Shocking! Could Finn become a villain in episode nine? The character is brilliantly portrayed by John Boyega, so John can make it believable. OK, maybe not a villain, but someone who must walk a thin line between justice and revenge. This new direction would make Finn great, again! In The Force Awakens, Finn became more than this guy that left The First Order. Remember, Abrams wrote Finn as a person who was taken from a family he’ll never know. Now, don’t get your undies in a bunch! I’m going to discuss Finn’s evolution from stormtrooper to resistance fighter. I invite you to read my hypothesis on Finn’s character development, and then decide whether you agree, disagree, or don’t have an opinion. Feel free to comment below. I would love to read your thoughts.
Finn’s backstory does solicit a question. Is The First Order operating a human-trafficking ring? Finn was abducted by or sold to The First Order. This is a horrid theory, but The First Order rose from the ashes of the Empire and they do serve a dark force user. General Hux’s training program wasn’t voluntary. They’re not clones. This was confirmed by Kylo Ren when he stated, “Perhaps Leader Snoke should consider using a clone army.” We learn two things from this dialogue, the clone army still exists and the current stormtroopers are human. Unlike the Empire’s mindless, stormtrooper clones from Attack of the Clones, The Force Order’s stormtroopers have personalities. Finn demonstrated this when he displayed emotion over his friend’s death and the slaughter of the unarmed villagers. There is a deleted where Finn comes across a villager holding her baby. He lets her go (compassion). Further, Finn rescues Poe Dameron to help him escape (compassion and opportunity). Other stormtroopers exhibited personalities, such as the one who calls Finn a traitor and attempts to kill him.
This is why it’s a challenge to accept The Last Jedi’s Finn. This version of Finn is one-dimensional. Although in The Force Awakens, Finn had a single purpose and that was to escape to the Outer Rim, he slowly gains confidence, strength, and compassion by the end of the film. Abrams took this character and made him relatable. Additionally, fans theorized Finn may be force-sensitive. When he refused to join in the slaughter of the villagers, Kylo Ren sensed it and physically stopped walking to look at him. Typically, you only see a force user recognize an emotion when it’s another Jedi, a force-sensitive, or someone close to them. Kylo doesn’t strike me as one who hangs out with the stormtroopers in some lounge, like Star Trek’s Ten Foward, so that rules out Finn being close to him. There was an awakening before Rey was introduced to us. Snoke tells Kylo he sensed an awakening. Kylo agreed and concurred. The only character we see before this revelation is Finn. Think about it or go back and watch The Force Awakens.
Another key scene is when Maz Kanata sensed something in Finn. It could be the force or it could be fear. That scene is unclear. What is clear is Maz gave the lightsaber to Finn, not Han or Chewbacca who knows Luke and knows its Luke’s lightsaber. Remember how Han reacted when he sees Luke’s lightsaber? “Where did you get that,” he asked Maz with a stunned expression. Now, speaking of the lightsaber, Finn wields it briefly to fight Kylo. He was able to hold his own against a lightsaber master and longer than he should have as a supposed “non-force” user. Even if Finn isn’t force-sensitive, the possibility of him being trained “to use” a lightsaber is not supported in the film. With that said, he may be trained to engage a lightsaber using a Z6 Riot Control Baton, which is capable of blocking a lightsaber’s plasma blade.
Fast-forward to The Last Jedi and we see a different Finn. A reset button was pushed. Finn reverted back to being one-dimensional and single-minded. Why? I don’t understand the revision of this character. A character is supposed to grow and expand over time. There is no evidence of the potential force-sensitive capabilities. Sad! Even his backstory wasn’t explored. Johnson could have at least had Finn share his story with Rose after she told him hers. I believe Johnson missed the mark there. It was a perfect opportunity to learn more about Finn. I understand the new direction of making him a resistance fighter, but they paired his storyline with a new character (Rose). For me, that is a detraction. You do get to see his compassion when he attempts to retrieve an item for Rose. You do get to see his confidence when he battles Captain Phasma. What we don’t see is an obvious development of this awesome character. Speaking of the fight between Finn and Phasma, there is a deleted scene that is supposed to be amazing. We have to wait for the BluRay release to see it.
I’m looking forward to seeing what Abrams do with Finn in episode nine. I hope he continues with his original storyline. Finn is a great character that I would enjoy seeing developed and appearing in the new trilogies. I just hope Abrams cement Finn’s character traits and backstory in the next film to a point, where Johnson can only expand the character in the new trilogies.
It’s obvious John Boyega (Finn) is popular. To date, John Boyega (Finn) has over 1.4 million Instagram followers and over 1.33 million Twitter followers who love Finn. They must do Finn justice in the Star Wars Universe. What would I love to see occur? Flashbacks of his time with The First Order. I also would love to see him gain new skills and obtain a rank in the resistance. Lastly, I want to see him do something heroic and live to tell the story. No Star Trek red shirt death, please!
Whatever is written please make Finn great, again!
You can rent Star Wars The Force Awakens via DVD Netflix. If you’re new to Star Wars, or you haven’t watched all of the films, you can rent them. I recommend you do a Star Wars marathon before watching The Last Jedi. Rent yours here: http://bit.ly/starwarscentral. I also recommend that you read the comics and novels, too. #DVDNation #ad
Movie Rating: 4 stars.
Movie Rating Guide
1 Star = Unwatchable
2 Stars = Cannot Recommend
3 Stars = Great for the Fans
4 Stars = A Solid Movie
5 Stars = Must Own (DVD/Stream Download)
Featured Image Credit: Disney/Lucas Films.
Photo Credits:
Wil Woods
Patrick Brown
Pauly Cat
Related Articles:
“Film Analysis of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” – Minor Spoilers and Additional Feedback.”
“Film Analysis of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” – Minor Spoilers, Easter Eggs, and Resources.”
“Film Analysis: Star Wars The Last Jedi – Snoke an Ancient Order Soul-sucking Vampire”
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