THE lead character(s)

My personal feeling is that the roles will be balanced enough that whichever character you relate to the most will feel like the "lead" to you (e.g. Do you feel like a secret hero with a mystic destiny? Rey's the lead. Do you feel like a regular person thrown into an exciting new world? Finn's the lead. Do you feel like an expert in your field who saves the day? Poe's the lead. Do you feel like a disgruntled psycho with psychic powers and daddy issues? Kylo's the lead.)

As a droid, I'm very excited to see BB-8 lead a merry band of humanoids to victory!

 

From what we know of the plot, I will say this. Finn is the hero and lead of the film but Rey is the Lead of the entire trilogy. I think this is the film that will focus on Finn's story arc from storm trooper to resistance fighter. I say this because it is Finn who rescues Rey from Starkiller base with Han. Which makes him the hero but Rey will be the overall lead. For example in the PT Obi Wan was the hero in TPM but Anakin was the lead to the overall trilogy. From what we know Rey didn't embrace being a hero/Jedi figure until the final act.

 

They are telling a different story and passing the baton (several batons) to the new generation in several ways.

 

I kinda felt like Qui-gon was the lead of TPM, but even so, your point remains.

Finn says he has an arc no one has seen before....what if he is the bad guy of episode 8? I don't buy it, but tossing out the craziest stretch I could think of.

 

Nope.
Lightsaber on the poster does not mean anything.

 

In turn I think next film will focus more on Rey's story and the final film will focus on both characters as equal leads. Maybe even both being Jedi.

 

To me it is abundantly clear... In the PT and OT there was one character who was in the middle of the conflict, between the light and the dark, who could potentially be turned from one side to the other. Not coincidentally, these were centered in the first episode official movie posters.

In the PT, it was Anakin, who was tempted and turned.

EDIT: Note on the above: LENS FLARE!!!

In the OT, it was Luke, who was tempted but did not turn.

Even in the alternate poster, the pivotal character is still most prominent in the "middle."

Now the composition has evolved since the first poster, but the central focus in it of the "pivotal" character has not. Anyone that dismisses this history of the franchise posters and the importance of the character placement is mistaken. Based on the history of the posters that came before it, the TFA poster makes it quite clear that Rey is the pivotal character.
She will be tempted, but it will remain to be seen whether she turns.

This does not mean that she is the MAIN lead, the ONLY lead, or anything else. The very likely outcome of this whole debate is that we are going to have co-leads, which is exactly what the OT developed into with Luke, Han, and Leia. (I don't think it was conceived that way, but it certainly developed that way once the popularity of Han Solo became evident...)

I would also mention that in each of these posters, you have the "face of evil" looming over all of the characters...

Just because someone does not agree with you does not mean hostility. Respectful debate does not equal hostility. People need to learn to understand this point. The only hostility in any of these threads has been the constant pushing to get into a debate about race. Such debates and threads that revolve around that discussion have almost uniformly degraded into a senseless, venom-spewing, hate-filled argument that serves no real purpose. So, I for one applaud the moderators for recognizing that the Finn thread was headed in the same direction and for putting an end to it. Well done.

 

I get they want to break the mould and I am positive Rey is the center of the trilogy....but I mean, for the main "hero" to carry a staff?

That's what gets me. Just give her the saber. Because my eyes are more drawn to the dudes holding one of the coolest weapons ever made....not someone holding a staff.

Abrams knows best I guess....

 

Anakin in TPM did not even touched a lightsaber. Luke in ANH almost did not use a lightsaber. Main heroes in previous two trilogies did not really use lightsaber till second movie of the trilogy.

We do not know if Rey will have a lightsaber in this movie ( she may get a lightsaber at the end of the movie ), but I'am sure that she will have a lightsaber in EP VIII.

 

I think it is no coincidence that the staff is mirrored or even backlit by Kylo Ren's red firesaber... Is this a hint at her possible future? Family relation?

 

You clearly are a Honk Kong kung fu movies hater! I see a Bo staff and expect plenty of martial arts fights!