The newestStar Warssaga has been divisive, and John Boyega has added to the discourse regarding the treatment of his character, Finn.
WhenStar Wars: The Force Awakenspremiered, it was like a breath of fresh air. Fans were ready for a new crack at a trilogy with fresh characters. The film was thebest of the Disney eraStar Warsmoviesbecause it stuck close to the hero’s journey a laStar Wars: A New Hope, with appearances from Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and other icons. But in recent years, the trilogy has come under scrutiny. The three films did not keep the same director for all of them, resulting in an inconsistent vision. Character arcs were dropped, some more than others.
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Boyega has been rightfully vocal about his treatment in the series, particularly regardingracistStar Warsfanswho targeted the actor for being cast in the role. Now with more time and clarity on the subject, the actor clarifies what went wrong with Finn in the series. In a recent interview,Vanity Fairwondered if Boyega felt ownership over his character, similar to how Carrie Fisher felt about Princess Leia. “I don’t,” Boyega answered honestly. “Because I don’t think Finn was as hashed out as those characters. I don’t know. There’s so much open and unanswered about him that at this stage they probably could do whatever. You never know.”
Finn spent three movies playing second – and sometimes third – fiddle to the Skywalker-adjacent characters. Rey (Daisy Ridley) became the focal point of the story and her attempt to coax redemption out of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Meanwhile, Finn became relegated to B and even C plots in the film that weren’t integral to the main story. The main trio was rarely together, and by the timeStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerfailed, the series had become The Rey Show. This failed Finn’s development, which seemed to be on an upward trajectory during the first film.
Finn entered the saga as one of the core three main characters, but that is easy to forget even after a cursory viewing of the rest of the trilogy. Finn was as important as Rey at the end ofThe Force Awakens. He discovered his affinity for the lightsaber, hinting that he was Force Sensitive and would join Rey on a journey of self-discovery. This was trashed in the later films.Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker returning and committing his worst actsput most things on the back burner, and Finn became a background character in his own movies. His relationship with Rey never developed, and his potential destiny as a Jedi was never mentioned again.
Star Warscould have dropped the ball on Finn for many underlying reasons – and some more obvious ones – but the fact remains that Finn was one of the most disrespected characters in the saga. The lost potential of Finn’s character is one of the reasons that the trilogy has not become a beloved collection of films.
