STAR WARS: A CHARACTER STUDY OF POE DAMERON

Of all the character studies I've written over the last two years, Poe Dameron was the hardest one to understand. His arrogance is thick and infuriating, he proves himself time and again that more nonredeemable than the villain Kylo Ren. For the first time in the Star Wars universe, we see the threat come from within the Resistance, not against it. Poe Dameron single-handedly causes more damage to the Resistance than the Holdo, the New Republic, or the First Order. Simply because of his arrogance.

Here's the million-dollar question:
How does an institution built on the whole concept of defiance hold one of its soldiers accountable for the act of defiance?

Answer: It can't, and Leia knows that.

There is very little she can do to punish Poe for his disobedient behavior. It is his defiant nature and independent thinking that attracts Leia's attention in the first place. He that he can get away with anything. That lesson reflects in his behavior throughout The Last Jedi . He acts like he's invincible, because he is invincible. He doesn't realize the consequences of his actions until its too late and a majority of the Resistance is annihilated.

That is perhaps the inevitable fate of a rebellious institution. Without order, it implodes. The rebellion was never meant to last. It's a miracle that it lasts 30 years at all. Leia's erratic leadership makes the structure of the Rebellion/Resistance unstable. She should hold Poe accountable more often. If she had, so many fighters wouldn't needlessly die in The Last Jedi .

The day he is recruited he disobeys direct orders. He steals a ship and takes it on a dangerous mission that his superiors expressly forbid him to take. He hardly makes out alive, and upon return, he expects a reprimand. He deserves a reprimand. Instead, General Leia Organais waiting in the hanger to recruit him.

In order for us to understand Poe's motives, we must look deeper than the instability of the makeshift military to which he belongs. We must look at his motivations and his passions.

Why does he join the Resistance?

Perhaps to avoid punishment the day he disobeys direct orders. More likely, he seeks to continue the glorious legend of his parents, both Rebellion fighters in the Galactic Civil War. His father tells him at the beginning of his story in “Before the Awakening” that his greatest fear is that he fought for nothing. When the First Order rises, that fear is realized. Poe is there to stop it. Every mission on which he embarks as a member of the Resistance comes directly from Leia. Each illegal task becomes essential to finding Luke and preventing the galaxy from suffering another tyranny. The rise of the First Order.

This is where his story ends in “Before the Awakening” and in “The Force Awakens”. He beats Kylo Rento Jakku to find a map leading to Luke Skywalker. Leia’s last hope.

He retrieves it, but does he value it?

Does he value the LIGHT?

The answer here is sad but informative.

Poe Dameron is a pilot. He understands and loves starships. In the novel, his point of view is written in a dry, technical style. Poe's mind fixates on ships' features and functions. One would think he was a droid in disguise. It's a rare skill, one that Leia's seeks out. However, it gives him a limited understanding of the big picture.

He doesn't know people as well as he knows ships. He doesn't trust people, openly judging his superiors due to their appearance. He is a man stuck in the physical realm, too afraid to abandon a dying cruiser and face unknown space in a pod he cannot control. He proudly destroys a Dreadnought at the cost of the entire bombing fleet. Many lives are lost for the sake of Poe’s arrogance and pride.

He does everything in his power to hinder Holdo's plans, which are also Leia's plans. Their only hope to save themselves is to quietly slip away from the cruiser and hide in the shadows while the First Order follows the main cruiser. This is a plan that requires absolute discretion, just in case a vain and mouthy fly-boy happens to blurt out the plan in the presence of a perfect stranger... Oh, wait.

All because he couldn't part with a ship. He is so wrapped up in his arrogance that he forgets what he's fighting for. What his parents fight for. He loses sight of the Light.

Holdo nearly gets through to him when she reminds him of Leia's motivation.

That moment should have been enough to make him understand that Holdo has Leia's best interest at heart. She isn’t being vague or difficult. Instead, she is testing his loyalty to the cause. She reminds him of what they fight, hoping to see that he is there for the same reason. He fails that test as soon as he sees that she plans to abandon ship. This ship is his priority, and he cannot bear to leave. Without even asking her why, he brands her a coward and a traitor. He is the coward, too afraid to abandon the comfort of a ship and explore unknown space.

When all is said and done, Leia blasts him into unconsciousness. However, that is all the pain she dishes on him. Poe is loaded onto an escape pod while the two women giggle about liking him. He's a rebel. To punish him would be hypocrisy. In a way, however, he does receive cosmic punishment. He gets a front-row seat to the destruction of the escape pods. He must fact the guilt that his impulsive actions lead to the near annihilation of the entire Resistance. In the end, the remainder of the Resistance fits comfortably on the Millennium Falcon. The Resistance loses many good fighters than a day, too many. Only when he is humbled by his failure does he restore his priorities.

It is the least he can do after the loss of Holdo.

The lesson he learns by the end of The Last Jedi appears to mold him into an effective leader according to the The Rise of Skywalker Official Trailer. Is he though? Will he play a crucial part in the Resistance to free the galaxy? Can he replace Leia? Will he make his parents proud? Does he learn to value the light over his precious ship? Does he learn to value life?

We have five weeks to find out.