One common area of praise for the recent Star Wars film was its inclusivity.
J.J. Abrams’ film included a female protagonist (Daisy Ridley as Rey), with a black person (John Boyega as Finn) and a Latino person (Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron) playing prominent, heroic sidekick roles.
Well Abrams is hoping to keep the inclusivity train moving. Abrams was asked Thursday if characters who identify as LGBT would be coming to the Star Wars universe any time soon. Via The Daily Beast:
“Of course!” Abrams said Thursday night at his Bad Robot HQ, where he hosted the US-Ireland Alliance’s annual Oscar Wilde Awards ahead of Sunday’s Oscars, where The Force Awakens is nominated in five categories. “When I talk about inclusivity it’s not excluding gay characters. It’s about inclusivity. So of course.”
By Abrams’ logic, the sprawling Star Wars universe couldn’t possibly exist without a gay populace—even if we haven’t seen a single character identified as gay thus far. “I would love it,” he said. “To me, the fun of Star Wars is the glory of possibility. So it seems insanely narrow-minded and counterintuitive to say that there wouldn’t be a homosexual character in that world.”
The Force Awakens, which premiered late last year, prompted widespread speculation than Finn and Poe were gay and would eventually become lovers. The Huffington Post has laid out the evidence here, and while it’s not quite overwhelming, there’s definitely enough to make you wonder.
There’s only one problem with Abrams’ dedication to inclusivity in future Star Wars films — he’s not directing any more Star Wars films. Regardless, whenever Episode VIII hits theaters, we’ll be looking for signs of love from all characters, regardless of gender.
