Main Finn/John Boyega Episode IX Thread

Rumors of a new trailer coming soon I think. Rumors say it will start to get into the real story. I’m curious to see what shots they give Finn and if it confirms the leaks I’ve come across.

 

I hope not because the leaks suggest another underwhelming outing for Finn.

 

Yeah. True. I’m finding it harder and harder to be positive or optimistic. Again this isn’t aimed at anyone. But me personally I’ve humbly had my share of hopes on Finn dashed. Been heart broken twice over. Maybe it’s time to just move on. I don’t feel like anyone actually at Lucas’s film cares about Finn so why should I? And this time I don’t have a retort for that.

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Sorry if I’m bringing anyone down just generally disappointed in the status quo as usual. I’ll support Finn, but I can’t say that’s the same as me caring anymore.

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And again My fellow forum goers I just won’t to reiterate that this isn’t aimed at anyone or meant to bring this forum down. I’ve always tried to infuse some positivity because to me some discussion on Finn was better than nothing. Even if we disagreed I loved that we were at least talking to each other. I miss that. And I will always LOVE Star Wars. But at this point as a black fan, I don’t know how else to put it but to say I’m heart broken.

 

Finn's a lost cause, but I love that Black fans and Black communities are demanding more and refuse to be satisfied with minstrel stereotypes. It makes my heart warm.

 

I agree fully on the first part, but I don’t consider Finn a minstrel stereotype at all, just 1/3 of what he could be.

The janitor thing would’ve been fine if they balanced out his narrative by showing us just as much as the book did that he was a talented soldier. That doesn’t mean he needs to be Chuck Norris. Just some form of a balance. He can fail and I love that he did in the force awakens because it gave him so much room to build on for TLJ and his come up would’ve been so well built but instead they dashed that. That’s my pain. We could have had one thing and it ultimately feels like they took the safe route wether consciously or unconsciously.

This whole trilogy took the safe route.

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They didn’t let him emotionally, physically, or narratively develop. That’s whats frustrating.

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And consequently leaves a lot of fans of color suspicious.

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On a honestly positive note we are talking about Finn at least!

 

Finn had an excellent opportunity to be a super cool important figure in TLJ... but NOPE. His character was to be thrown away. Finn held a lightsaber on multiple occasions and received critical wounds to his spine for no reason!

MOD EDIT

 

To me it's that they could have given us multiple things that would have us in a better position as fans and Finn a better position as a character. Instead they go the most disappointing route it seems they can think of

 

Does anybody else here feel ( and I don’t mean this insensitively I just can’t find a better word) bipolar about It all. Like one moment your down then the next your hopeful and so on and on? Even now in 2019

 

The word I would use here is ambivalent, and I think it's natural to feel that way. Your pessimism and optimism are at war with one another. You can't forget what you've seen and been shown already, but you also don't want to concede defeat and give up hope. Your pessimism says your hope is unwarranted. You optimism says your pessimism is unwarranted given that there's a whole new movie coming out.

Tough place to be in.

 

You hit the nail right on the head with that. So true. I’m a Star Wars fan for life but I’m also a little disheartened. This trilogy’s been rough on me lol. TFA is my second favorite Star Wars film of all time and part of the reason I give such high marks is the balancing act that JJ and Lucas Film had because we all know where the fandom was post prequels (loved the prequels by the way, their not perfect but they do grow on you) so for them to play it so smart and give us all the old tricks that Star Wars fandom could want while setting up mystery boxes for us moving forward not to mention at 24 it’s litratlly my generations Star Wars so add that to the list. I missed the prequels as I was too young and could only cognitively engage at Revenge of The Sith in fifth grade

Then to go to The Last jedi ( and again no hate to anyone who enjoyed or loved it, I’ve got posts giving it both equal praise and criticism) it’s been a roller coaster ride my fellow forum goers. Roller freaking coaster ride!

 

We should focus on the positive. Finn has his own cloths now. He's not borrowing Poe's jacket anymore. He's a full blown Resistance Freedom Fighter. He is no longer a part of the First Order. Finn turned his back on the Dark and he is in the light. Finn has found his family and a home. The future looks bright for Finn even though he may not be a Jedi. Finn maybe Force sensitive, the Force is in all of us, remember Chirrut Imwe, he did not die in vain but for a cause. The Force is in all of us... whether we wield a Lightsaber or not.

 

To be honest am getting a bit peeved with the lack of Finn spoilers. The one that that dropped today about Rose having to pack Finn's backpack? WTF? Gone from run away stormtrooper to Mr and Mrs Potato Head, is completely embarrassing. John I am so sorry, you deserve better. I got to admit I didn't see what a lot of detractors saw, I didn't quite understand the upset, of previous films, I do now after five years of this. I know its only a three year contract for the movies but its effectively a five year contract. The crew have been treated like race horses and worked to death. It's hard to be positive, I wish I could be. I want only for the best but it just seems shallow and its the last freaking film. Am praying for a better outcome than him being juveniled again. Come on JJ, You hired John, give him something tasty to do.

 

I’m with you. I’ve been positive and trying to keep the forum positive like others. But Finn getting a lot of those things should have been basic character development. It’s hard when all you have to root for is Finn getting his own clothes and becoming a resistance fighter which fades him more into the narrative background. Your words are beautiful, and I identify with your hope deeply. But The bar feels so low that three films in he gets an outfit and a c story role.

I don’t want it to come off like I’m being hard on you or anyone other who feels that way I’m actually really happy to see positivity on this forum but I also get why the optimism is low. Me and other forum goers like Rayjefury have done this thing so many times it starts to feel like a Mary-go-round and a low bar of accepting anything

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I don’t know if we’ve talked about this either but what do y’all think is going on with Finn and Jannah? Siblings, love interest, just platonic resistance soldiers/sympathizers

 

Source?

 

Where did thos spoiler come from...on one hand why??? Of all the things. On the other hand that's probably one of those moments in the film where they are "exploring" his relationship with Rose in a lighthearted way. Boyfriend getting annoyed his girlfriend is in his stuff type of thing.

 

They will float siblings (they won't be), They could've been love interest if they had introduced her character last movie (as it is they introduced Rose last movie and don't have enough narrative time for a Finn and Rose love story). What they will be is two children who escaped the First Order who will team up to fight them and find that common ground.

 

I don't think you are under any obligation to be theatrically positive. I mean if it's genuine and organic and you make a choice to focus on the positive, more power to you. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you go the opposite direction, still, more power to you. I think at this point what's probably most useful is to:

1. Be true to your authentic feelings understanding they may change
2. Allow space for others to hold a different view without policing how they can respond or trying to legislate their commentary
3. Take the marketing at face value

There hasn't been much spectacular or breathtaking for Finn thus far in the trailers, assume that is an accurate read for the content of the movie. If it turns out to be better, you're pleasantly surprised. If it doesn't turn out better, you were prepared for that contingency.

On the plus side, I'd say the bar is pretty low at this point, so the chances that they can and do exceed it, are pretty good. By how much? We'll have to wait and see.

 

I do really appreciate anybody who can still be that positive despite everything we’ve gotten this far in. I’m at the point where I’m hoping for something extraordinary but won’t be surprised or hurt if we get everything leaks and trailers are suggesting when it comes to Finn.

If Janna and Finn are both escaped former child soldiers of the first order then I really wish we had more time to explore that. Imagine two plots. Other than the force plot you’ve got Finn and Jannah spreading the gospel on the first Order and fighting socially just as much as physically. I think this trilogy needs a little bit of politics in terms of having a senate, moral investigations, etc. something that would explain better all the questions we had about the first order their ultimate goal, the resistance, how does the rest of the galaxy feel about the war, do they know about first order abdicating children, is there any trace of a republic left at all, something other than just a force plot.

--- Double Post Merged, Oct 17, 2019, Original Post Date: Oct 17, 2019 ---

*abducting*

 

It's in JW recent interview with The Den of Nerds

Spoiler

1. Den of Nerds asks about the FOOSLS leaks from way back in April (not mentioned by name, just referred to as the leak about a Star Forge, and about Rey and Ben having a child through the Force). Note: This is a thing I only mention because I still see people wondering about it in the comments off and on. Jason says not only has he heard nothing like that but that he would not bet on it.
2. There's a scene before Finn and Poe meet with Boolio (asteroid planet) where they play holochess with Chewie.
3. Kylo's scene where he gets the mask is still in the movie as far as anyone knows.
4. Leia's last words to Rey before she departs may be "Tell me when you get back."
5. There is an alley on Kijimi, and Babu Frik brings them through this back alley and little bar in order to get to the droid ship.
6. Jason seems to misspeak here, given the persons involved, but he says that during the Kijimi force bond where Kylo realizes Rey is on his ship, the Vader helmet is transferred from whoever is near it to the person who is on planet through the force bond. This happens due to the fight they are having, when the lightsaber strikes the helmet. (Personal note: This marks two times in the film where physical objects have been teleported through the bond. Den of Nerds also seems to note this, and suggests this may be how the lightsaber travels from Rey to Ben during the KOR fight later on.)
7. Jason does not believe Han is a force ghost, but that he is a vision. He thinks it may be unclear, and does point out that while originally Rey's parents were ghosts at the end of the film, they seem to have been pulled. (Personal note: I would argue that the removal of Rey's parents may partly be to make this unclear, particularly given that China has certain rules about the presence of ghosts in films.)
8. The kiss that Jason knows about in this film is between two unnamed female Resistance fighters. "It's not a big deal. It happens, and it's just there." He also indicates that if people are hoping for a big reylo kiss, he doesn't know, which suggests that it's less that Jason's been told this is 100% the only kiss of the film. More that the only one sources indicate right now is this one. (Personal note: That said, it may well be the case that it is the only one.)
9. Jason refers to a recent finnrey rumor he heard, where Finn kept trying to say something to Rey and plot kept getting in his way. Jason's wording seems to imply it was the source's opinion that Finn was trying to express personal feelings to Rey, per the rumor as we last heard it. Jason now says that the source says what has changed in the reshoots is that Finnrose is indeed a thing, and that she does lots of small gestures in the film in order to suggest they're a couple (eg. packing his bag for him before he leaves). (Personal note: I had heard during filming that finnrose were basically an established fact. Jason doesn't bring it up here, but previous MSW reports indicate he heard the same. I believe it's much more likely that the source Jason is referring to simply is assigning a change to reshoots when the fact is they were always misinterpreting based on limited info, and now they have more.)
10. Jason also thinks Rose has bigger stuff back at the base that we just haven't heard yet.
11. Luke and Leia seem to be back as force ghosts on Tatooine.
12. Jason contrary to rumors reiterates that he does not think "and never seen again" is going to be an accurate reflection of Ben's death. Den of Nerds suggests that because of their bond Kylo may be a ghost somewhere between living and dead. Jason says it seems plausible to him, and refers to the original ROTJ ending where Anakin is essentially brought back to life by Obi Wan right before he enters the nether realm. He also later just points out the obvious: No one who has just fallen into a hole in SW has ever been dead.
13. Den of Nerds refers to the way the Paxis leaks have been reported, which seem to paint a very villainous Kylo up until his turn, and none of the romantic subtext of TLJ. He asks if Jason thinks this is accurate. Jason says not very. He discusses how Kylo clearly continues to be very attached to Rey--"he has no one else." He is a "prodigy" and Rey is the only person he's met like him. Jason repeats that for a SW film, which is very non-sexual, he finds it to be very intensely reylo/romantic that Kylo enters a situation with no hope of living, no plan, no weapon, simply to save someone he cares about deeply. He mentions the Irvin Kirshner quote that a kiss in SW is basically a sex scene, and suggests that a gesture on this level may be basically a kiss. (Though he also says that of course love does not have to be only romantic.)
14. (Personal note: Jason talks, as he has talked throughout the past several podcasts, that he feels like he is on the reylo side. He and Den of Nerds talk a lot about how the reylo community is pretty overall good, and that they have been treated very unfairly.)

(Sounds worse in the interview, Jason is basically taking the piss)

MOD EDIT

 

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