3 Big Reasons Why Poe Dameron Is The Key To Star Wars' New Trilogy

SPOILERS AHEAD: This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. If you want to read our spoiler-free review, click here. The rest of you, read on… but know that you have been warned.

With a new Star Wars trilogy just getting started, fans are full of both hope and fear. The hope is that we’ll get a new series of films like the first three, while many fans are fearful they’ll be disappointed as they were with the prequels. However, The Force Awakens has already shown us that it has something that the prequel trilogy lacked. It has Han Solo. Now I know what you’re thinking and calm down. I’m not talking about the actual character. I’m talking about the traits that his character brought to the original trilogy. Even with Han Solo gone, many of the things that he brought to the series are still with us, thanks to Oscar Isaac. He may not ever be the most important character to the plot, but Poe Dameron is the most important character to the films being successful. Here’s why.

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1. He’s The Most Human

As much as Rey and Finn and great characters in their own right, they need Poe Damoeron to balance them out. Rey is going to be a Jedi, and Finn has his own issues as a formerly brainwashed Stormtrooper. These are great characters, but they’re not relatable characters. Poe is just a guy. He doesn’t use magic, he uses his wits and his courage. These are things an audience can truly understand, and it helps make him important.

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2. He’s Funny

While the original trilogy doesn’t have a great deal of humor in it, the best lines come from Han Solo. And more importantly, it’s humor that works. It’s not the slapstick of the prequels. From almost the first moment we meet Poe Dameron, we realize that he’s cut from the same cloth as Han Solo. His first words to Kylo Ren are a joke. It’s kind of like making a joke just before you know you’re about to get attacked by a platoon of Stormtroopers. "It was a boring conversation anyway."

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3. He’s Got The Skills

When the movie begins, we meet Finn and Rey at the beginning of their journey. Finn is a trained Stormtrooper, but he just left all of that behind. Rey has been spending all of her time waiting. If past is prolog, Rey may be spending a large portion of the next movie doing handstands while lifting rocks with her mind. Finn also has some soul-searching to do. They both have a lot to learn. Poe has already learned it. He’s the experienced one. He’s the confident one. The movies need somebody who knows what they are doing, or at least, acts like it. Until the rest of the characters get their feet under them, Poe can (and should) lead the way.

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.