Since the release of The Force Awakens there has been some fan speculation regarding the relationship between Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron and John Boyega’s Finn and whether a queer romance would exist in the upcomingThe Last Jedi - or indeed any LGBTQ representation - exacerbated by comments made by Disney, JJ and Mark Hamill toward the affirmative.
While that specific instance for now exists only in the hearts and minds of a certain corner of Star Wars fans, a more concrete example of LGBTQ inclusion has come to fruition. In Claudia Gray’s upcoming Star Wars novel Leia: Princess of Alderaan Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo (who will be played by the incomparable Laura Dern inThe Last Jedi) appears to hint at an attraction to more than simply human males.
'A pair of pretty dark eyes.' Then Amilyn thought about that for a moment. 'Or more than a pair, if you're into Grans. Or Aqualish, or Talz. Or even - ' 'That's all right!' Leia said through laughter. 'It's just humanoid males for me.' 'Really? That feels so limiting.' 'Thank goodness it's a big galaxy.'
It’s a subtle moment and while there’s no guarantee this attribute will be reflected in the upcoming Episode VIII film, there was a GLAAD report back in 2016 that citedThe Last Jedi as an example of Hollywood pushing for more diversity in major movies which may lend credence to its possibility.
It’ll certainly be a milestone for LGBTQ cinema and if it’s execution is like the aforementioned passage it could simply be an elegant moment similar to Sulu’s husband and daughter in 2016’s Star Trek Beyond which would hopefully make the inclusion more palatable to those reticent to this sort of representation.
Only time will tell.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is set to be released on December 15, 2017.