J.J. Abrams: ‘Star Wars’ Without Gay Characters ‘Insanely Narrow-Minded’ [Spoilers]

J.J. Abrams says it would be ridiculous for Star Wars not to include gay characters, indicating they either will be or already are in the movies. Abrams believes the galaxy far, far away is one of near endless possibility, making homosexual characters an inevitability.

Abrams talked about “inclusivity” at his Bad Robot Headquarters on Thursday night while hosting the Oscar Wilde Awards. When asked if that meant gay characters too, the writer and director said, “of course!”

“When I talk about inclusivity it’s not excluding gay characters. It’s about inclusivity. So of course.”

According to The Daily Beast, he went on to detail his ideas about a future homosexual character.

“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.”

Despite the vastness of the Star Wars galaxy and a cast of characters whose diversity goes beyond even species, no character in the movies has ever revealed a homosexual orientation. That’s not the case in the expanded universe, explored in-depth through dozens of books.

According to i09, Paul Kemp’s novel Lords of the Sith included the homosexual character Moff Delian Mors, and Chuck Wendig’s novel Aftermath had two homosexual characters, Sinjir Rath Velus and Esmelle Wexley.

Likewise, although no movie character has ever openly declared a same-sex love interest, that doesn’t mean there hasn’t already been a featured gay character. It’s not like audiences ever met Boba Fett’s wife.

Among the most prominent rumors is a relationship between the runaway Stormtrooper FN-2187 (Finn) and ace rebel pilot Poe Dameron in J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens.

*Spoilers Ahead*

In the movie, Finn rescues Poe from clutches of Kylo Ren and the first order, where they form an almost instant bond. Then, when the two crash land on the desert planet Jakku, Finn believes his rebel pilot friend is dead, and starts wearing his jacket.

But, of course, Poe wasn’t killed. When the two characters are reunited, they share a quick embrace and the rebel pilot says the jacket looks good on Finn.

Now, those events are hardly proof of a romantic relationship. Another interpretation of J.J. Abrams’ storyline is the two formed a close bond thanks to their shared adversity. But Oscar Isaac, the actor behind Poe, fueled the romance rumor when he said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that he was performing a love story, according to Cinema Blend.

John Boyega, the actor who portrayed Finn, denied knowledge of any romantic relationship between the two, but that hasn’t been enough to stop the internet.

Whether or not there’s any validity to that rumor, J.J. Abrams’ comments indicate that there will be a gay character in the Star Wars movies soon. Abrams’ views on diversity in movies also extends to the #OscarsSoWhite controversy that has forced changes in the Academy Award process.

Last month, the director told The Daily Beast, “I think we all have a lot of a lot to do.”

“I think it is insane to me that we still have to have a conversation about inclusivity. It’s shameful. We all need to do better to represent this world. It’s something that is important to me, and is something that we’re focusing on at [production company] Bad Robot.”

In the meantime, J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens is finishing a tremendous showing at the box office and among critics. The next installment is set to come out in December of this year.

[Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images]