Poe Dameron is surprisingly one of the most popular characters in the new Star Wars universe and, considering he didn't get a lot of screen time and absolutely no character development, I'm assuming his popularity is due to his fun personality and impressive fighter pilot skills. Personally, I thought the whole movie long that he was a bad guy. And after thinking it over, I think I've figured out why he came across that way.
Don't worry--if you are a Poe fan, I'm not here to bash him; just to point out a problem with how the character was drawn so you can avoid it in your own writing.
Don't worry--if you are a Poe fan, I'm not here to bash him; just to point out a problem with how the character was drawn so you can avoid it in your own writing.
*Warning: minor spoilers for Star Wars: the Force Awakens ahead; but if you haven't seen it yet, you probably have all the spoilers anyway so I wouldn't worry about it too much.*
Poe played three important roles in the story: he left BB8 on Jakku, he helped Finn escape, and he fired the shot that destroyed the star killer base. The writers needed a character to do all these things and they wanted him to be a likeable character that people could root for, so they gave Poe a fun, snarky, devil-may-care personality that made him something of a second Han Solo.
But they forgot one major thing that every character needs and that helped make Han Solo such an instant classic. Poe had no motivating goal.
Poe played three important roles in the story: he left BB8 on Jakku, he helped Finn escape, and he fired the shot that destroyed the star killer base. The writers needed a character to do all these things and they wanted him to be a likeable character that people could root for, so they gave Poe a fun, snarky, devil-may-care personality that made him something of a second Han Solo.
But they forgot one major thing that every character needs and that helped make Han Solo such an instant classic. Poe had no motivating goal.
Every other character in the story wants something:
Rey wants her family to come back for her
Finn wants to escape the First Order and his storm trooper identity
Han and Leia want their son back
Kylo Ren wants to be just like his grand-daddy
Goals make even unlikable characters relatable. For instance, when Han Solo shows up for the first time in the middle of a cantina brawl (in which he allegedly shoots first). Somehow we still find Han a relatable character because he has something he wants—enough money to pay off Jabba the Hutt and ensure his own freedom. Lando Calrissian starts out as a traitor, but his motivation—keeping the people in his city safe—still makes him a character we can sympathize with.
Apart from his general desire to help the Resistance, Poe has no obvious goals or desires. That either makes him a flat character or a disingenuous one. Since everybody wants something, what Poe wants just hasn't been revealed, leaving us to wonder if he could possibly harbour a secret sympathy or even hidden allegiance with the Dark Side.
Rey wants her family to come back for her
Finn wants to escape the First Order and his storm trooper identity
Han and Leia want their son back
Kylo Ren wants to be just like his grand-daddy
Goals make even unlikable characters relatable. For instance, when Han Solo shows up for the first time in the middle of a cantina brawl (in which he allegedly shoots first). Somehow we still find Han a relatable character because he has something he wants—enough money to pay off Jabba the Hutt and ensure his own freedom. Lando Calrissian starts out as a traitor, but his motivation—keeping the people in his city safe—still makes him a character we can sympathize with.
Apart from his general desire to help the Resistance, Poe has no obvious goals or desires. That either makes him a flat character or a disingenuous one. Since everybody wants something, what Poe wants just hasn't been revealed, leaving us to wonder if he could possibly harbour a secret sympathy or even hidden allegiance with the Dark Side.
Okay, I'm really not writing this just to air my fan theories about Episode VIII, so let's make this relevant to story crafting. Your characters need goals. Goals help readers relate with your character. They give readers an idea of where your character is headed and whether this is a direction we want him to go or not. Goals not only give your character purpose, they make him a nice guy or a nasty guy.
If you don't give your character a goal, he'll either be a flat character or a suspicious one. The readers will suspect him of hidden motives since you didn't reveal what his true motives were.
So before you put those Poe Damerons in your story be sure you give them clear, driving motives.
If you don't give your character a goal, he'll either be a flat character or a suspicious one. The readers will suspect him of hidden motives since you didn't reveal what his true motives were.
So before you put those Poe Damerons in your story be sure you give them clear, driving motives.