her and you can see her fondness for him growing gradually. It’s actually rather sweet.

I also love Poe’s story in novelization form. He’s a pilot, his brain is hardwired to oblivion, all he can think about is his X-Wing and blowing stuff up, so when he’s forced to sit around and not do anything you can literally sense his agitation at all times. He’s literally about to combust and you can feel that heavily through the pages. It’s utterly fascinating. His relationship with Leia is also really sweet. To him she’s like another mother and he loves her for everything that she is. It’s kind of sad to think that in Episode IX he won’t have her to consult with anymore. 😦

All in all, this book is already perfect and I’m excited to read the rest of it today…because my sister and I are definitely finishing it today. If you haven’t gotten this book yet I highly recommend that you do. It not only sheds a greater light on the movie but it’s just fun to read. I thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day. May the Force Be With You.

 

The Proof That Poe Was Regarded As a Villain in ‘The Last Jedi’

Over three weeks ago I wrote a post about who I felt was the true villain in The Last Jedi and at the end of the article I felt that, due to the movie’s events, Poe Dameron was the true antagonist of the movie and for several reasons. One of the biggest reasons why however is that Poe got hundreds of Resistance fighters killed due to his reckless actions. He wanted to be a hero several times and every time he thought he was doing something great he only made things much, much worse. Of course Kylo Ren is the main villain of the trilogy but for the majority of The Last Jedi he was treated as a partial-protagonist rather than the villain that he was in The Force Awakens. And now I have legitimate proof that Poe was regarded as one of the antagonists of the film. Look at this poster.

If you see where all of the major characters are placed where is Poe? On the villain side of the poster! When I first saw this poster I wondered why Poe was on the bad side but I figured it was simply designed this way so he’d be perfectly parallel with Finn but after watching the film I now understand the reasoning behind his placing on the poster.

I find this very interesting and it highlights how different The Last Jedi is compared to its predecessor. I mean when you’ve got Poe, one of the most heroic characters in The Force Awakens, considered as a villain in its sequel it shows how wildly different the movie’s tone was going to be. And it was.

That’s why I love Star Wars. There’s always something new to discover. I’m sure when I watch this movie again I’ll find many more hidden references and Easter eggs that I’ve missed before. I mean I still watch The Force Awakens and see new things. Well, that’s my latest discovery from The Last Jedi.

I thank you for reading and I hope you have a beautiful day. May the Force Be With You.

The Defining Moments of Poe

I love Poe Dameron. I’ve loved him since he appeared in The Force Awakens. He was funny, the greatest pilot that I had ever seen, and he emitted the heroism of the Resistance. That’s why today on The Defining Moments I’m going to talk about Poe’s journey from being simply a hotshot pilot that everyone loves to becoming the responsible leader that he is by the end of The Last Jedi. Enjoy!

1. Attacking Kylo Ren

Poe was the first new major character we were introduced to in The Force Awakens and I was immediately drawn in into him by his instant charisma. He was obviously a hero and I wanted to see him get away when the scary First Order appeared.

The character of Poe Dameron was immediately revealed after Kylo Ren murdered Lor San Tekka. He could’ve remained behind the dune he was hiding behind and just watch the terrible proceedings but he is a Resistance hero for a reason. He fearlessly stepped out from his hiding place in an attempt to kill Kylo Ren and even when he was captured he didn’t act afraid. He instead mocked Kylo Ren’s mask. Ha! That’s a dude I can get behind.

I didn’t even need to know Poe’s back story to know I was already a Poe fan simply from his incredible introduction.

2. Naming FN-2187

Poe was not expecting to get rescued, not in the slightest, and he definitely wasn’t expecting to be rescued by one of the First Order’s stormtroopers! FN-2187’s bravery really inspired Poe and he knew he had found an immediate friend.

When they introduced themselves in the Tie Fighter’s cockpit as they were trying to escape he was obviously shocked to hear the human being behind him with the name of a droid. It showed the heartlessness of the First Order and the brutality of their stern regime as they turned real people into mindless followers without human names. He wasn’t going to treat his newfound friend in such a disrespectful fashion and so he gave him a name.

This shows another side of the dashing hero; his benevolence. He’s not just a fantastic pilot, he’s also a kind, caring person and the fact that he refused to call the stormtrooper by his robotic title is a beautiful thing to see.

3. Destroying StarKiller Base

Poe, clearly, is a wonderful pilot and it’s no surprise that he was able to single-handedly destroy the StarKiller Base after Finn, Rey, and Han and Chewbacca helped blow up the Oscillator. This was yet another a defining moment of his heroics and it reiterated, once again, how great of a pilot he really is.

4. Attacking the Dreadnought

Poe was established as a piloting phenom in The Force Awakens and so it was no surprise to see him back at his heroic ways at the very beginning of The Last Jedi. I mean he took on a Star Destroyer as a diversion so the Resistance Bombers could get in position to destroy the Dreadnought!

This was a defining moment for Poe because the movie diverted away from highlighting him as a hero and showed the recklessness of his disobedient actions. He was so intent on destroying the Dreadnought that he got dozens of Resistance fighters killed when they could’ve lived to fight another day. It showed that, while he is a great pilot, he isn’t a responsible leader and that’s much more important if you have the position of Commander in a war.

5. Demotion

Poe thought his mission to destroy the Dreadnought was a success but it obviously wasn’t and General Leia made sure of letting him know that as she slapped him and demoted him to Captain, and for good reason. Was he concerned about his comrade’s deaths? No, he was reveling in the fact that he destroyed a First Order Mega Star Destroyer because it’s all about him and he completely lost sight of all of the damage that he had done. Who knew he had such a gigantic ego?

This was a turning point for him because he thought his heroics were going to get celebrated and instead he was punished for disobeying a superior’s direct order and causing people to get killed for no particular reason other than his fame. It revealed to him that maybe his heroics weren’t always the solution to defeating the First Order.

6. Taking New Leadership

Poe trusted Leia wholeheartedly. I mean she treated him like a son. When she barely survived an attack by the First Order the Resistance needed a new leader and at that moment Poe just knew he was going to be the one standing in for Leia but, of course, he didn’t and had to remain under someone’s command, only this time it was a person he didn’t trust in the slightest.

Poe is a headstrong man who sees war in a front lines vision. He’s not a strategist, he’s a fighter, and so when he was forced to sit down and follow someone with a strategic plan to evade the First Order rather than tackle them head on like he would he was furious. He just knew Holdo was going to doom the Resistance to utter ruin.

I love Poe for his heroism but The Last Jedi showed that heroics weren’t going to win the day anymore against a force as crafty and mighty as the First Order.

7. Witnessing Holdo’s Plan

Poe was determined to rescue the Resistance single-handedly because he always has to be the hero in a situation but this time he wasn’t the hero. He was just an out-of-line, insubordinate, Resistance officer with a disillusioned vision of himself and his importance to the organization. That’s why Leia stunned him. Because he was out of line and needed to be taught a lesson.

As he sat in the escape pods and watched as the First Order still hounded the Resistance craft that Holdo was piloting he realized the genius of her plan. She was acting as a diversion while the rest of the Resistance would end up safely landing on Crait. At that moment he realized that sometimes foolhardy, brash plans like the one he was trying to concoct weren’t the right choices to make and that, at times, you have to know when to retreat if you’re fighting in a war.

It was because of Holdo’s brave sacrifice that he realized he needed to become a better leader and I believe this is the defining moment that transformed Captain Poe Dameron.

8. Retreat!

Poe was reassigned the role of Commander as he led the Resistance against the First Order on Crait but unlike at the beginning of The Last Jedi when he saw the situation turning south he immediately called for his fighters to retreat. This is a big change for Poe after his earlier actions got dozens of people who didn’t have to be killed. It showed that he had matured as a leader and that the old, reckless Poe was no more.

9. Poe, the Future General

At this point in The Last Jedi Poe is no longer taking orders but instead is giving the orders, with Leia’s approval of course. This shows how Rian Johnson slowly transformed him from being just a fabulous pilot to the smart, intelligent leader that Leia wanted him to be. With Carrie Fisher’s unexpected death at the end of 2016 the story can no longer involve her and that means I am pretty certain that we’ll see Poe as the new General of the Resistance by the time of Episode IX and the end of The Last Jedi sets that up perfectly.

He understands, after Luke’s diversion, that he must help sustain the spark that is the Resistance and that means sometimes running away when it is necessary. His story in The Last Jedi was seeing if he could handle his leadership skills being put to the test and I’m glad he passed with flying colors.

Who knows how his story will end in Episode IX but I know it will be beautiful.

I thank you for reading today’s segment of The Defining Moments and I hope you have a gorgeous day. May the Force Be With You.

From A Certain Point of View; Who’s The True Villain of ‘The Last Jedi’?

The Last Jedi has been out for over a month and it’s finally starting to marinate, meaning all of its ideas and hidden Easter eggs are starting to be discovered and analyzed. And as I’ve thought about this film and all of its scenarios I realized this is the first Star Wars movie that I feel didn’t have a concrete villain and that’s exciting. We can’t have franchises with one-dimensional villains in all of its movies (I’m talking about you Marvel) because that is what makes a franchise boring. If you can predict the outcome of every movie then what’s the point in watching it? Well, Rian Johnson didn’t take that approach. In fact, he killed off the one-dimensional villain in the movie, Supreme Leader Snoke, to give Kylo Ren the top baddies spot and make him a more complex character. Genius!

Rian Johnson also muddied the line between good and evil in the film by making the good characters look bad at times and the bad characters look good. I love the trend of these grey Star Wars movies. Rogue One blurred the lines of good and evil and The Last Jedi took that concept to the next level. So, because of that, who ended up being the true villain of The Last Jedi? Here are the three people in the film that had villainous tendencies in the movie.

Should Rey and Poe Have A Romance in ‘Episode IX’?

The Last Jedi came out nearly a month ago and while us Star Wars fans still have a lot of questions concerning this long-awaited sequel we also have a few questions leading into Episode IX and one of those questions is whether Rey and Poe might end up having a romantic relationship in the final movie of the trilogy?

The reason for this question is because of the brief exchange between Rey and Poe at the end of the movie. Now for me, I didn’t see anything between the two characters as they introduced themselves that sparked my future-couple spidey sense but a lot of people are wondering if they might end up becoming something more than just rebellion buddies. Personally, I think having them become a couple would be a terrible idea for several reasons.

One, Rey is just too awesome for Poe (sorry Poe.)

I mean she’s this super powerful force-wielder (I don’t know if I can officially call her a Jedi yet) whose ideas and goals simply far exceed his. And yes she’s much more powerful than the likes of Finn but she began her incredible journey with the ex-stormtrooper before she even knew she had the Force. And they had a lot in common. They were two young, alone individuals who were trying to find their way in the universe. The thought of Rey and Poe being together is about as icky as when Black Widow and The Hulk started having a romance in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

The second reason they shouldn’t be together is because it would be highly sexist.

Rey is a very, strong independent character. She isn’t in the movies because she’s a love interest. She’s in the movies because she has a story that’s important and doesn’t exactly need the assistance of men. And yes she has feelings for Finn and even Kylo Ren but it’s not as if her only role in the films is to aid in the romantic aspect of the movies.

Now, due to the way things shook out in The Last Jedi, her relationship status at the moment is kind of in the air. Finn has possibly become fully invested, romantically, in his new friend, Rose and Kylo Ren is an evil monster who can’t see beyond his hate, thus he and Rey are now mortal enemies but just because the two men she likes might not be into her anymore doesn’t mean she has to resort to the next best guy which, in that case, would be Finn’s best friend, Poe Dameron. And yes, Poe is a very charming and handsome man but come on. Is it really so important for her to be in a romantic relationship that they would force a strange and very unrealistic romance between her and the dashing pilot? I don’t think so.

Third, it wouldn’t help Poe’s story at all either.

Poe is awesome, there’s no doubt about that, but the very concept of him ending up with a potential Jedi just does not match his character nor his story line. He’s a man with little patience, as was advertised heavily in The Last Jedi. He acts brashly and makes his decisions quickly with no thought of the consequences. Do you really think a man like that could even have a romantic relationship with a Jedi? I don’t think so.

And how would it possibly aid his story? The next time we see him he’ll probably the new General of the Resistance which means he’ll be way too busy to try to keep up with Rey. I mean Leia couldn’t even find time for her own son. But Poe will be so in love with Rey that he’ll make their relationship work? *rolling my eyes* Okay.

All in all, it would just be a very terrible idea if J.J Abrams decides to take that route for both of these characters. Even Daisy Ridley basically said in an interview the other day that she doesn’t want to see Rey in a romantic relationship with Poe. It would be unrealistic, kind of gross, and it would highly undermine her awesomeness.

Now I’m not saying I don’t want her to have a romantic relationship in Episode IX. I’m a big fan of love stories in movies, especially Star Wars films. I just don’t want it to be with Poe. *shudder*

Well, I thank you for reading my opinion about this interesting subject and I hope you have a glorious day. May the Force Be With You.