10 Reasons Why Finn Should Have Been A Jedi In The Sequel Trilogy

Summary

• Finn becoming a Jedi would have improved the disjointed sequel trilogy, fulfilling otherwise empty storylines and creating more effective twists.
• Finn’s lack of agency and focus in the sequels could have been fixed, highlighting his character in the way he deserved.
• Finn being Force-sensitive would resolve his unresolved plotline in The Rise of Skywalker, which is now quite confusing in hindsight.

Out of all the characters introduced in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, it often feels as though if Finn had eventually become a Jedi, parts of the sequel trilogy would have been improved. Despite the success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with each installment in the trilogy more controversy followed, culminating in disastrous reviews for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. All in all, despite certain positives, many view the sequel trilogy as being rather disjointed and flawed – but Finn’s story could have changed that.

Originally known as FN-2187, Finn is best known as the stormtrooper who helped to free Poe Dameron and defected from the First Order. As a character, it seemed as though there were hints in the final installment of the trilogy that might have once pointed to bigger plans for the character. If these plans had been acted on and Finn was, for example, revealed to be Force-sensitive, it could have improved the sequels in a variety of different ways.

10 Becoming A Jedi Would Have Given Finn More To Do

Finn Feels Mostly Left Out Of The Rise Of Skywalker

Throughout the sequel trilogy and in The Rise of Skywalker especially, Finn feels like an afterthought of a character. The importance placed upon him in the first two movies disappears by the third, leaving him to simply follow around characters who have been deemed more vital by the plot, such as Rey and Poe Dameron. This left him feeling empty and forgettable where he once was a character driving the plot, such as in Star Wars: The Last Jedi where he infiltrates the First Order along with Rose Tico.

If Finn were to become a Jedi in The Rise of Skywalker, this would have helped to solidify a place for him in the plot. Because his time as a stormtrooper is now over and done with, Finn doesn’t have a specialty anymore. This would have given him something to work towards, either trained by or learning alongside Rey herself, who at this point is much more experienced. In turn, this would have made the movie more exciting and filled the spot of an empty character.

9 Using The Force Could Have Given Finn More Agency

Finn Doesn’t Do Much On His Own In The Sequel Trilogy

An issue that plagues Finn throughout the sequel trilogy is that most of what he does is fueled by others. He ends up following Rey in The Force Awakens, offering little in the way of ideas and mostly just going along with her plan. In The Last Jedi, it’s never Finn’s plan. It is either Poe’s plan to infiltrate the First Order and overrule Admiral Holdo, or it is Maz Kanata’s plan to find the Master Codebreaker.

Agency and doing what Finn feels is right would become an integral part of his character.

The only real instance where Finn shows any sort of real agency happens at the very beginning of his story, when he makes the conscious decision to defect from the First Order. If he were to choose to follow the path of the Jedi, this is something that Finn could build upon. Agency and doing what Finn feels is right would become an integral part of his character, in turn improving the themes of the sequel trilogy.

8 The Plot Would Have Had Something Else To Focus On

Sometimes The Story Feels Like It’s Missing Something

There are many scenes in the sequel trilogy that feel like added fluff. Instances like the Canto Bight sequence in The Last Jedi are well staged and often beautiful, but receive very little payoff in terms of the actual story. Because of this, there are sometimes moments in which the story of the sequel trilogy falls flat and doesn’t seem to go anywhere.

Giving Finn a concrete goal to achieve with real stakes and history attached would change this. By offering Finn the journey of the Jedi and showing it juxtaposed in a different light to Rey’s own journey, it would help to fill those moments where the story currently isn’t so compelling. It could be anything, from Finn using the Force for the first time to actually telling Rey that he is Force-sensitive and asking her for help.

7 The Jedi Could Have Been Brought To The Forefront

The Sequel Trilogy Often Forgets About The Jedi That Came Before

Despite the fact that the Jedi are the most well-known part of Star Wars as a whole, the sequel trilogy often forgets to feature them. The Last Jedi is the only movie that really tries, going deeper into Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Temple and the story of how Ben Solo became Kylo Ren. The Rise of Skywalker touches on them too, if only briefly, to pose Rey as the vessel of all the Jedi against the Emperor, who represents all the Sith.

If the seeds of Finn being Force-sensitive had been sewn from the beginning, this could have helped to establish a more Jedi-focused narrative for the story. Finn could have represented a fledgling just learning their way, as Rey seems to know what she’s doing and how to do it for the most part throughout the entire trilogy. This would have helped the Jedi to have more of a showing, as Rey and Luke Skywalker are the only real Jedi that appear – and Luke only really appears for any length of time in The Last Jedi.

6 Finn Would Have Offered The Perfect Opportunity For The Jedi To Rebuild

Rey’s New Trilogy Had The Best Starting Point And Did Not Use It

Little is known about Rey’s future trilogy, but one thing that has been confirmed is that it will center around the New Jedi Order. It is possible that this series will follow Rey as she teaches the next generation of Jedi, rebuilding what Luke Skywalker thought was long-lost. Viewers will have to wait a while to see where the series goes next, but thinking about the upcoming series in the context of the sequel trilogy could help to shed some light on what is to come.

Not only would Rey have the opportunity to pass on what she has already learned, but it would provide teaching experience on the fly that could guide her going forward into her new trilogy.

Regardless of what will come next, if Finn were to start on his Jedi journey in the sequel series, it would have provided the perfect starting point for Rey’s trilogy to jump off of. Not only would Rey have the opportunity to pass on what she has already learned, but it would provide teaching experience on the fly that could guide her going forward into her new trilogy. This inclusion would help the sequels by rounding out the ending and exciting viewers for the next installment in the franchise.

5 The Plot Wouldn’t Have Been So Focused On Rey And Ben Solo

Another Jedi Could Have Added More Character Variety

By the time the sequel trilogy reaches The Last Jedi, it very much seems like Rey and Kylo Ren, later Ben Solo, are hogging the spotlight. Most of the important scenes in the latter two movies go to them, with other characters relegated to what could be considered side quests in relation to the main plot. Finn especially gets the short end of the stick, mostly due to his increasing lack of agency as the story progresses.

Because Jedi are often so plot relevant, especially in a trilogy of films where Jedi are scarce, simply making Finn into one would already give the plot someone else to focus on for a little while. His journey in the Force and what he can do to help restore balance would be elevated by his personal stake in it. Finn would no longer be a bystander watching from within the Resistance, but an active part of the fight with the growing skill set to actually take part in battle.

4 Finn Could Have Shown That Anyone Could Become A Jedi

This Would Have Continued The Message Of The Last Jedi

One of the themes touched on in The Last Jedi and then subsequently dropped in The Rise of Skywalker is the one that anyone could be a Jedi, or more generally, a hero. When Rey’s parents were originally confirmed to be “nobody,” this is the direction that many thought the filmmakers were going. This, coupled with the scene at the end of the movie of the child on Canto Bight using the Force, really hammered the message home that people don’t have to come from a famous family like the Skywalkers in order to be special.

The Rise of Skywalker completely undoes this message by relating Rey to the Emperor. However, if the movie wanted to keep that plot point and also the important message of The Last Jedi, the writers could have used Finn instead. Finn started out as a stormtrooper in the least likely place for a Jedi to begin, the First Order. Finn would have been the perfect character to show that it isn’t about who a person is related to or where they started out; it’s about what they do with the tools they have.

3 It Would Have Called Back To Finn’s Lightsaber Fight In The Force Awakens

His Lightsaber Fight Against Kylo Ren Remains Impressive

When Finn fights against Kylo Ren on Takodana, it culminates in one of the most interesting lightsaber fights in the sequel trilogy. Finn has never used a lightsaber before, and it clearly shows, but he holds his own well enough to survive against a man who has been training for his entire life. He should be dead, and yet somehow Finn survived.

Not only would it be very cool to see him wield a lightsaber again, but it would give the opportunity for the plot to call back to this moment.

Seeing Finn wield the Skywalker lightsaber gave viewers a taste of what he as a Jedi could be like. Not only would it be very cool to see him wield a lightsaber again, but it would give the opportunity for the plot to call back to this moment. Perhaps it was the Force that allowed him to survive, or it could have just been quick thinking – or even sheer luck. Regardless, it would have been nice to see Finn use a lightsaber again.

2 Finn Being Force-Sensitive Could Have Fixed An Unresolved Plotline

The Rise Of Skywalker Left One Plot Point Dangling Permanently

In the little that Finn is given to do in The Rise of Skywalker, there are several moments where he states there is something he needs to tell Rey. He says this several times, to the point where he and Poe Dameron even clash over it. Many thought this might have been a love confession, but Finn never ends up saying what it was he needed to tell Rey before the end of the movie.

It was later confirmed by J.J. Abrams that he was going to tell Rey he was Force-sensitive. However, that never made it into the final version of the movie. If Finn were to tell her, even in a short scene where he shows Rey that he can use the Force, it would resolve this plotline that, as it stands now, makes little sense still being in the movie.

1 Star Wars Needs More Black Jedi

Mace Windu Has Been Leading The Charge For 25 Years

For years, the only prominent black Jedi has been Mace Windu. Others have been introduced, such as Kelleran Beq, but none have held the same importance to the plot that a character like Anakin Skywalker or even Rey has. Until recently, there has been a lack of people of color playing prominent roles as a whole.

Finn is more than just another member of the Resistance, and becoming a Jedi would mean so much, not only to the story but to those who watch as well. It would have allowed Finn to be a role model operating within the mystical Jedi framework. Star Wars has a noticeable lack of black Jedi, and allowing Finn to take this journey would have been a step forward for the franchise.

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