Should Star Wars Let Finn Become A Jedi?
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has given its fans plenty to think about in regards to Rey, Kylo Ren and the role Emperor Palpatine will play, but there’s been little footage of what the supporting cast is up to. There’s certainly some mystery behind what the Sequel Trilogy’s other characters will be up to, especially Rey’s pal and reformed stormtrooper, Finn. Doesn’t that seem a bit strange?
Finn had his own thing going on in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but let’s not forget there were some serious reveals that happened with him in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Finn wielded a lightsaber, and that whole bit was put on pause when he and Rey were split in the next film. Now, with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker around the corner we need to ask, will and should Finn become a Jedi? Let’s talk it out.
Wait, Why Would Finn Be A Jedi?
To go back to the previous point, Finn was able to successfully wield a lightsaber in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Though the actual usage of a lightsaber was not indicative of his potential to become a Jedi. Contrary to what was once known in the Star Wars universe, it’s completely possible for non-Force wielders to handle a lightsaber.
It wasn’t the mere fact that Finn was able to pick up a lightsaber though, it was who he was able to take it up against. With no prior training, Finn was able to hold off the ruthless Kylo Ren, who was trained by Luke “freakin” Skywalker. Ren may have been injured, but he was fresh off killing his dad. Are we really going to sit here and act like he wouldn’t have killed Finn if he had a chance?
Finn certainly took his lumps in that battle, but one has to wonder how things would’ve turned out if he had some instruction. Now, with Rey being trained by a combination of the Jedi texts and we’re assuming a Force Ghost Luke Skywalker, she could possibly train others like Finn to become a Jedi in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Why Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Should Give Us Jedi Finn
If there’s one thing I can irrefutably say the Sequel Trilogy has done better than any prior trilogy in the Skywalker Saga, it’s giving the battles a huge sense of scale. Thanks to advances in technology and the franchise’s success allowing for massive budgets, the Sequel Trilogy has made big battles feel even bigger.
It’s a shame then that with Luke Skywalker’s sacrifice in The Last Jedi that Rey just may be “the last Jedi.” Even one more lightsaber-wielding Jedi would make a huge difference in keeping the action over-the-top and exciting in what will surely be a huge showdown between the Resistance and the First Order. If Finn and Rey happen to split up again, it would be dope to see Finn able to use some lightsaber skills and maybe Force abilities to make a difference in the upcoming battle.
Plus, it seemed the main purpose of Rey taking the Jedi texts was so that she could carry on or possibly transform the Jedi Order to help restore balance to the universe. What good is that if she isn’t training others in the ways of the Force? It only seems natural Rey would spend the time between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker helping other Force sensitives enhance their abilities on top of developing her own.
And before anyone can argue that Finn may not be Force sensitive, another big theme in the Sequel Trilogy seems revolves around the fact that most everyone has access to the Force. Whether or not they’re receptive to it comes down to training, and potentially how receptive they are to honing that ability into some form of power. Leia was relatively powerless in Episode IV, but in Episode VIII, her Force powers saved her life.
Why Finn Needs To Be A Jedi
The Star Wars franchise may be about more than Jedi, but it’s an understatement to say the ancient order is a large part of why so many people were drawn to this franchise to begin with. Lightsabers are cool and using the Force is cool, so it should be no surprise that a mixture of those two can make any character cool.
As mentioned earlier, the Jedi are at risk of dying out completely if something happens to Rey. Bad things have happened to main characters before, though I’d be lying if I said I really expected something awful to happen to Rey before the end of The Rise of Skywalker. In either case, logic would dictate that with the target she has on her back, she’d at least to attempt to pass on what she knows to someone else. Finn has been her pal since they first met on Jakku, and teaching him seems like a great option.
From a franchise perspective, I think it’s a great idea to give Finn as important role like Jedi, if only to give John Boyega a tie to the franchise. He’s a talented actor, and while he may reach a point where Star Wars films aren’t a priority in his career, his legacy as Finn may yet live on in other works like comics and animated shows.
Finn is cool as a reformed stormtrooper who broke his conditioning, but he’d be even cooler if he managed to rise to something even greater than that by the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Make him a Padawan and let’s show that a grunt who used to serve the Dark Side can rise to much higher heights when working for the Light Side.
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Do you think Finn should become a Jedi in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker? Sound off in our poll, drop down in the comments to share more opinion and, of course, be ready for Episode IX on Friday, December 20. CinemaBlend is the place for be for all types of speculation and news regarding Star Wars, and for the latest headlines on what’s happening in movies and television.
