Finn's story arc across the Star Wars sequels was undeniably messy, with J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson's clashing visions leading to John Boyega not getting the best material to work with.
In The Force Awakens, it was suggested that the former Stormtrooper might be a Jedi in the making, though The Last Jedi backtracked on that by reiterating that Finn was someone who wasn't interested in fighting back against The First Order. He was a hero by the time all was said and done, but The Rise of Skywalker had an entire subplot devoted to Finn wanting to tell Rey he has Force powers.
It was a weird, unresolved plot thread that felt entirely shoehorned in. Now, Boyega has reflected on Abrams' decision to return to what was clearly one of his original plans for Finn, admitting it felt "forced."
"It was a discussion from VII that was kind of brewing, because you didn’t know which way it was gonna go, right?" the actor tells Happy Sad Confused about plans for Finn to be a Jedi. "And then VIII went in another direction. So I think with VIII going in another direction, when you’re bringing someone to the third, they have to kind of like appreciate what’s happened in VIII and then still try and make a narrative of it."
"And JJ [Abrams], I mean JJ really wanted...Force Awakens is the movie that JJ directed, he was kind of pinpoint plotting a trajectory," Boyega continues. "But obviously, with the different creative differences in the middle and then getting to the third, it’s kind of like he still wanted to you know just force it in there, just squeeze it in there."
Boyega would later say he'd like to see what became of Finn and his possible Jedi training, though suggested he'd like to see another actor in the role. It's clear he has zero interest in returning to the Star Wars franchise and is now looking to move on from an experience he appears to have walked away from feeling the same level of disappointment as fans.
A lack of planning really hurt these final chapters in the Skywalker Saga, and the decision to allow filmmakers to do whatever they wanted backfired in a major way, particularly in the case of Finn.
Do you think Lucasfilm dropped the ball with Finn's story arc?