In the long tradition of stories that promise transformation and deliver only suggestion, the Star Wars sequel trilogy offered audiences a character — Finn, the defected stormtrooper — whose latent connection to the Force was seeded with care and then quietly forgotten. Across three films and years of storytelling, what began as a deliberate invitation to witness a new kind of Jedi journey collapsed into unspoken confessions and unexplored gifts. It is a reminder that in the architecture of myth, what is left unbuilt can wound an audience as surely as what is built poorly.
Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Squandered Finn's Force-Sensitivity Arc
A character arc was set up and then abandoned
Mark
So the core complaint here is that Disney set up Finn as Force-sensitive across two films and then never paid it off. Is that the whole story?
Mimi
Essentially, yes—but the timing matters. When The Force Awakens came out, the marketing was very deliberate about positioning Finn as a Jedi protagonist. He's shown with Luke's lightsaber. The film plants these subtle moments suggesting he has a connection to the Force. It's a promise.
Luke
But was it really a promise, or just a hint? The source material says the film "teased" it and "hinted at" it. Those are different things. A hint can be accidental or exploratory. A promise is intentional.
Mimi
Fair point. But Disney's own marketing campaign was selling Finn as the new Jedi. That's not a subtle hint—that's a studio-level commitment. Then The Last Jedi largely ignores it, and Rise of Skywalker brings it back but never resolves it.
Mark
What does "bring it back" actually mean in Rise of Skywalker? What are we seeing?
Mimi
There's a scene where Finn is about to tell Rey something important—something that was later confirmed to be about his Force-sensitivity. He never says it. Later, he demonstrates what looks like Force ability: he knows where to lead the group, he senses Rey's death. But it's never explained or developed.
Luke
So we have one unconfirmed confession and some ambiguous moments that could be interpreted as Force use. How certain are we that this was intentional on Abrams' part versus the source material reading into it?
Mimi
The confession was confirmed after the fact. The other moments are more interpretive, I'll grant you. But the pattern across three films—setup, abandonment, vague callback—suggests something was left on the table.
Mark
Why does this matter beyond just "wasted potential"? What was actually lost?
Mimi
Finn was positioned as one of the few Black characters with a truly prominent role in the saga. His backstory as a defected stormtrooper was rich territory. If his Force-sensitivity had been developed, it could have been the foundation for a real character arc—something that distinguished him and gave him agency.
Luke
But we should be careful here. The source material doesn't provide evidence that Finn's race was a factor in how the studio treated his arc. That's an inference, even if it's a reasonable one.
Mimi
True. What we know for certain is that the studio shifted focus to Rey's backstory instead. Finn became secondary. His most interesting potential was left unexplored.
Mark
Is there any path forward for this character?
Mimi
Theoretically, yes. Star Wars is expanding through Disney+ and novels. Finn could return and his Force connection could finally be explored. But on the big screen, across three films, the opportunity was missed.
The Pulse
- Disney's own marketing machine promised a Black Jedi protagonist in Finn, then quietly dismantled that promise as the trilogy shifted its gravitational center entirely toward Rey.
- The Force Awakens planted unmistakable seeds of Force-sensitivity in Finn — moments of instinct, connection, and potential — that The Last Jedi simply refused to water.
- The Rise of Skywalker offered a second chance: a quicksand confession scene, a sensed death, a knowing instinct — all pointing toward the arc that never arrived.
- The incompleteness is not accidental ambiguity but structural abandonment, leaving one of the saga's few prominent Black characters without the story he was set up to carry.
- The expanding Star Wars universe — novels, Disney+ series — keeps the door technically open, but the cinematic moment has passed, and with it, something that felt genuinely necessary.
In the long tradition of stories that promise transformation and deliver only suggestion, the Star Wars sequel trilogy offered audiences a character — Finn, the defected stormtrooper — whose latent connection to the Force was seeded with care and then quietly forgotten. Across three films and years of storytelling, what began as a deliberate invitation to witness a new kind of Jedi journey collapsed into unspoken confessions and unexplored gifts. It is a reminder that in the architecture of myth, what is left unbuilt can wound an audience as surely as what is built poorly.
When Disney launched its marketing campaign for The Force Awakens in 2015, John Boyega's Finn was framed as the new Jedi — lightsaber in hand, destiny implied. The film itself reinforced this, embedding quiet moments that suggested a latent Force-sensitivity waiting to unfold. It was a genuine arc, deliberately constructed. Then the trilogy moved on without it.
The sequel trilogy introduced three figures to carry the saga forward: Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren. Each arrived trailing unanswered questions. Finn's Force-sensitivity was among the most intriguing — the hint that a former stormtrooper might discover something extraordinary within himself. The Last Jedi largely ignored it. When J.J. Abrams returned for The Rise of Skywalker, the thread resurfaced briefly: a confession swallowed by quicksand, a sensed death, an instinctive knowledge of where to lead. The film acknowledged what had been planted. It still refused to grow it.
What makes the abandonment sting is its deliberateness. The studio had the vision, the resources, and the audience's trust. Somewhere in the process, Finn became secondary — his Force-sensitivity reduced to a recurring hint rather than a foundation. For a character who represented something rare and significant within the franchise, the missed opportunity carries weight beyond narrative disappointment.
The Skywalker saga has concluded, and Finn's cinematic story appears to have ended with it. Novels and streaming series keep the theoretical door open — his training, his origins, what he might have become. But across three films, the arc was set up and set aside, leaving audiences with questions where there might have been growth.
When Disney began marketing Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015, the studio positioned John Boyega's Finn as something specific: the new Jedi. Promotional materials showed him wielding Luke Skywalker's lightsaber with apparent skill and confidence. The first film itself planted seeds—moments that suggested Finn possessed some latent connection to the Force, a sensitivity that might blossom into something larger. It was a thread worth following, a character arc with genuine potential. Then Disney abandoned it almost entirely.
The Force Awakens introduced three central figures to carry the sequel trilogy forward: Rey, a scavenger from Jakku played by Daisy Ridley; Finn, a defected stormtrooper portrayed by Boyega; and Kylo Ren, Adam Driver's conflicted villain. The first film left numerous questions unanswered about each of them, deliberately seeding mysteries for the films to come. Finn's Force-sensitivity was among those mysteries—a tantalizing hint that the character might become something more than a reformed soldier. But The Last Jedi, the trilogy's middle chapter, largely ignored this thread. It answered some questions from The Force Awakens while leaving others dangling, and it failed to pick up the loose ends that might have deepened Finn's story.
When J.J. Abrams returned to direct The Rise of Skywalker, he had a chance to revisit what he'd started. The film included a scene in which Finn, Rey, and their companions sink into quicksand. Finn appears ready to confess something crucial to Rey—something he never actually says aloud. It was later confirmed that Finn intended to reveal his Force-sensitivity in that moment. Later in the same film, there are hints that Finn does possess this ability: he demonstrates knowledge of where to lead the group, and he senses Rey's death through what appears to be a Force connection. These moments suggest Abrams remembered what he'd set up in the first film. But he never developed it. The confession remains unspoken. The ability remains unexplored. The arc remains incomplete.
What makes this abandonment particularly striking is the deliberateness of the initial setup. Disney's marketing machine had sold audiences on a specific vision: Finn as the protagonist of a new Jedi story. The studio had resources, reach, and intent. Then, somewhere in the process, the focus shifted entirely toward Rey and her backstory. Finn became secondary. His Force-sensitivity, which might have been the foundation for a compelling character journey, was treated as an afterthought—something to hint at but never actually develop. Abrams had two opportunities across two films to give this arc substance and meaning. He squandered both.
The waste feels particularly acute given Finn's significance within the broader Star Wars universe. He was positioned as one of the few Black characters with a truly prominent role in the saga—a character who could have represented something new and necessary for the franchise. Instead, the trilogy left his most interesting potential unexplored. His backstory as a former stormtrooper offered rich territory. His Force-sensitivity could have been the key to unlocking that territory. Neither was fully pursued.
With the Skywalker saga now concluded, Finn's cinematic story appears to have ended as well, at least for the moment. The Star Wars universe continues expanding through other channels—Disney+ series and published novels—so there remains a theoretical possibility that Finn could return and his Force connection could finally be explored. His training, the origins of his sensitivity, what he might become if given proper development: all of this remains open. But on the big screen, across three films, the opportunity was missed. A character arc was set up and then abandoned, leaving audiences with hints and questions instead of answers and growth.
Notable Quotes
Finn was supposed to be the one hero to change the Star Wars universe for the better, but the studio ultimately failed him— Analysis of the trilogy's treatment of the character
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