True Companionship: A Thing We Need More Of

Yeah, another post about The Force Awakens. Deal with it.

There is one pair of characters who instantly captured my attention and had me sold on their bond- as this image demonstrates (humorously).

pic.twitter.com/oHM9iMYU3r

— Lo-Ping (@GamingAndPandas) December 29, 2015

It's so sad that these two had so little time together, but what we saw was fantastic. Poe instantly demonstrating his moral quality by refusing to use Finn's number and instead naming him. Finn instantly recognizing a fellow on the path and helping him out with no expectation of reward. Their bond forged under fire, as battle-brothers, which held even after they got separated. (I want to see Poe's escape from Jakku back to base; he had to have had a noteworthy adventure of his own.)

The joke here is that they're going to be homosexual lovers, but by God this meme needs to die. What Finn found was True Companionship, what in Japanese is known as "Nakima", and Poe being so quick to give it says so much about how great a guy he is- both in his quality of discernment as well as his skill as a leader.

Think about it. Poe correctly assessed that Finn broke through something strong to want to help him, and took a huge risk to do so. That told Poe that--despite present issues--this guy was not your average man, but instead had some mettle to him that had to be acknowledged and respected. By naming Finn, and welcoming him as a friend, Poe succeeded in winning Finn's loyalty and friendship where Captain Phasma and the First Order failed via fear and anxiety.

That is so easily missed, but it is a hell of a condemnation of the Dark Side right there, and that one bright moment by Poe is what allowed Finn to overcome his own fear later on and step up against his former comrades when they attacked Mas Katanta's place in the former temple. There's a lot wrong with the writing of The Force Awakens, but there are parts done right- and this was one of them.