Star Wars: The Force Awakens isn’t very far away, but despite the fact we’re close to seeing it in theaters there’s very little we know about the major characters in the film. Sure, old favorites from the previous installments are coming back but the new trilogy is definitely setting up a new “big three” of Poe, Finn, and Rey. Those three newcomers all seem to have very interesting set ups… but how will the film be handling them? And how will they fit into the greater story being told of the new trilogy?
Well, when it comes to Poe Dameron we’ve created this handy dandy guide to keep you up to date with the character. We already have ones for Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren, so check them out if you’re curious to be up to date on all the characters.
Who’s playing him?
Oscar Issac (Ex Machina, Show Me A Hero).
What’s his deal?
Poe is a hotshot pilot for the Resistance, who is on a mission given to him by General Leia.
What mission is that?
We don’t know, but it’s pretty safe to assume it has to do with Starkiller base.
How’d he join the Resistance?
Actually, Oscar Issac himself just shed a lot of light on Poe’s backstory and how he joined the Resistance:
“[The backstory] was a collaboration. That was me realizing that Yavin, the Rebel base at the end of A New Hope, was shot in Guatemala. I was born in Guatemala. This takes place 30 years later. Which is close to my age. And so I thought ‘Why couldn’t Poe be from Yavin? He could be from there, that rebel base.’ And I said that in some interviews.
Lucasfilm heard that, it got back to the creators of Shattered Empire and they thought ‘That’s a cool idea.’ This is the first time where me talking about my character background I usually do as an actor, I get a comic book out of it. It’s pretty wild. They’re doing a beautiful job. I think it’s great. The story itself I had nothing to do with just the seed of that’s where Poe in born.
He comes from a line of Resistance fighters. He has pledged his total allegiance to the Resistance. He believes in The Force and he wants to take down the First Order. So he puts his life on the line at any given moment to do that.”
Who are his parents?
Shara Bey and Kes Dameron, two soldiers fighting for the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War. Poe was born shortly after the Battle of Endor.
If he’s an X-wing pilot, does he have a squadron?
He does! Black Squadron. He’s their flight leader.
What’s with his Black X-wing?
We don’t entirely know, but we’re willing to bet it’s a stealth T-70 X-wing fighter specifically designed for a function we’ll see in the film. Presumably, it’s the key element of a desperate plan they have no choice but to yes near the end of the film… but that’s just us guessing.
What’s his relationship to BB-8?
BB-8 is his droid. Presumably, they get separated at the beginning of the movie. We know that Poe gets captured by the First Order and tortured by Kylo Ren, so he probably told BB-8 to flee since it’s probably holding pretty important information. We think BB-8 meets up with Rey while Finn and Poe escape captivity, but this is just speculation based on trailers we’ve seen.
How does he know Finn and Rey?
He doesn’t initially. As we said, we think Finn and Poe escape together and Poe gives Finn his jacket. After that, he presumably meets up with them. Based on the trailers, it looks like Black Squadron (led by Poe), save them from being captured by the First Order later in the film.
What role will he have in the film?
While Finn is the everyman and Rey is the survivor full of equal parts wonder and righteous anger, Poe is the true believer in the cause of the Resistance. The guy grew up with stories of the Rebellion and it’s heroes and devotes himself entirely to continuing their cause. He’s Wedge Antillies and early Luke Skywalker rolled into one guy. He’s the morale booster who’s full of talent and knows it. And he’s more than willing to crack a joke along with a grin if it’ll help get the job done.
