Lesbian Kiss Removed from 'Star Wars' in Singapore Release

Star Wars may have given us the tiniest blip of LGBTQ+ representation in the most recent film, but as it turns out, not every viewer will get even that much.

The version of The Rise of Skywalker showing in Singapore has had the .02 second lesbian kiss cut from the film, according to reports. The removal of the kiss allowed the film to maintain a PG-13 rating, as any movies with LGBTQ content are restricted to adult viewers, regardless of how non-explicit that content is.

The blink-and-you-miss-it same-sex kiss was the first blatant LGBTQ representation in the entirety of the film franchise. There has been queer rep in Star Wars in other mediums, and technically young Lando was said to be pansexual, but what we actually saw on screen was that he might have a thing for his (female-identifying) droid.

While many fans were hoping to see meaningful LGBTQ representation in the film, director J.J. Abrams defended the decision to keep things super, super low-key.

“It just felt like in this one scene of celebration, it felt like an opportunity to show [a same-sex kiss] without it being heavy-handed or making too loud of a deal,” he told MovieZine.

“Part of the whole experience was to see a same-sex couple have a moment together that was explicitly saying in this galaxy, everyone is there and is welcome.”

Well, as long as you’re relegated to the background, anyway. And not located in Singapore.