Poe Dameron Poe Dameron was a human male pilot who served as a captain in the New Republic and , later , the Resistance during its conflict with the First Order . The son of Lieutenant Shara Bey and Sergeant Kes Dameron of the Alliance to Restore the Republic , Dameron followed in his late mother ' s footsteps and became a pilot , serving the New Republic Defense Fleet as the commander of Rapier Squadron , but grew disillusioned with the Republic ' s inaction to the First Order ' s violations of the Galactic Concordance . Dameron defected to the Resistance , where he became one of General Leia Organa ' s most trusted operatives . Dameron flew under the callsign of Black Leader while piloting his specialized T - 70 X - wing fighter , " Black One " . As the conflict with the First Order grew more desperate , Dameron was sent to find Lor San Tekka on Jakku , who had part of a map to locate Organa ' s brother , Jedi Master Luke Skywalker . Though Dameron entrusted the map to his astromech droid BB - 8 , he was captured by the First Order and interrogated for the location of the map , eventually being forced to hand over the information . He escaped with the help of a defecting stormtrooper , whom Dameron nicknamed Finn , and returned to the Resistance base on D ' Qar on his own . He aided Finn , Rey , Han Solo , and Chewbacca with air support during the Battle of Takodana , and he later flew during the battle to destroy the superweapon known as Starkiller Base . During the battle , after the base was damaged by Solo , Finn , Rey , and Chewbacca , Dameron fired the shots that destroyed the Starkiller weapon , saving the Resistance from certain destruction . During the subsequent evacuation of D ' Qar , Dameron disobeyed orders and led an attack on the First Order Dreadnought " Fulminatrix " , but his reckless actions caused him to be demoted . As the First Order pursued the Resistance by tracking them through hyperspace to the Crait system , Dameron did not approve of the passive strategy of Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo and worked with Finn and mechanic Rose Tico to break into Supreme Leader Snoke ' s flagship , the " Supremacy " , and disable the First Order ' s hyperspace tracker before eventually staging a mutiny against Admiral Holdo in an effort to buy Finn and Rose time . However , Dameron and the mutineers had not realized that Holdo ' s plan was to discreetly transport the Resistance to an abandoned Rebel base on the nearby planet Crait , and his group ' s actions caused the First Order to discover the Resistance ' s escape vessels and destroy many of them . Even so , General Organa gave Dameron command after Holdo sacrificed herself , and he led a last - ditch counterattack against the First Order during the Battle of Crait . The counterattack was unsuccessful , but Dameron was able to lead the surviving Resistance fighters while a projection of Luke Skywalker distracted Kylo Ren and the First Order , where they found their way to Rey and the " Millennium Falcon " , allowing them to escape . Biography . Early life . Three years prior to his birth , Poe Dameron ' s voice was heard by Padawan Ezra Bridger during his mission to a place that existed between time and space . Born two years before the Battle of Endor , Poe Dameron was the son of Shara Bey and Kes Dameron , who both served the Alliance to Restore the Republic in the fight against the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War . As an infant , Dameron barely saw his parent s due to the Alliance ' s continued operations against the Imperials before and after Endor , as his mother worked as a Rebel pilot for the Alliance ' s Green Squadron and his father was a member of the Pathfinders , and Dameron was thus left in the care of his maternal grandfather . Six months after the Battle of Endor , after the Imperial remnant put forward , Dameron ' s parents left Rebel service to reunite with him , settle on Yavin 4 and build a house — close to which they planted a Force - sensitive tree , a gift from Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker . At age 6 , Dameron began to learn how to fly in his mother ' s old RZ - 1 A - wing interceptor , which was part of his mother ' s compensation package when she mustered out of the Rebellion . She would take Dameron up in it , and he would sit in her lap , learning how to control the ship from her . Tragedy struck his family when his mother unexpectedly died ; at the time , Dameron was only eight years old . L ' ulo L ' ampar , Bey ' s fellow Rebel pilot and friend , helped raise Dameron , and was thus like family to him . New Republic . Eventually , Dameron became a pilot himself and joined the New Republic Defense Fleet . Upon entering the New Republic ' s service , he began to learn the true scope of his mother ' s heroism , and he himself rose through the ranks , becoming a commander for the New Republic , and earned the reputation of being extremely skilled . Given command of Rapier Squadron , a group of T - 85 X - wing s , Dameron also met the spherical astromech droid BB - 8 , who would go onto assist him during his flights as Rapier Leader and become a steadfast friend from then on . His squadron was stationed at the Mirrin Prime Republic Base , under Major Lonno Deso . In time , Dameron came to be aware of the threat the First Order represented and the leeway they were given by the Republic , but he and his squadron were merely deployed to patrol trade lanes in the Mirrin sector and protect ships from piracy . The " Yissira Zyde " . After four weeks of inactivity , Dameron ' s scanner picked up a distress call from the " Yissira Zyde " . Once BB - 8 pinpointed its exact location above Suraz 4 , Dameron and his fellow Rapiers — Karé Kun , Iolo Arana , and Muran — made the jump into lightspeed , expecting to find the " Zyde " under pirate attack . However , they found the freighter sieged by eight First Order TIE fighters , which proceeded to attack them . Breaking them into two elements , Dameron and Kun attacked the TIE fighters , while Arana and Muran broke off the shuttle s attacking the " Zyde " . Though during the skirmish Dameron fell five enemy ships , and Kun the other three , the squadron lost Muran . Afterwards , Dameron tried to convince Desso to contact the Resistance or investigate the attack , but as Republic Command had ordered not to take action against the First Order , Dameron ' s request was denied . When they were sent on a patrol once again , Dameron split up from Kun and Arana to do a reconnaissance mission of the " Yissira Zyde " ’ s hyperspace trajectory alone with BB - 8 . Together , they made it to OR - Kappa - 2722 where they found a First Order staging point and Dameron was forced to engage and avoid two dozen TIE fighters while BB - 8 located the " Zyde " ’ s ID transponder aboard one of the Star Destroyer s . When they were ready to leave , Dameron made a " L ' ulo Stand " and managed to escape back to Mirrin Prime . Upon his return to the planet , Dameron met Major Caluan Ematt and was then made to enter a briefing room alone to meet General Leia Organa , who requested that he tell her everything about the " Yissira Zyde " . Resistance . Upon ending his account of the skirmish , Organa realized that Dameron reminded her of her brother Luke Skywalker ― for being passionate , an outstanding pilot and dedicated to doing what was right ― , and offered him the opportunity to join the Resistance in its conflict against the First Order . Dameron immediately accepted , as did Kun and Arana . Retaining the rank of commander and now in charge of his own fighter wing , Dameron was transferred to the " Echo of Hope " , and in the next few months , he went onto helping in recruiting efforts to find additional pilots , scouting missions , long - range reconnaissance , and searching for signs of First Order movement and positions . In his service to the Resistance , Dameron became one of Organa ' s most - trusted operatives , and quickly rose through the ranks of the understaffed Starfighter Corps , earning the command of both Red and Blue Squadron ― the latter of which served as the primary line of defense for the Resistance base on D ' Qar . Under the callsign of Black Leader , to denote his customized , dark - hull ed T - 70 X - wing fighter " Black One " , Dameron was assisted during his flights by BB - 8 . Operation : Saber Strike . Eventually , Dameron was recruited by Organa for to steal navicomputer data from the " Hevurion Grace " , which belonged to First Order sympathizer and Republic senator , Erudo Ro - Kiintor . Dameron , in turn , recruited Kun and Arana and acquired three Z - 95 Headhunter s for the operation . Forced to leave BB - 8 behind , Dameron and his team went to the Uvoss system and awaited for the " Pinnacle " - class luxury ship to arrive . When it did , Kun and Arana disabled and escorted the ship as planned , while Dameron used an EVA suit to board Ro - Kiintor ' s " Grace " . Inside , he claimed the ship for the Irving Boys to cover his true allegiance , and forced the senator , his pilot and his servant to go into the escape pod s . Dameron then made it to the ship ' s cockpit and worked on restarting the droid engine s when First Order ' s vessels appeared . Depite engaging one frigate and two Star Destroyers , Dameron , Kun and Aranda managed to escape and land their respective ships aboard the " Echo of Hope " . General Organa then met with Dameron and sent C - 3PO to get everything he could from the flight computer s . The following morning Dameron confided in Organa that he was angry and worried at their situation , which echoed the Imperial Era ' s characteristic hopelessness that his parents had told him about . Organa then resolved to find Lor San Tekka , whom ( according to their findings in the " Hevurion Grace " ) the First Order was trying to locate , and whom Organa believed held a clue to her brother ' s location . At some point , Dameron and BB - 8 were deployed to retrieve C - 3PO ( with whom he was already familiar ) , the only survivor of a mission to transmit the location of Admiral Gial Ackbar to the Resistance . Forming Black Squadron . Determined to find her brother before the First Order did , Organa tasked Dameron with the search for Lor San Tekka at his last - known location . Although trouble was unlikely , Dameron was authorized to select a squadron of four pilots and a technician . Choosing people whom he could trust , Dameron recruited Kun , L ' ampar , Temmin Wexley , Jessika Pava , and Oddy Muva to form Black Squadron . Dameron informed the group that they would be departing on a mission , but , to L ' ampar ' s disapproval , the purpose of their mission remained classified . Except for Muva , Dameron and his squadron departed from D ' Qar to Ovanis where Tekka was last seen . Leaving the rest of his squadron to fly above the surface , he flew " Black One " into a perilous cavern and landed at a Crèche outpost , and briefly lost contact with the squadron . While BB - 8 restore the signal , Dameron inquired about Tekka ' s location with the outpost ' s elder , but she refused out of distrust . BB - 8 then discovered a tracker on his ship , which meant the First Order was likely to arrive soon . Not too long afterwards , Kun reported to Dameron that a First Order platform was already on site and deploying a taskforce to the cavernous entrance . Striking a deal with the elder , Dameron and BB - 8 hid their starfighter before Agent Terex bursted into the outpost , and Dameron ordered his squadron to " give him some leverage " . While they did as ordered and fell the platform , Dameron confronted Terex while BB - 8 remained hidden . Although he no longer had air support , Terex ordered his flametrooper s to destroy the sacred egg of the Crèche and correctly surmised that the " Ravenous " from orbit would launch a counterattack . However , in the nick of time , the " savior " hatched from the egg and attacked everyone . Dameron used the opportunity to distract Terex with a punch , while BB - 8 stole the agent ' s blaster pistol . As Dameron and Terex fought over it , the creature ' s counterpart appeared to save the Crèche and killed the newly - hatched beast . Forced into stalemate , Terex called the attack off , and Dameron took advantage of their momentous peace to speak with the elder again . Grateful , she told Dameron where Tekka had gone after leaving the planet , and then left the planet with the rest of her people and the savior . With them safe , Dameron and his squadron retreated from the planet , letting Terex go . Prison Break on Megalox Beta . Back on D ' Qar , Dameron reported to Organa about the search ' s next destination and told her of the tracking beacon BB - 8 had found attached to his ship . While she put C - 3PO on the case to see what he learned through his network , she also paid a generous amount to get Black Squadron inside the privately - owned prison of Megalox Beta so that they could see Grakkus the Hutt — reputed for being a collector of Jedi artifacts . Upon arrival , Dameron and his squadron were greeted by Luta , who gave them a rundown of the prison ' s rules , and left her men to escort them to the surface . Although they were left to their own devices , Dameron ' s team found its way to Grakkus ' headquarters . However , Dameron soon found out that Terex was already there and had become aware of Dameron ' s attempts to find the location of Tekka . Grakkus struck a deal with the two of them : he would provide his information to the one who broke him out of the prison . After speaking with Grakkus , Dameron told Black Squadron that Grakkus knew where Tekka was . However , he told them they had break him free out of prison before Terex . " Snap " asked Dameron how Terex got there first . All Dameron knew was that the F . O . S . B . have ears everywhere . Thus , Dameron and Black Squadron started to plan the escape . He then waited until a group of prisoners started ram the door . Dameron and the other members of Black Squadron than defended Grakkus ' s fortress against the prisoners under Papa Toren . Dameron then waited for BB - 8 and the other astromechs to disable the prison ' s gravity field . After BB - 8 signaled him , Dameron and the others then turned on their gravity belts . After the prisoners were subdued , Dameron had L ' ampar acquire guns . Dameron then went into the fortress and took Grakkus . Dameron then contacted Warden Luta and told him that he knew about his deal with Terex . Dameron was able to convince him to let them return to their fighters and leave with Grakkus on one of Luta ' s ships . As they left the station , Dameron and the other pilots then engaged with the " Carrion Spike " . Before Grakkus made his escape , Dameron was then given information on Tekka . Dameron then returned to D ' Qar , where he gave the information to General Organa . Dameron than asked if he would resume his search for Tekka . Organa told him that she had a more important mission for Dameron ; to find out who informed Terex about the prison . Meeting Suralinda Javos . Dameron the went to Pheryon . There , he met up with Suralinda Javos , a reporter for the " Galaxy Beacon " . Dameron and Javos then came under attack by a group of thugs . He and Javo then " borrowed " a Stormsailer to make their escape . Dameron was then told by Javos she was working on a story about the First Order , it ' s violations of the Galactic Concordance , and increasing its military ' s power to destroy the New Republic with it ' s new weapons . Dameron wanted to know more , but Javos wanted to tell General Organa directly . Dameron then continued to elude the ships . He and Javos were able to lose in the stormsea . Dameron and Javos then went to a tavern continue their discussion . However , they were then taken by Lieutenant Weel of the First Order Security Bureau with several hooded stormtroopers . Dameron then tried to goad the stormtroopers into fighting him . He was then freed when Javos sprayed acid into Weel ' s face and took the remaining stormtroopers . Dameron then took Javos to D ' Qar . However , Javos had lied about the information and told the truth to both Dameron and Organa . Mission to Kaddak . Following the mission to Pheryon , Dameron worked on his hand - to - hand combat skill . He also chatted with BB - 8 and tried to figure out who was traitor in Black squadron . While Dameron regarded L ' ampar , Kun , Pava , and Wexley , Dameron was frustrated that he could no longer trust his squadron mates and blamed Terex . After Muva ran a diagnostic on his X - wing " Black One " port stabilizers , Dameron allowed Oddy to fly the " Black One " as a reward . Shortly later , General Organa dispatched her spymaster C - 3PO to enlist Dameron ' s help in recovering a Resistance spy droid on the Outer Rim world of Kaddak , who had purportedly uncovered a trove of information on the First Order including the location of Supreme Leader Snoke . The droid had sent a transmission but had been unable to transmit the data . General Organa had ordered C - 3PO and Dameron to travel to Kaddak to investigate and if possible to retrieve the operative . To avoid drawing attention , Organa instructed Poe to take C - 3PO and another pilot as backup in a shuttle . Since Poe was unable to trust his fellow Black Squadron pilots , he decided to bring Oddy Muva and BB - 8 for the mission . The four traveled to Kaddak on an old freighter . Dameron , BB - 8 , 3PO , and Muva landed in the Sliver , a city on Kaddak built around a giant crystal . Upon arriving , Poe and his party witnessed an unfortunate individual being thrown to their death . Since Kaddak was a bad place , Poe instructed his team to maintain a low profile so they could find the droid and get out fast . Poe ' s party visited a cantina in the Sliver ' s Level 45 , which was frequented by various criminal elements including the Guavian Death Gang and Kanjiklub . Poe was present when C - 3PO and BB - 8 interacted with a mouse droid , who revealed that their spy droid was being held by the Ranc gang , a feared criminal syndicated that dominated Kaddak . Together , Poe and the group headed to the Ranc gang ' s base . Upon arriving , Dameron was stun ned by a reception staff member . While Poe was unconscious , several Ranc gangsters surrounded his companions . However , C - 3PO outmaneuvered them by activating several Resistance spy droids , who forced the gangsters to stand down . As Poe awoke , C - 3PO grumbled about exposing a good set of operatives . Poe also assured BB - 8 he was allright . Oddy also informed Poe that C - 3PO had dispatched the Resistance spy droids to search for their asset , who turned out to be the BX - series droid commando N1 - ZX ( " Nunzix " ) . Instead of expressing gratitude , Nunzix chided them for taking too long . Despite their small victory , Poe and his team ran into a new problem when N1 - ZX refused to divulge the information until he had safely been returned to the Resistance base on account of his self - preservation programming . Dameron toyed about giving Nunzix a " Robo - lobotomy " but C - 3PO countered that forcibly infiltrating his system would result in a complete memory wipe . Dameron reluctantly agreed to return to D ' Qar . Before they could do so , Lord Terex flew over the Sliver in his starship " Carrion Spike " and placed a bounty on Poe ' s head . Terex had already retaken control of the Ranc gang . Dameron and his team were attacked by a mob but Poe managed to activate more spy droids to hold the crowd at bay . Poe and the droids managed to return to their freighter but were separated from Oddy Muva . Since their freighter was not very spaceworthy , Poe had BB - 8 open the freighter ' s cargo bay , which contained his X - wing " Black One " . Poe and the droids departed on the " Black One " with C - 3PO and N1 - ZX riding in storage compartments on the fighter ' s cargo hull . Poe decided to leave the freighter for Oddy as a get - away vehicle . Unknown to Poe , Terex had allowed him and the droids to escape . Terex ' s " Carrion Spike " sensors were capable of tracking the " Black One " . Terex also mustered a fleet of " Uglies " to hunt down Poe . Oddy also stowed aboard the " Carrion Spike " , intent on rescuing his wife Sowa Chuan . Showdown with Agent Terex . Once in space , Poe got BB - 8 to set a course for D ' Qar . While traveling through hyperspace , Poe confided in BB - 8 and C - 3PO his angst about how Terex had been able to keep one step ahead of him . After ruling out the droids , General Organa , and his Black Squadron mates as traitors , Poe realized that their mole was Oddy Muva . In fact , Oddy Muva had been blackmailed by Terex into spying on Black Squadron in order to guarantee the well - being of his wife Sowa Chuan . Poe also realized that the information Nunzix was carrying was part of a ploy by Terex to undermine the Resistance . After exiting hyperspace , Dameron contacted N1 - ZX and voiced his suspicion that Terex had planted disinformation . Shortly later , Poe ' s X - wing was followed by Terex ' s flagship " Carrion Spike " and a fleet of " Uglies " . Terex quickly realized that Poe had figured out his plan and ordered the Ranc fighters to destroy his perennial foe . Poe managed to shoot down two enemy " Uglies " before crashlanding on a desert planet . Poe and the droids survived the crashlanding but N1 - ZX ' s right arm was severed . While BB - 8 guided N1 - ZX into a cave , Poe carried C - 3PO on his back . The group narrowly escaped being incinerated by several " Uglies . " Poe decided to bring the group deeper into the cave . Shortly later , Terex led a landing party into the cave in pursuit of Poe and the droids . BB - 8 managed to slow down the Ranc gang by collapsing an ice stalactite on top of them but was shot down . During the journey , tensions surfaced between Poe and Nunzix , who was only concerned with safeguarding his own well - being . Despite some misgivings , Poe allowed C - 3PO to stay behind in an effort to slow down Terex and his gang . After Terex got passed C - 3PO and stole the droid ' s memory unit , Poe tried to convince N1 - ZX to fight but the droid was unwilling to put himself at risk due to his self - preservation software . In frustration , Poe pointed his blaster at N1 - ZX but the droid retorted that doing so would give their position away . When all seemed lost , Poe was contacted by his second - in - command Temmin , who reassured him that Black Squadron had come to his aid . Black Squadron then engaged in a dogfight with the " Carrion Spike " and Terex ' s fleet of " Uglies . " With N1 - ZX unwilling to fight , Poe contacted Terex , who sent him a droid personality template for his late B1 battle droid Mister Bones . Poe used his comlink to transmit the template onto N1 - ZX , who assumed Mister Bones ' identity . Mister Bones quickly killed Terex ' s henchmen before being shot and beheaded by Terex . When Terex dared Poe to come out of hiding , Poe leapt onto Terex from higher ground and threw him to the ground . Poe then confronted Terex with his blaster and vowed to settle scores with him . However , Terex hurled a dagger at Poe . The dagger pierced Poe ' s right hand , causing him to drop the gun . Terex then prepared to kill Poe with his vibroblade but was electrocuted by BB - 8 . Meanwhile , Oddy Muva managed to evacuate his wife and Terex ' s other slaves in escape pods . Black Squadron provided cover as the escape pods headed to the desert world . During the skirmish , L ' ampar was killed when his A - wing was shot down . Still , the Resistance pilots managed to escort Oddy and the escape pods to safety . Terex ' s fleet was wiped out when First Order forces under Commander Malarus arrived above the desert planet to chastise Terex for insubordination . Terex had disobeyed the Supreme Leader ' s directive to avoid direct conflict with the New Republic and its aligned forces . Poe dragged Terex and C - 3PO out of the cave . He was greeted by Commander Malarus and several stormtroopers and TIE fighters . To ward off a First Order attack , Dameron instructed Temmin and the other pilots to do a fly over and record everything that happened . Commander Malarus however was not interested in fighting the Resistance and praised Dameron for his political savvy . She then informed him that she had come to arrest Terex . Poe did not object since Terex was his enemy . Before handing Terex over , Dameron taunted Terex about the destruction of his fleet . When Terex countered that Poe had lost one of his pilots , Dameron responded that he had only lost a friend while Terex had lost everything . Mission to Jakku . At Organa ' s behest , Dameron and BB - 8 went to Tuanul on Jakku to retrieve a map to Skywalker ' s location from Lor San Tekka , but during the meeting , stormtroopers under the command of Kylo Ren attacked the village . Alerted by BB - 8 of their arrival , Dameron and the droid attempted to flee in their X - wing starfighter , but a pair of stormtroopers disabled the engines . Left with no alternative , Dameron gave the map to BB - 8 and ordered the astromech to flee , while he remained behind to cover BB - 8 ' s escape . After watching the confrontation between Tekka and Ren , Dameron tried to take a shot at Ren , but he caught the blaster bolt in mid - air and immobilized Dameron simultaneously with the Force . Dameron was subsequently taken prisoner , while the rest of the villagers were slaughtered . Taken aboard the " Resurgent " - class Star Destroyer " Finalizer " , Dameron resisted interrogation until Ren assaulted him with the Force , which eventually caused Dameron to crack about BB - 8 . Left alone by Ren , a renegade stormtrooper named FN - 2187 helped Dameron escape . Together , they stole a TIE / sf space superiority fighter from a hangar bay , with FN - 2187 manning the guns while Dameron piloted the fighter , and managed to disable the " Finalizer " ’ s turbolaser s . Upon a disagreement — while FN - 2187 wanted to flee the system , Dameron attempted to return to Jakku to retrieve BB - 8 and the map — , their TIE fighter was disabled on General Armitage Hux ' s orders , the blast knocking Dameron out . Whereas FN - 2187 , dubbed " Finn " by Dameron , ejected from the TIE shortly before it crashed on the planet ' s surface , Dameron was unable to eject due to his jacket getting caught in the ejector mechanism . With no time left to eject , Dameron piloted the craft as skillfully as he could to a crash landing which threw him clear of the the crash , his jacket falling in another direction . Suffering from a concussion and a brief period of memory loss , he moved away from the crash . When he awoke , Dameron found himself alone and set off to find a ship and contact the Resistance , sure that he would be able to reunite with BB - 8 with their help . During his journey , he encountered a Jakku native , the Blarina Naka Iit , whom Dameron managed to impress with both his sheer audacity and his piloting skills , such that he agreed to get Dameron to a ship in Blowback Town that would get him back to the Resistance . Dameron hitched a ride from Iit ' s friend , Ohn Gos to Yavin 4 , where he left " Black One " prior to his mission to Jakku . Battle of Takodana . Following the destruction of the Hosnian system , Dameron was deployed to lead a squadron of Resistance X - Wing fighters to fend off the First Order garrison attacking Maz Kanata ' s castle on Takodana . Dameron , piloting the " Black One " , swooped in dangerously low , attacking at treetop level , and took out parked TIE fighters , clusters of trooper s , and support vehicles , firing repeatedly without wasting a single energy burst . The battle ended prematurely when Ren ordered his troops to retreat once he had captured Rey , a scavenger who had seen the map to Skywalker ' s location . After returning to the D ' Qar base , Dameron was reunited with BB - 8 and Finn , who offered to return his jacket . Dameron declined , stating that his jacket suited Finn better . Subsequently , the ex - trooper requested Dameron ' s help in rescuing his friend Rey , by asking Dameron to take him to meet General Organa . Together , they made it to the conference room , where Finn disclosed what he knew of the First Order superweapon , Starkiller Base . After a reconnaissance flight by Wexley , the Resistance command made the plans to attack the base , assigning Dameron to lead the starfighter attack to the weapon ' s thermal oscillator . Batte of Starkiller Base . Upon receiving notice that the " Millennium Falcon " had landed on Starkiller Base , Organa sent order to deploy the X - wings . Dameron , in the lead , was aboard " Black One " and assisted by BB - 8 once again , and departed D ' Qar along his fellow pilots . Once Finn , Han Solo and Chewbacca were able to bring down the thermal oscillator ' s shields , Dameron was given full authorization to attack , and his team emerged from lightspeed . Ordering his fellow pilots to hit the target as many times as possible with as many runs as they could get , he himself let loose his X - wing ' s full complement of armament , but they barely damaged the building before a host of TIE fighters moved to engage the X - wing squadrons , as well as deployed seekers . The ground team , however , planted pyro denton explosive s to create an opening in the containment center , which Dameron took advantage of — with the assistance of his squadron , he flew through the opening and caused heavy damage inside , starting a chain reaction that would ultimately destroy Starkiller Base . Dameron escaped the explosion , heading for the outer atmosphere , yet at the order of General Organa to retreat immediately , Dameron refused to leave their friends in the " Falcon " behind . His fellow pilots concurred , and Dameron gave the order to find them . After spotting the " Falcon " leaving Starkiller Base , Dameron called in his teams in relief and reached D ' Qar shortly before the old YT - 1300 light freighter did . Like BB - 8 and many others , he waited for the " Falcon " as it landed on their base . There , sometime later , Dameron was present for a strategic gathering concerning the map to Skywalker ' s location , when Skywalker ' s astromech , R2 - D2 , awoke and revealed his possession of an incomplete galactic map from the Imperial archives , only completed with BB - 8 ' s fragment . In the ensuing celebration , Dameron met Rey , whom he bid farewell along with BB - 8 , Organa , C - 3PO when she departed D ' Qar aboard the " Millennium Falcon " to find Skywalker at the first Jedi Temple . Demotion and mutiny against Amilyn Holdo . During the evacuation of D ' Qar , Poe ' s overconfidence to destroy a First Order Dreadnought overcame him , resulting in the death of Cobalt Squadron ' s Paige Tico , along with the complete squadron and many others . Eventually , Dameron ' s reckless actions landed him in trouble with his allies , and Dameron was demoted from Wing Commander to the rank of Captain by General Organa following the evacuation of D ' Qar . However , Organa was heavily injured during the subsequent attack on the Resistance fleet in which many Rebels like Admiral Ackbar were killed , allowing Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo to take Organa ' s role as the leader . However , Holdo ' s plans involved the loss of gas for the " Raddus " , which would have allowed the First Order to blown up the flagship and kill the remaining Rebels . Sure that Leia wouldn ' t have approved Holdo ' s direction , Poe teamed up with Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix , maintenance worker Rose Tico , BB - 8 and Finn to organize a plan to save the Rebels . While Finn , Tico and BB - 8 went to Canto Bight ' s casino in a mission to find a codebreaker , Poe and Connix remained aboard the " Raddus " . After Finn , Rose and BB - 8 returned with DJ , the codebreaker they hired to infiltrate aboard the " Supremacy " , Poe and his allies started the mutiny against Holdo and her allies , with Poe trying to convince C - 3PO to join his cause , although 3PO refused to be part of the mutiny for being unethical . However , Organa recovered by the time of the mutiny and after Holdo managed to escape from Poe ' s mutineers , Organa arrived on the bridge and fired a stun blast , knocking Poe unconscious . Battle of Crait . Eventually , Organa decided to follow Holdo ' s plans to abandon ship . Said and done , every member of the Resistance evacuated , leaving Holdo aboard the " Raddus " to be blown up due to her decision to sacrifice herself in order to give time for the others to escape . However , aboard the " Supremacy " , Finn and Rose were subdued along BB - 8 by the First Order stormtroopers after being betrayed by DJ , allowing General Hux to order the destruction of the Resistance fleet . However , Holdo activated the hyperspace mode of the " Raddus " , crashing it against the " Supremacy " , sacrificing herself in the process and causing the deaths of multiple First Order stormtroopers and officers . This action allowed Poe and the other Rebels escape to the mineral planet of Crait . Once at Crait , the Rebels entered in the planet ' s outpost . During the ensuing battle , Poe commanded the Rebels and ultimately managed to weaken the First Order ' s army . However , they concluded that they would not be able to escape , but when Poe saw a vulptex running away through an unknown passageway , the Rebels followed him under Leia ' s orders to escape . However , the passageway ended in a hole too small for the Rebels to pass . Fortunately , while Luke Skywalker was fighting against Kylo Ren , Rey appeared and moved the rocks with the Force , allowing the Rebels to escape to fight another day . Once safe , Poe met Rey , and took the opportunity to introduce himself to the last Jedi . Personality and traits . The son of a Rebel pilot and a Rebel commando , Dameron grew up on stories of Alliance campaigns , and while his mother taught him to fly and to love it , his father had taught him that when he committed to doing something , one committed to going all the way or not do it at all . Thanks to them , Dameron developed a strong sense of commitment and duty , but had trouble with the line between his commitment to the Resistance and the commitment to his comrades , willing to disobey a direct order from his superior , General Organa , to make sure that the " Millennium Falcon " safely left Starkiller Base before its imminent destruction . Noted to be a " bad liar " by fellow comrades much to his indignation , Dameron had a headstrong nature which often led him into trouble , and a proud countenance that , those who did not know him , could mistake for arrogance . Confident in his skills and in his mission , he sometimes displayed an impatience that arose only from a desire to fulfill the task at hand . While daring with an appetite for risk as well as somewhat foolish , Leia Organa once noted that his need to do what was right and " maybe find a little adventure along the way " , coupled with his outstanding piloting skills , reminded her of her brother , Luke Skywalker . Dameron regarded his fellow pilots Karé Kun , Jess Pava , L ' ulo L ' ampar , and Temmin Wexley , and the technician Oddy Muva as close friends that he could trust . Poe was also adventurous and willing to risk danger such as when he entered the Cave of the Crèche . Dameron treated his hosts with respect . Dameron ' s selfless and concern for the well - being of others led him to surrender himself to the First Order Agent Terex in an attempt to save the Crèche egg . As a commander , Dameron was a fair - minded and just leader who gave his Black Squadron mates ample room to improvise . Poe regarded his astromech droid BB - 8 as a close friend who would aid him in combat and someone he could confide with . Poe was also magnanimous in victory and allowed Terex and his men to leave following the mission to Ovanis . This was also tempered by Dameron ' s unwillingness to provoke war between the First Order and the Resistance . Dameron and his Black Squadron mates ' devotion to the Resistance cause led them to risk life and limb on several occasions including the Mission to Megalox Beta . Poe and his comrades managed to fight their way to Grakkus ' fortress despite being double - crossed by the prison guards . When faced with competition from Terex , Poe showed resilience and ingenuity as a commander . He got BB - 8 and the other astromech droids to lower Megalox prison ' s gravity shield ; eliminating opposition from Terex and convincing Grakkus to accept their rescue offer . After learning there was a spy within the Resistance ranks , Dameron found himself unable to trust his Black Squadron mates despite regarding them as friends . Poe was also willing to walk into danger in an effort to recover information for the Resistance . During a Mission to Kaddak , Poe was only saved from capture by the efforts of C - 3PO . While Poe was able to work well with droids like BB - 8 and C - 3PO , he found the commando droid " Nunzix " self - serving and irritating due to the droid ' s strong self - preservation mechanism . Poe was annoyed that the droid refused to disclose the information in his memory banks . Poe had little patience with Nunzix and expressed annoyance at the droid commando ' s unwillingness to fight ; overlooking the fact that the droid had lost one of his arms . Poe ' s irritation with Nunzix was reinforced by his suspicion that the information Nunzix was carrying was a trap set by Terex . Due to their repeated encounters on several missions , Dameron came to regard Terex as a nemesis and blamed him for sowing distrust among his Black Squadron pilots . Poe was determined to root out the spy and eventually realized that the spy was Oddy Muva ; who had been blackmailed by Terex into spying on the Resistance . Despite his hatred for Terex , Dameron did not seek to destroy the First Order agent and instead handed him back to his First Order superiors . While Dameron grieved the loss of one of his pilots L ' ampar , he took comfort in the fact that Terex ' s Ranc gang fleet had been destroyed . By the end of the cold war , Dameron was a courageous hero of the Resistance dedicated to defeating the First Order . Though brash , Dameron had great charisma and limitless respect for the founders of the Resistance , particularly Leia Organa , a reason for which Organa tried to teach him that being a hero and being a leader wasn ' t the same thing . Organa was sure that Poe would be a great leader one day , but he still had a lot to learn , even though Dameron didn ' t agree . Dameron ' s fellow pilots joked that if the Resistance had recruitment posters , Dameron would triple their numbers with his dashing bravado alone . Unlike many starfighter pilots , Dameron delighted in atmospheric missions , soaring through skies and skimming the surfaces of planets . Skills and abilities . Confident in his piloting skills , Dameron flew starships since he was six years old , and by the age of 32 , he had became the most daring and skilled of the Resistance pilots . He was a decorated X - wing pilot who could fly anything , managing to familiarize himself with a TIE / sf fighter ' s controls in a matter of minutes and under pressure , as well as with a " Pinnacle " - class luxury ship . During the Battle on Takodana , he showed to be skilled enough to fire repeatedly without wasting a single energy burst and destroy multiple First Order assets . In addition to his piloting skills , Dameron was a capable infantry man . L ' ampar once observed that Dameron trusted his subordinates to figure things out on their own rather than give them bad orders , and saw it as the mark of a good commander . Dameron was also skilled in hand to hand combat which he used against the First Order and criminal proxies on several occasions . On a few occasions , Poe was saved from the jaws of defeat by his indefatigable and loyal droid companion BB - 8 . was Poe was also known to practise with unarmed combat during his free time . Poe could also fly a rundown freighter , which he once used on an undercover mission . A speaker of Galactic Basic , Dameron also understood Binary , and thus had no need for reading BB - 8 ' s translated speech in a console to understand what the astromech said while plugged into his starfighter . Behind the scenes . Poe Dameron was portrayed by actor Oscar Isaac in , the " " video game and the upcoming . For the " " episode " Poe to the Rescue , " the character is voiced by Lex Lang . Isaac ' s casting in the film was first announced on April 29 , 2014 , and the character was revealed in the first teaser trailer for the film on November 28 , 2014 . His name was revealed by " Entertainment Weekly " in an exclusive trading card . Dameron was named after J . J . Abrams ' production assistant Morgan Dameron . Yavin 4 was made Dameron ' s homeworld in " " when Isaac realized the planet ' s shooting location was Tikal , which is located in the country he was born , Guatemala . The character was originally meant to die in " The Force Awakens " , but Abrams changed his mind after realizing Isaac was hesitant about accepting the role ( as he had previously played several characters that were killed soon after being introduced ) . ) Isaac recounted that after he initially met Abrams , " [ He ] soon wrote back : ' Never mind . I ' ve figured it out . You ' re in the whole movie now . ' I was like , ' Holy shit ! Alright , cool . ' Let ’ s say that it was in that conversation that we began to see a way that being in the movie would be worth his time and the audience ’ s . " On March 20 , 2015 , Isaac revealed that he would appear in " Star Wars " : Episode VIII " The Last Jedi " , as well . " The Force Awakens ' s " includes an additional sequence detailing Dameron ' s escape from the planet Jakku . The sequence was later revisited in the issue of the . When asked on " Ellen " about there being " any romance between these characters " in " The Force Awakens " , Isaac replied " I think it ' s a very subtle romance that ' s happening , you know you have look very closely , you have to watch it a few times to see the little hints , but there was , at least " I " was playing romance , " to which John Boyega interjected " I was . " Isaac declined to say with which character he interpreted Poe as having romance with , though " it could be a droid " . These comments , coupled with the way Isaac had Poe bite his lip while complimenting Finn , prompted speculation that Poe could be an LGBT character . " The Last Jedi " director Rian Johnson said that he forgoed having Poe go with Finn to Canto Bight as it would have been boring ( " I knew something was wrong when I looked at their dialogue and realized I could interchange any of the lines " , he said . ) Poe ' s eventual arc in the film was influenced by war movies like " " and " " , which explored the contrast between bravado and true heroism , " which is leadership " . He said that Poe ' s conflict with Amilyn Holdo , a woman , " and not only that , but it ' s a woman who isn ' t in a general ' s outfit but has a real feminine energy , seemed like the toughest thing that Poe could come up against . "