Disney has cut a brief scene of two women kissing from the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in Singapore.
The final film in the Skywalker saga features the first same-sex kiss in the franchise’s history, which takes place when two women are seen embracing among a wider crowd of characters.
As the BBC reports, Singapore’s media regulatory body cut the scene in order for the film to avoid receiving a higher age rating. Without the kiss, the film receives a PG-13 rating in Singapore.
While it is unclear what rating the film would have had if the same-sex scene was included, the same-sex teen romcom Love Simon was rated R21 by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in 2018.
The same rating was received in Singapore by Brokeback Mountain, which hits cinemas in 2006.
“The applicant has omitted a brief scene which under the film classification guidelines would require a higher rating,” said a spokesperson from Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority.
Same-sex marriages are not recognised in Singapore and gay sex is illegal although the law is not enforced.
The kiss reportedly avoided censoring in China, but was removed in the United Arab Emirates.
It comes after The Rise of Skywalker became the worst reviewed Star Wars movie since The Phantom Menace upon release last week.
In a three-star review, NME’s Alex Flood described the film as a “a sufficiently satisfying finale that gives fans exactly what they want”.
Rise of Skywalker director JJ Abrams has since responded to the criticism, claiming that it is “void of nuance and compassion“.