Shortly following the release of The Force Awakens, a lot of people got excited about the idea that Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) were more than just friends. While the actors and filmmakers both flirted with the idea and denied it, it did appear to that the reaction to the possibility of Poe and Finn getting together made Lucasfilm start thinking more seriously about including LGBTQ characters in the movies.
Now we may have one in Star Wars: The Last Jedi – although we’ll have to wait and see whether the character’s sexuality actually makes it into the film. Screenrant reports that in Claudia Gray‘s new novel, Leia: Princess of Alderaan, which looks at events during Leia’s life before the first Star Wars (1977) movie, the character of Amilyn Holdo is presented as possibly pansexual.
While the book includes a young Holdo, we will get to see an older version of the character in The Last Jedi – who by that time is an Admiral – played by Laura Dern.
Here’s a brief passage from Leia: Princess of Alderaan: “A pair of pretty dark eyes.” Then Amilyn thought about that for a moment. “Or more than a pair, if you’re into Grans. Or Aqualish, or Talz. Or even – ”
“That’s all right! Leia said through laughter. “It’s just humanoid males for me.”
“Really? That feels so limiting.”
“Thank goodness it’s a big galaxy.”
Now, it is a bit of a leap from that exchange to say that Holdo is definitely LGBTQ, or that if she is there will be any direct evidence of it in the movies, but it’s makes it a distinct possiblity. The fact Amilyn is such a big part of the novel and of Leia’s earlier life also suggests she may become increasingly important to the Star Wars movies, especially considering Carrie Fisher’s sad death. We will be able to see how Holdo fits into The Last Jedi and whether her sexuality is evident when the film is released in December.