Poe’s Necklace In ‘The Last Jedi’ Potentially Sets Up A ‘Star Wars’ First

[This post contains light spoilers for The Last Jedi]

One of the first things Poe Dameron does in Star Wars: The Last Jedi is run to Finn after BB-8 tells him that he’s naked and dripping. So, yeah, while they didn’t end up making out in the sexy sands of Crait (in fact, Finn ends up sharing a kiss with Rose), it’s at least suggested that Poe thinks of his friend as more than that. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy acknowledged that “we’ve talked about” a potential romance, but it wasn’t in The Last Jedi.

That doesn’t rule out Episode IX, though.

If you look very, very closely at the IMAX poster for The Last Jedi, and throughout the movie itself, you’ll notice that Poe wears a necklace. It’s never acknowledged on screen, but the book Star Wars: The Last Jedi Visual Dictionary reveals that he’s wearing “the wedding ring of his late mother, Shara Bey, on a necklace, waiting to share it someday with the right partner.”

(Shara, who first appeared in Marvel’s Star Wars: Shattered Empire comic series, was also a pilot and a total badass. A brief excerpt from her Wookieepedia: “Although Bey was in the presence of royals, she was placed in command, at Organa’s suggestion, due to her combat experiences. With the question of command settled, the three starfighters took off into the storm and readied to engage Imperial forces in orbit.” Like mother, like son.)

Notice the last word in the dictionary’s description: “partner.” That could refer to a man or woman, but considering Kennedy’s acknowledgment of a potential relationship blooming between Poe and Finn, it can’t be a coincidence. J.J. Abrams has said “of course” there will be more gay characters (which is to say, at least one) in Star Wars, while Rian Johnson told BuzzFeed, “I think [LBGT representation] is something that absolutely could have a place in this universe. I’m sure it will at some point.” How about in Episode IX?

(Via Twitter)