Official Finn Episode VIII thread

At this point, I think the reason Finn always lost with the lightsaber is to show that a force sensitive person like Rey would be good at it.

The same reason they showed a non Force sensitive like Poe couldn't resist Kylo's mind probe, but a force sensitive like Rey could.

 

To me, the most intriguing thing about Finn & the LS, weren't the fight scenes.

What really makes me curious is that Maz, "the old sage archetype", chose to entrust the weapon to Finn. And not just that, she also specifically encouraged him to use it. That's smells fishy...

 

Also she gives Finn the saber even though there are two others there who she has known and trusted for years yet she gives it to the guy she just met.

 

I thought she said give it to your friend.

 

Maz gave it to Finn with the intent of getting it to Rey but you have to wonder why she wouldn't just give it to Han or Chewie who she knows are trustworthy and also capable warriors versus the guy she just met who she herself saw was afraid. Unless of course behind that fear she saw in his eyes something else, something that made her trust giving him the saber. The novelization included an extra line of dialogue that called back to the "eyes of someone looking to run" line where after all the fighting happens she says to Finn "Now those are the eyes of a warrior" which makes me think Yes she did see something else (the force).

 

No wonder Maz was barely in the movie. Rian didn't want to have anything to do with Finn being seen as special.

 

I mean Maz was in the movie. I genuinely believe that he only knew what he wanted to do with the TFA cliffhanger (Luke and Rey) stuff and everything else he just winged and came up with really stupid nonsense.

 

Regarding the FS metadata for Finn, I don't want to be a wet blanket but honestly I think by now we know the deal:

JJ added all the FS metadata for dual usage.

1st usage: as a misdirect to try to hide the world's worst kept secret, that Rey would become a Jedi
2nd usage: as a set up for a future reveal

Rian wasn't interested in developing or otherwise dealing with any of JJ's mystery boxes... and he essentially tied off all of them, not just the one with Finn, but all of them. Ben's redemption, Rey's lineage, he deliberately subverted all of it. I honestly don't know if there is any walking back of any of the subversions. But at least Rey's lineage and Ben's redemption were acknowledged as real things and addressed in the movie (even if only to yank the rug out from the fans). Finn's FS not even warranting a mention in TLJ seems like it would put it off the table for EPIX.

 

I can't believe some of us are still hoping for FS finn. Masochists.

 

Except now with JJ back (hell with anyone but Rian) I think it is again a possibility. Nothing in TLJ forces them into a yes or a no with his being FS so if JJ wants to they still can.

I agree that there is no going back with Ben's redemption, everything with Snoke only solidified his heel turn and any attempt at redemption will come off as cheesy and forced.

I actually think they could save the Rey "reveal" by simply stating that Kylo was lying to her in an attempt at pulling her over to his side.

 

The Rey "reveal" save would come off as cheesy and retroactive too; and obvious reaction to fan reaction Honestly I wish Rian simply addressed none of the interesting the threads. Instead he ties off most of them. But with Finn, if he becomes FS it is going to come off as pure fan service. There is NOTHING that sets it up or advances it in TLJ and that is what (to me) will make it a hard sale. But then again, even making Finn an elite soldier (which if the supplemental material were to be believed) would also be a hard sale at this point because there was nothing in TLJ that advances that or the ST rebellion. I still don't get why of all the 4 major characters ALL of them have their character advanced and their skill set advanced except for Finn (or why that seems acceptable to people who claim they like him). And why all the subterfuge? Remember when Boyega showed him working out and playing up how physical the movie would be, and then we saw Boyega showing the blaster that Rian had given him... where did we see ANY of that manifest? I don't get the point of that at all.

 

@Rayjefury : well Rian didn't move Finn in any direction (except "willing sacrificial lamb"). No goundwork has been laid for a "Stormtrooper rebellion" either : the ST didn't explore Finn's dilema or his connection with his former teammates.
The only connection to his past (Phasma) was severed : it will be harder to set that kind of scenario without her.

Now, TLJ did absolutely nothing to rule out Finn's potential FS : it's not like he spent a big chunk time with a FS who wouuldn't notice anything strange about him.

You also have to consider the narative purpose of Finn's FS : in a story where Rey is the center Jedi, what's the point of having a second Jedi in Finn ?
I onlyy had 2 answer for that :
_ you need someone to "hold the fort" while Rey is unavailable.
_ if the endgame is to rebuild the Jedi, then youu need new students. Finn is the prime candidate for that.

So, while the first option is clearly not viable, the second one is still on the table... (and again, we had more setups for that than a Stormtrooper rebellion, even if it mostly came from TFA).

 

If you take into account the fact that the events of TLJ take place right after the events of TFA, then I guess it's still technically possible to re-open the FS Finn box. Not that I think it's going to happen but it's something to think about and a point worth mentioning. Especially when you consider that Rian has Rey go from calling Kylo a monster and him trying to kill her them having what Rian calls "the closest that Star Wars will get to a sex scene" with the force skype hand touching scene. I guess if that should be plausible to so many people then so should Finn being force-sensitive.

 

I'm not saying it would be good but I think it is far easier to go back on the Rey reveal than it would to go back on the Kylo/Snoke stuff.

I think that the benefit of a time jump (regardless to how large) is that it allows for drastic change in a character. If they have Finn in IX be fully trained and they just have in dialogue a mention that he was Rey's first apprentice I think it would be fine and accepted. And then they can go delve further into how exactly Finn finds out, how Rey approaches him, where they get lightsabers, etc in any supplemental material (hopefully an animated series.)

 

I agree. There has been more set up for Finn to be FS than anything else.

 

Before The Last Jedi Finn's only motivation is to run and protect Rey. At the end of The Last Jedi he's chosen the Rebellion and learned that there's more to fighting that just killing those who you hate.

We have Rey as the Jedi. Poe as the Rebellions leader and Finn as the Rebellions hero who will certainly have a leadership role.

 

@DailyPlunge : we're not talking about Finn's inner struggle (which i still find very weak given the potential of his backstory).

No, the issue here is Finn's role in the story : what's the purpose of the character ? what's his part in the grand scheme of things ?

On this front, Finn remained a basic grunt. At this rate, one can only wonder what his contribution to ep IX will be :

Spoiler

 

Finn is part of the final attack that helps buy time for the Rebellion. I don't think Han Solo was a basic grunt and he was essentially only a part of the battle of Endor.

 

Another shallow comparison to Han Solo to try to make Finn's role seem way more awesome than it is. Look, I'm going to give all of you that do this the benefit of the doubt and say I know you all mean well. But the fact of the matter is that Han Solo has never been treated as badly as Finn has. He was not introduced as a bait and switch. He was not sent on a side quest that had nothing to do with the story. He was not constantly made the butt of jokes. He was not constantly belittled and constantly put in danger so other people could look heroic saving him. He had hard skills that actually mattered, no one doubted his suitability as a love interest.

 

If it's "shallow" then please explain how the comparisons are different. What is "awesome" is simply a point of view. Finn had purpose in The Last Jedi whether or not a person liked the story choice.