Is it really any worse than Leia saying Tarkin smells, to his face?
I think the difference here is Leia using language/phrasing that is less contemporary than what Poe uses.
Is “Hugs” especially contemporary though? I’m not sure I understand.
Nothing to do with the “hugs” thing. It’s the way the dialogue is written overall, and if you don’t see it, I’m not sure what to say. “Okay, I’ll hold” sounds like modern, quippy humor, while “I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board” could be from whenever and not feel out of place.
I don’t know, maybe it depends on your definition of quips. In my mind “modern quipy dialogue” is the all of avengers tossing out one liners every other line. I think people conflate that kind of humor with what’s going on in TLJ, which is a film with a lot of humor, sure, but just because it’s a lot of humor doesn’t mean it’s the same kind of humor.
The “foul stench” is a weird comparison is because it’s a very theatrical insult, in keeping with the haughty tone Leia has in that scene. Elsewhere in the film she and other characters have more casual “quips” that I think are comparable to what’s in TLJ. Honestly again it depends on your definition but I’m not even sure Poe saying “I’ll hold” is a quip? It’s a funny line but it’s not exactly him making a joke, he’s fucking with Hux and pretending he can’t hear.
I mean I’m getting into the minutiae of it but maybe the more offputting aspect of it is the way the scene plays out (Domhnall’s hammy reaction) and it’s length.