The Last Jedi: 15 things we know about the new Star Wars movie

Still from Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer. Image via Disney/Lucasfilm.

15. Leia slaps Poe — but why?

Okay, so this is a huge deal. Poe Dameron, the hotshot pilot who General Leia Organa trusted most to visit Jakku and find her brother, is going to come to physical blows with his boss.

Talking to Vanity Fair earlier this year, Oscar Isaac, who plays Poe, talked about getting slapped by Carrie Fisher multiple times. #Blessed.

“We did this scene where Carrie has to slap me,” Isaac said. “I think we did 27 takes in all, and Carrie leaned into it every time, man. She loved hitting me. Rian found such a wonderful way of working with her, and I think she really relished it.”

This scene may as well have iconic written all over it. We think we’d honestly forgive Johnson if he decided to add such a watermark.

But just what does Poe do to be on the business end of Leia’s anger? We know Leia’s role has changed a little since the untimely loss of Carrie Fisher last December, and we’ve speculated before as to whether Poe is being groomed for leadership.

Isaac himself said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, that Poe’s arc is from “heroic soldier to seasoned leader,” and that Leia is giving him “tough love”. Could this be a moment where he goes too far?

We don’t want to see our diehard resistance fighters at odds with one another, but we have to admit this conflict is very exciting. It could add real depth to the relationship between Poe and Leia, which thus far has been relatively unexplored. With actors like Isaac and Fisher, there’s a lot for Johnson to work with.

And it also leaves room for Poe to become his own character, with flaws and opinions (maybe even flawed opinions), not just the one hell of a pilot we’ve come to know and love.

Plus Oscar Isaac can now safely tell his friends that Carrie Fisher slapped him in the face once and it was awesome.

Oh, that I were a glove upon that hand that I might touch that cheek.