Star Wars: Poe Dameron Proves That People Are the Spark
Sure, his tenacity gets the best of him, but he usually means well. Poe Dameron has gone from spice runner to war hero to mutineer and back,
Making his introduction in 2015’s The Force Awakens, Poe Dameron quickly became one of the sequel trilogy’s big three. Fans are pretty split on whether these movies were good. But Poe and his droid companion, BB-8 remain some of the best parts of the newest set of movies.
Poe Dameron’s Fictional Biography
Poe Dameron was born in 2 ABY (after the battle of Yavin) on Yavin 4 itself. His parents, kes Dameron and Shara Bey were both active members of the Rebel Alliance in the war against the Galactic Empire. But when Poe was young they retired from the Rebellion to settle on Yavin 4 and raise Poe in relative peace and safety. As a child on Yavin, Poe learned to fly his mother’s RZ-1 A-Wing Interceptor.
At sixteen, after crashing his late mother’s A-Wing and damaging it beyond repair, Poe joined a crew of spice runners out of Kijimi. This was more of an excuse to get off of his home planet and away from a father who he often butted heads with, and Poe ignored some obvious red flags, such as running spice, and that the team’s previous pilot had suddenly and mysteriously died. Unsurprisingly, eventually, this too went bad, and Poe had to go on the run from the spice runners for a short time before leaving the planet in disguise in order to return home.
Eventfully Poe took his skill for flight and joined the New Republic’s Defense Fleet and even continued his training under the legendary Wedge Antilles. Here he learned about his parents’ Rebel service and heroism while rising through the ranks himself. Poe went from one of Antilles’ best students, to pilot and commander for the New Republic relatively quickly.
“Permission to jump in an X-Wing and blow something up?”
– Poe Dameron.
Poe’s service in the New Republic navy would continue through the rise of the First Order and the formation of the Resistance. As an active- and sometimes too quick to jump to action–a member of the Resistance, he would obtain knowledge about the First Order and Kylo Ren, provide air support, and be instrumental in a number of space battles.
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Behind the Scenes and Creation of the Character
There are many interesting little behind-the-scenes facts that fundamentally changed Poe Dameron’s character leading up to the production of the sequel trilogy. For example, initially, Poe was meant to die in The Force Awakens. But director J. J. Abrams changed his mind after some push-back from actor Oscar Isaac. Isaac was reluctant to play yet another character who died so quickly after being introduced. And honestly, his portrayal of Poe added a lot of fun and charm to the film.
Additionally, Poe’s home world of Yavin 4 was chosen specifically by Isaac himself. The planet’s real-life shooting location was Tikal, Guatemala. Oscar Isaac himself was born in Guatemala and requested Yavin 4 similarly be the home world of his character.
Who Plays Poe Dameron
Oscar Isaac plays Poe Dameron in on film in live-action. But he is also voiced by Lex Lang in Star Wars: The Resistance Rises as well as Jake Green in LEGO Star Wars: Terrifying Tales.
What Does Poe Dameron Pilot?
Poe will famously tell anybody that he “can fly anything,” and there is likely some truth to this as we see him fly a variety of ships. But throughout the movies and his New Republic and Resistance service, we mostly see him fly a customized X-Wing called Black One.
How Old Is Poe Dameron?
Poe was born in 2ABY which would make him 32 during the events of both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi and 33 during The Rise of Skywalker.
Where Is Poe Dameron From?
Poe was born on and spent most of his childhood on Yavin 4. This choice was a reference to Oscar Isaac being born in and the real-life filming location for Yavin 4 both being Guatemala.
Who Is Poe Dameron’s Love Interest?
Early in the movies, it seemed like there may have been a bit of flirting between Poe and Finn. The rumor of this potential romance was only fueled- but never officially confirmed nor denied- by the actors themselves, who hinted and joked about the potential pairing with some regularity.
By the end of Rise of Skywalker, however, it seems like fellow former spice runner Zorii Bliss was being set up as Poe’s potential love interest. That said, it’s hard to say if Poe has one definitive and canonical love interest. But it is undeniable that Oscar Isaac had great chemistry with just about everybody he interacted with in these films.
Who Are Poe Dameron’s Parents, and Is His Mother Leia?
Poe’s parents were Rebel heroes Kes Dameron and Shara Bey. Leia is not Poe’s mother despite having a few motherly tendencies towards him from time to time.
How Did Palpatine Return?
… Somehow.
Do you have a favorite Poe Dameron moment, scene, or quote? How did you feel about the sequel trilogy and has your opinion shifted at all with time? Who do you think Poe’s love interest is / should be? Let us know in the comments!
May the Force be with you, adventurers!
