and we, my love, are stars

Han and Poe cover/catch their ladies

“You come from nothing. You are nothing.” *pregnant pause* “But not to me.”

This is not romantic. Kylo Ren played completely on Rey’s insecurities here. I don’t give a flying fuck about his Daddy Issues, Mommy Issues and Uncle Luke Issues. This Dude is a grown man now and he makes his own choices. This is a TOXIC relationship. 

No one comes from nothing. No one is nothing. Adding “but not to me” doesn’t make what he said ok in any shape or form. 

I don’t care what you ship. Finnrey, Damerey, Reylo… how Kylo treats Rey is unacceptable and toxic. This is not a healthy relationship. Rey deserves better. 

(because who doesn’t love subtext?)

1. When Finn hands off the tracker to Poe when he heads off on his mission with Rose, Finn is trusting Poe with the fate of his best friend’s life. In the story, this serves the purpose of Rey being able to come back safely to the Resistance. However, under the surface that tracker symbolizes Rey’s life. Finn puts Rey’s life- perhaps we could say her heart-  in Poe’s hands. 

2. Another key scene is when Rey screams in pain when Snoke is torturing her, Poe jolts awake in shock and perhaps pain. This parallel makes a good scene transition, but we also see something deeper here. Rey is a powerful Force user and was certainly projecting her emotions through the Force. Poe sensed her suffering as if they were linked in some way. It is not too much of a stretch imagining a Force bond in a film where Force bonds are an established thing. The fact that Rey and Poe don’t, or barely, (from whichever way you want to interpret their ending interaction) know each other suggests some kind of fated connection. They are being drawn to each other through the Force. Kylo and Rey also did not know each other well, and had a Force connection in Last Jedi. How can we say that could not also be the case between Rey and Poe? Would it be fair to write it off that easily? At the very least, it would be less fun. 

3. Finally, Rey and Poe meet on the Falcon, after Poe had earlier looked at Rey in amazement as she used the Force to move rocks. What I find particularly interesting about this meeting is that it took the TFA novelization meeting (see this post) and gave us the inverse with the same feelings and tone. In the TFA  novel, Rey admired Poe and knew who he was. In The Last Jedi, it is Poe admiring Rey saying he already knows her name. 

“I’m Rey.”

“I know.”

There is mutual admiration here. Combine that with the possible Force bond, or at very least a destined lovers trope, and you have the recipe for some romance here! 

Not to forget that “I know.”  was Han’s famous line to Leia in ESB. in Star Wars speak “I know.” could easily be shorthand for a handsome, hot-headed hero expressing his love for a beautiful force sensitive brunette … now wait a minute … ;)

So the “I know” in TLJ was just a happy accident. 

Guys, even Darth Vader himself Anakin Skywalker is Anti-Reylo