DISNEY has cut the lesbian kiss scene from its latest Star Wars film in Singapore to prevent a higher viewing rating.

The Rise of Skywalker has the first same-sex kiss in the franchise's history that sees two lesser known female members of the Resistance enjoy a kiss celebrating a joyful moment.

The version of the film in Singapore has taken out that scene after the country's media regulatory body told Disney to cut it to prevent a higher age rating.

A IMDA spokesperson told the BBC: "The applicant has omitted a brief scene which under the film classification guidelines would require a higher rating."

Same-sex marriage is illegal in Singapore and sex between men is crime.

The film is rated PG13 in Singapore without the kiss.

Films in Singapore are classified under six different ratings: G (General), PG (Parental Guidance), PG13 (Parental Guidance 13), NC16 (No children under 16), M18 (Restricted to those above 18) and R21 (Restricted to those above 21).

It is not clear what rating the film would have got if the kiss scene was left in.

Love Simon, a gay teen rom-com that came out in 2018, was rated R21 by the IMDA.

Brokeback Mountain, the 2006 film about two gay cowboys, was also hit with an R21 rating.

Reviewers described the scene in the new Star Wars film – the ninth of its kind – as "a brief flash of two women kissing… among a crowd of characters".

The affectionate scene is the first of its kind to depict a homosexual sign of romance in a Disney-owned film.

The Rise of Skywalker sees the final battle between the surviving Resistance and the First Order as the final chapter of the saga is tied up after 42 years.

It is not clear if Disney, the owners of the Star Wars productions company Lucsasfilm, has cut the scene in other countries.

It was reportedly shown in China, but not in the UAE.

The Sun Online contacted Disney for comment.

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