Main Finn/John Boyega Episode IX Thread

Finn's last wish before he went to rescue Rey was going to the outer rim. This is where the movie should have went with him. Yes he is going to fight the FO, but how he eventually gets to fight the FO is more interesting than fighting them.

A war orphan may not find out about their origins, but what kind of nation or people would we be if we didn't first try? Would our first thoughts be putting a weapon in their hands or trying to help them? Finn was taken as a baby. He never had a life. Wanting to get away is natural. Not exploring that angle is denying the characters natural motivations. Most of us if not all would want to get away first, and I doubt a character like Rose would have been able to convince you otherwise.

I see Rey and Finn more as family than anyone else. Their initial motivations were just each other. People like Poe and Rose are dedicated to the Resistance first. If something bad happens to Finn, who would be upset the most? Rose, Poe or Rey?

Finn's choice was coerced by Rian with the Rose character. She denied him his own choice when she tazered
him, and was going to take him in for desertion. Being an actual free man is having no one on your shoulder influencing your decisions. Finn never had that. From Maz to Rose. The man just escaped, and all they care about is fighting.

JK on the last sentence, but still true.

 

I agree that the choice of the matter should have been presented as more of a choice for the character. The way events play out, he’s shown more as a passenger than a participant. He’s sort of along for the ride in parts, so his personal transition from self-interest to selfless interest doesn’t come across as well as it could. It seems to happen a bit abruptly if you aren’t knowingly keeping score.

When I think of this premise, I imagine a 12 year old foster kid somewhere discovering Star Wars for the first time. Seeing a heroic character who isn’t a hero because of who his family is or how he was raised, but in spite of those things. His parents are a mystery. His upbringing wasn’t ideal, but he overcame those limitations to become someone truly great. That seems like such a positive message to me. I’m not saying Finn should be incurious about his past. If JJ wants to explore that in EPIX, I’d be all for it, but that seems like such a minor aspect to who the character is now. It wouldn’t necessarily ‘plus’ him, IMO.

I certainly won’t defend how clumsy it was handled in TLJ. I mean, Finn’s initial motivation was to insure Rey’s safety by getting that beacon away from the Resistance fleet. But when he gets that exact chance, by going to Canto Bight, he leaves it behind. Why? Because then his sole motivation for saving the fleet would be gone and he’d be doing it as an act of altruism only. He could have just stayed on CB, waited for Rey, and let Rose handle the mission. In a span of minutes, he goes from doomsaying to reckless idealism. That wasn’t totally earned, IMO, but the plot structure didn’t really allow itself that sort of buildup. That’s definitely on RJ.

 

So, looking at those leaked promo images, I really hope Finn's story is far greater and important than his wardrobe suggests it is.

 

From being marketed with a light saber to now being marketed looking like Han Solo tells me they never had a story for Boyega's character. There is nothing exclusive about him.

 

Good grief! Since when does a character’s costume have any relationship to their significance in the story? While wondering about/questioning what Finn’s role and significance in IX is legitimate, this seems like a big stretch to me.

 

This! Moreover his outfit looks like something Solo would have worn in his younger days and no one would argue that Ford's character was lame, right? : p

 

He's a Stromtrooper who broke free of the FO's brain washing and now he can stand his own against the forces of evil without having to be FS. That's exclusive.

Btw the marketing hasn't even started yet. So, just wait and see.

 

They could have done this from the beginning if they were going to ignore everything else about him going forward. What was the point of him being a storm trooper if they weren't going to explore it? This was a bad idea on Lucas films part, because many wanted to know more about his character. I would rather spend $30 watching a film where Finn tries to figure out where he comes from than spend $12 watching him risk his life for someone else. I'm just no interested in Finn fighting the FO for the reasons that was given in TLJ. I have no problem with him fighting the FO, but I do have a problem how he came to that decision. I can't relate to it, so I don't care.

I lost a lot of faith with this franchise. The only thing that can get me interested is seeing Finn doing something FS in the trailer. It's come to that.

 

"Like all of them, I was taken from a family I'll never know." - Finn

It sounds like he has resigned himself to the fact he can never regain the life he would have had. The screen we see when Phasma and Hux are reviewing his conditioning and conformity shows a pic of a baby, so he probably has little no no memory of any family of even what planet he comes from.

He may try to find some clues to that one day, but right now there is a more urgent matter, and that is his life going forward. He's making true friends and forming real bonds for the first time in his life. It's no wonder he feel obligated to help and protect his friends. Knowing the First Order from the inside most likely gives him a determination to stop them that few others have.

Finn has come a long way. He has conquered his fear and is learning values the First Order would never have taught him. I think his character arc from Stormtrooper to Resistance is one of the more interesting of the entire saga.

 

What worries me most is that it looks like he's going to be little more than a recruiter for the Resistance, based on the leaked grassy fields photos. You're right, there's nothing unique to him at all. That makes me nervous.

 

John Boyega: “The Skywalker saga is done. It felt amazing being part of this final fight. For me, after Episode 8, I wanted more clarity. I had so many questions. I am the Star Wars fan, on set, that likes to debate everything. So for me, I just wanted to see more. I wanted to know about these characters. I wanted to see them together. So I was like, c’mon JJ man, I haven’t written a drop yet but I know exactly what the fans want. They want to see everybody together. They want to see the dynamics between Rey and Kylo. They want more explanation of the [jedi] path. So let’s do it! So I’m glad JJ was on the same exact page.” (April 12, 2019)

 

LOL you know Boyega may be on to something here since he doesn't mention his own character directly.

 

He is now Rey's caddy! Would take a writing miracle to make him relevent to the story as a whole.

 

The Hollywood Reporter - Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy on Planning "Next 10 Years" of Star Wars Films

 

Yeah so....did Finn have a staff or perhaps a tonfa in that initial shot of him and Poe in the trailer? My expectations are muted for my boy Finn at this point but I've been screaming for him to have his own melee weapon since TFA (with him and the lightsaber...lets move on) and the preceding story featuring him as a trooper. Maybe just maybe someone remembered he is a talented ( non jedi) warrior

 

I think that's Rey's staff he's holding.

 

He's the token black. He's gonna be a great Resistance soldier i suppose lol. So pathetic.

 

And boom goes the dynamite...that crossed my mind. I was afraid of that. Unfortunately I believe your right. I'm glad I like Rey. She is Gladys Knight and Finn and Poe are the Pips.

 

Right...cause blacks can't be resistance fighters.