After years of waiting, Star Wars fans can now officially see The Rise of Skywalker,
the final chapter of an iconic franchise that's spanned nine films and inspired several generations
of movie-goers.
But unfortunately for viewers in the United Arab Emirates, there's a certain piece of
this sprawling galactic tale that they won't be able to see.
The United Arab Emirates has a population of more than nine million, and is among several
areas within the surrounding regions where members of the LGBTQ+ community have limited
or extremely restrictive rights.
Homosexuality is officially illegal in several countries within the Middle East, and as a
result, same-gender relationships are rarely, if ever, portrayed in films.
Several people who have seen The Rise of Skywalker in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates' most populous
city, have told The Hollywood Reporter that they weren't able to watch the series' first
same-sex kiss.
Taking place at the end of the film and featuring Commander Larma D'Acy and her wife, Resistance
pilot Wrobie Tyce, the moment marks a historic first for the Star Wars franchise, but one
completely removed for UAE viewers.
This wouldn't mark the first time the UAE and neighboring regions have censored a scene,
or even an entire movie, based on its representation of LGBTQ+ identities.
In 2013, a version of Wolf of Wall Street, had around 45 minutes cut out entirely, essentially
rendering the moving unviewable for many who tried to watch it.
And in 2011, both Black Swan and Love and Other Drugs were banned by the country's censors,
while Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain was banned in the UAE in 2005 after a four-month review,
with the final decision made based on the country's laws against homosexuality.
Recently, Black Panther earned the distinction of being the first film to screen theatrically
in Saudi Arabia after the country lifted a 35-year ban on movie screenings.
However, a kiss between stars Chadwick Boseman and Lupita Nyong'o was cut from its run in
the country, following a very difficult negotiation during which Saudi Arabian officials requested
so much of the film be removed that Disney was convinced it wouldn't have been worth
showing at all.
While the scene may have been removed from the UAE run of The Rise of Skywalker, it surprisingly
wasn't censored in China, which also has a long history of eliminating on-screen portrayals
of LGBTQ+ identity.
Reports from movie attendees in both Beijing and Shanghai confirmed that moment had been
retained, though China had notoriously banned Brokeback Mountain, and cut Michael Fassbender's
same-sex kiss from Alien: Covenant.
But while some audiences around the world who got to see the moment in Rise of Skywalker
moment celebrated it, others outright blasted it, especially after director J.J. Abrams
had hinted at the importance of the moment earlier, during the film's press tour, telling
Variety,
"In the case of the LGBTQ community, it was important to me that people who go to see
this movie feel that they're being represented in the film."
But it wasn't quite the representation that many fans had asked for.
For years, a group of viewers had openly shared their hopes of seeing the final trilogy's
leading men, Poe Dameron and Finn, spark a canonical romantic connection.
Actor Oscar Isaac revealed that while he had no control over that particular character
development decision, he hoped for the films to take Finn and Poe's relationship in a romantic
direction.
John Boyega also spurred fan interest in a relationship between the two characters before
the latest film's debut, sharing a cheeky Instagram video in which he penned a long-winded,
romantic letter to his "dearest Oscar."
"Bro, I think, lo-key, sometimes I feel BB-8 is straight up is jealous of our s---."
While fans may not have gotten the exact romantic relationship they were hoping for, many have
excitedly come out in support of the on-screen moment they were given, with just as many
fans wishing that the moment lasted longer, or wasn't confined to background characters.
In an industry where LGBTQ+ representation isn't internationally accepted, what's clear
from the fan response and the UAE's decision to cut the historic moment is that the film
was never going to please The Rise of Skywalker's entire audience.
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