All the ways Poe Dameron ruined me for romance
Ahhhh Poe Dameron. Be still my heart. The moment you appeared on the screen with BB-8 while I watched The Force Awakens I knew I was smitten. Your strong confident walk, your deep thoughtful gaze, and that was all in the first two minutes. Awhile back I explained all the ways that my youthful adoration of Saved By The Bell, most specifically Zack Morris, ruined my standards for romance. Fictional self-possessed men seem to aptly steal my heart even more than the ones in real life, since I’m back again to tell you all the ways Poe has turned me into a living breathing version of the heart eyes emoji. Thanks a lot Poe Dameron, as if it’s not hard enough to date in real life, you had to be a perfect male specimen. Here is exactly how Poe ruined me for romance.
He knows when to be selfless
When Poe realizes he can’t get away with the map that leads to Luke Skywalker, he puts BB-8’s safety before his own, as well as the mission at hand before willingly running into the fray to fight off the First Order who are slaughtering the innocent people of Jakku. His actions aren’t just heroic, they seem to contain not even the slightest ounce of fear that he may not survive this altercation with the First Order. He knows what he needs to do for the greater good and he’s prepared to do it at any cost. Swoon.
Even Kylo Ren has a hard time fighting his iron will
Kylo Ren tortures Poe in an attempt to locate the map, and even though Poe is weakened by the brutality, both mental and physical in nature, he continues to fight. While he isn’t a Jedi, he’s pure of heart and strong and uses his iron will to ward off Kylo Ren as best as he possibly can.
Can you say swagger?
He’s a pilot and a darned good one and he won’t let you forget it! When Finn asks him if he can fly one of the First Order’s starfighters, Poe confidently lets Finn know that he can fly ANYTHING. That much self-assurance, minus the arrogance makes my heart pound.
He’s legit a good person
Finn (another person who has stolen my heart, but we’ll save him for another day) is shocked and disgusted by all the death the First Order leaves in its wake. Which is why he turns renegade and helps Poe escape. Poe knowing full well how stormtroopers are trained still accepts Finn at his word and immediately trusts him as well as gives him the name Finn, since stormtroopers are traditionally identified by a series of letters and numbers. Finn clearly wants to retain his humanity and in a sense Poe is the first person to grant it to him.
Hubba hubba, that leather jacket
Always a sexy accessory on a guy, it looks killer on Poe, but the fact that he wants Finn to keep it when they reunite because he’s so happy Finn is still alive, makes me fall in love with him even more.
He’s all about helping Rey
Rey, without a doubt the biggest hero of the film, needs to escape where she is being held captive by Kylo Ren. While she manages to mostly extricate herself from her dire circumstances through her own means and strength, Poe is simultaneously leading his squadron in an attack on the First Order in hopes of destroying the weapon that causes complete destruction of a planet and personally fires the shots that take it out.
His lasting bond with BB-8
It’s so adorable and needs no explanation.
So there it is. A combination of him being brave, loyal, thoughtful, full of brash confidence and having a keen fashion sense. Is it any wonder that I fell in love?
[Image courtesy Disney]
