Name your favorite Star Wars character. Is it Finn, the rogue Stormtrooper played by John Boyega? How about Rey, the mysterious scavenger from Jakku? Or maybe you like Poe Dameron, the best fighter the Resistance has in their ranks? Yeah, I think all of them are not even in the top twenty for everyone’s favorite Star Wars characters. In fact, I don’t think any of the sequel characters are in our favorites. That’s probably because most of them were hardly memorable. Hey, some of you might disagree and that’s fine, but if we’re being honest here, I don’t see anyone shouting out to Disney and Lucasfilm to bring back those characters. Okay, maybe Kylo Ren because he was hands down the coolest character from the sequels. Can anyone argue with that? I seriously doubt it. But back on the three characters I mentioned earlier. Finn, the rogue stormtrooper, or Rey’s sidekick as I like to call him. Then there’s Rey, the granddaughter of Palpatine/Darth Sidious, played by Daisy Ridley. Okay, just how many things was Rey supposed to be? I’m sure they talked about a hundred different possibilities, but the whole Palpatine’s granddaughter twist was something they thought of last minute. And lastly, we have Poe Dameron, played by the awesome Oscar Isaac. I just have to say this, but every time I hear his name, I think of Nicolas Cage’s character from Con Air. Why? Well, because his character was named Cameron Poe. I just can’t get that out of my head.
So these three characters were the new big three protagonists for the Star Wars sequel trilogy. The thing is, nobody really likes them that much. It’s honestly not hard to understand why, considering their character arcs kept building up to be something special, but in the end, the payoff just wasn’t worth the hype. Nobody behind the scenes seemed to know what to do with Rey, Poe Dameron, as witty and skilled as he was, felt like another Luke Skywalker who didn’t become a Jedi, and Finn was just… Finn. I mean, I’m pretty sure J.J. Abrams was setting him up to be force sensitive and much more significant later down the line. And how as he treated after The Force Awakens? If you ask me, just about the worst treatment any character in the whole franchise has received. That may sound like a stretch to some, but hey, even Jar Jar eventually got more to do in the Clone Wars series. Now I bring them up because Kathleen Kennedy has recently revealed in an interview that Finn, Rey, and Poe Dameron still have stories to be told in Star Wars. She’s basically implying that they will be seen again in future Star Wars movies. First of all, shouldn’t she be sorting out those “creative differences” issues with Patty Jenkins? That’s apparently the main reason why production on Rogue Squadron is being delayed. I’ve recently written about that, because it worries me very much. We’ve heard the news about all the creative differences Kathleen Kennedy has had with many directors in the past and it showed in several movies.
With the current state the Star Wars movies are in, I really don’t think Kathleen Kennedy can afford to sour any working relationships with her directors. And come on, Patty Jenkins is a top tier director, so why wouldn’t you just let her do her thing? I really hope they work things out, because Rogue Squadron is a good example of what they should focus on. These solo Star Wars movies unconnected to all the Star Wars trilogies can expand the universe in ways those movies failed to do. And with the case for characters like Finn, he’s a good template for everything you shouldn’t do with a character. And out of all those three big sequel protagonists heroes, Finn was done the most dirty. But don’t just take my word for it, John Boyega himself has openly expressed his disappointment with how Finn was developed. Oh, and he has not been cordial about it. He is extremely ticked off with how the writers and directors handled the story of Finn. Can we blame him? I really don’t think so. Just watch him talk about his part in the sequels when he was first casted and listen to him speak about it now. It’s a complete night and day difference. I can’t help but feel for the guy, but it’s pretty obvious to say that his chances of returning are very slim.
That goes for Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac as well. Daisy Ridley, while not as vocal about it as John Boyega, has implied that she isn’t interested in reprising her role as Rey. And as for Oscar Isaac, the man is doing a dozen different other projects. I mean, he’s already Moon Knight and that will be premiering next year. The role of Poe Dameron is no longer necessary for him. With that in mind, I’m not really sure why Kathleen Kennedy would claim that these three characters still have stories that still need to be told. Granted, most of us fans didn’t really like where their arcs ended up, but how many of us are dying to see them again? I think it’s safe to say not very many. Now can we see them again in an animated show or Star Wars books? It’s possible, but even so, I don’t think anyone would be interested.
Rey is the only character that can have an interesting story to tell after Rise of Skywalker. As for Finn and Poe, what else can you do with them? Poe is probably still flying with the Resistance and Finn is off with the other rogue Stormtroopers. For the record, I still can’t remember their names. I don’t even know what they would be doing. I still think Finn was done the most dirty, but it might be too late for him to get a decent story arc. The most notable thing Finn ever did was constantly shouting out Rey’s name. Boy, that got old very fast. But what are your thoughts, Star Wars fans? Do you think Finn, Rey, and Poe will return in future Star Wars movies? I honestly don’t think so, but then again, you never know. Surprises can happen, but no one is really calling for their return. They didn’t connect with audiences as much as they should’ve and it might be too late. If that’s the case, then Star Wars should just move on without them. It can survive.
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