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At the end of The Last Jedi, Poe introduces himself to Rey and it's strongly implied that this is the first time they have met, let alone talked to one another.

However, in The Force Awakens, it seems fairly obvious that they must have met, given that they are within feet of each other during the scene when the map to Luke Skywalker is reassembled. It also seems highly unlikely that Finn, knowing both, never introduced them to each other.

Furthermore, the FA novelisation, supposedly canon, includes a scene where they speak directly to one another;

“Uh, hi,” the pilot mumbled. “I’m Poe.”
She nodded slowly, searching his face and finding that she liked it. “I recognize the name. So you’re Poe. Poe Dameron, the X-wing pilot. I’m Rey.” “I know.” He smiled back, a little more at ease. “Nice to meet you.”

Are we supposed to believe that Poe and Rey's introduction in The Last Jedi is the first time that they have spoken to one another?

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  • 3
    I had the same question!
    – algiogia
    Dec 19, 2017 at 14:12
  • 5
    I turned to my friend and asked 'Didn't they already meet'? This is but one of dozens of plot holes. It seems every 10m I was shaken out of my suspension of disbelief to ask a simple question about a gaping plot hole. Otherwise engaging movie. 7/10.
    – Chloe
    Dec 19, 2017 at 20:47
  • 1
    The first time two people have met isn't exactly the same thing as the first time they've been introduced.
    – ArrowCase
    Jan 2, 2018 at 16:52

2 Answers 2

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According to the movie, yes

Poe and Rey are never introduced until the scene at the end of The Last Jedi, because we are explicitly shown by that scene that they haven't met. It isn't totally reasonable, since they are standing directly on either side of Leia during the map scene in The Force Awakens (And Poe interacts with BB-8 while Rey looks on), so at the absolute least it's odd that they act like they've never even laid eyes on each other. However,

  • Rey appears to leave for Luke pretty quickly after that scene. It is implied that she leaves immediately after saying goodbye to Finn. She may not have bothered to talk to anybody.
  • The novelization shouldn't be considered canon over the movies. Since The Last Jedi shows their introduction scene, it's safe to say the novelization is not canon on that point.
  • Your question argues that Finn would introduce them, but he was not conscious at this point.

So even though it might be unlikely, we can accept it as true that they never met until that scene.

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    True about Finn, I'd forgotten about that. I don't buy that the novelisation of the movie shouldn't be considered canon: Disney consider all of the new books and comics to be canon, there's a whole department working on continuity between them all, why would the FA novelisation not be canon? Dec 19, 2017 at 14:34
  • 4
    I am only saying that it shoudn't be considered canon on that specific point. I agree that the novelizations are some of the strongest canon sources on anything that isn't resolved in the movies. But in this case, a later movie contradicts it so the meeting in the novelization shouldn't be considered canon.
    – Mr Nick
    Dec 19, 2017 at 14:41
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    Star Wars novelizations are only not canon when a movie contradicts them
    – Allball103
    Dec 19, 2017 at 15:06
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    Also, the point of the scene is to demonstrate that, like Luke before her, Rey has now reached Legend status. Poe doesn't respond with some pleasantry like "Well, nice to meet you" after Rey introduces herself - he says "I know" with a hint of awe in his expression and voice, after witnessing the feats of both Luke and Rey on Crait.
    – vynsane
    Dec 19, 2017 at 16:54
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    @StevenRands Canon in Star Wars has always been movies > books/prose. That's why prose tends to cover what the movies don't (less chance of a conflict)
    – Machavity
    Dec 19, 2017 at 18:52
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I don't think this is meant to indicate it is the first time they have met. Rey is trying to fit into her role as a Hero of the Rebellion, previously she was a no one someone who helped Finn get BB8 to the resistance and then helped them get to the Death Star but sees other such as Poe and even Finn as the Hero of the Resistance and herself as a nobody with no home or place to belong so when she tells Poe, I'm Rey he affirms the fact that she has found her home and that she is now someone of importance by telling her "I know". Remember Rey is still overwhelmed with everything. Even though they have already met to her she may still believe she is forgettable to a great pilot like Poe.

In addition any meeting with Poe would have been very brief, and no doubt combined with introductions to a lot of people as well as the grief of losing Han and the excitement of looking for Luke here Poe is meeting a Jedi for potentially the first time, it is highly likely he doesn't know if she has remembered him from there briefest of meetings.

This for me wasn't a plot hole, it was another moment of reality in the film, we can't expect every character to remember who every other character is after just a first brief meeting under stressful circumstances weeks ago. I struggle to forget the names of people I met in work just yesterday after spending all day with them.

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