Star Wars: Poe Dameron’s Goodbye to Leia in The Rise of Skywalker Was Oscar Isaac’s Idea

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker delivered audiences a number of emotional moments, many of which centered around Leia, as fans knew that Carrie Fisher had tragically passed away before filming on the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga had even begun. In addition to the emotional impact this had on audiences, the cast, and the crew, it also posed a number of practical limitations for the storyline, as they had to manipulate footage previously captured of the actress, though star Oscar Isaac suggested a scene in which his character Poe Dameron said goodbye to Leia that the filmmakers were able to pull off seamlessly.

“When the Resistance loses Leia, Poe finds himself inheriting a Resistance that’s on the brink of collapse,” Isaac shares in The Skywalker Legacy documentary. “It’s clear that Leia had been grooming him for leadership, but he doesn’t even know if there’s anything to lead at this point. That scene wasn’t originally in the film and I talked to [director] J.J. [Abrams] about, ‘Well I think that it’d be great to just see a moment that Poe has with Leia. Even just a moment for him to say goodbye.’ That speaks to J.J.’s ability to try things.”

He added, “And so out of that moment of goodbye, Lando shows up and reminds him about family and about friends and about not being alone. It turned into this catalyst for, ‘Ya know what, we still have a shot.’”

Clearly the sequence was a cathartic experience for Isaac, not only because he was saying goodbye to a beloved character and co-star, but also because it was one more scene that confirmed he was concluding his time in the galaxy far, far away.

While other stars of the sequel trilogy have shared how happy they would be to potentially return to the franchise, Isaac has made it quite clear that he is ready to move on with his career.

“[I’m] happy and feeling fulfilled that the task is complete,” Isaac shared with Variety. “So I can’t imagine what it would be that would make me want to redo this thing or revisit it.”

While the actor noted he couldn’t imagine returning to the franchise, in other interviews, the actor has been far more direct.

When asked by Collider if Isaac was interested in continuing Dameron’s journey for Disney+, the actor definitively said, “Nope.” Co-star Keri Russell then asked if he would have the same reaction if he was offered $3 million an episode, and Isaac confirmed, “Cashing in my chips.”

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is available now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD.

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