‘Star Wars’ Just Quietly Confirmed What the Future Holds for Rey and Finn’s Story
The Star Wars sequel trilogy — which concluded in 2019 with The Rise of Skywalker — introduced a ton of fan favorites. Characters like Daisy Ridley’s Rey and John Boyega’s Finn kickstarted a whole new era for the saga. Yet, the recent movies left both characters facing uncertain futures. Now Star Wars has finally confirmed how their friendship will evolve going forward.
‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ teased what’s next for Rey and Finn
By the end of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey has become the last remaining Jedi. Armed with a yellow lightsaber and the sacred Jedi texts, it’s implied she will be the start of a new Jedi Order. After all, she did receive counsel from just about every major Jedi in the saga in her battle against Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). But Finn’s story was much murkier in the final cut of the film.
Finn’s story over the course of the sequel trilogy has been a hot topic among Star Wars fans. Boyega was introduced as a co-lead with Ridley in The Force Awakens. By the time The Rise of Skywalker came around, the character was pushed very much into the background. Boyega has been very outspoken on how he feels the Star Wars saga betrays his character’s planned arc.
Lucasfilm has been trying to explain the characters’ arcs in other media
And the brass at Lucasfilm must realize how poorly received the story in The Rise of Skywalker was. Since the film’s release, the company has made a noticeable effort to run damage control. The Rise of Skywalker novelization and the ongoing run of Star Wars comics have both attempted to shed some light on Snoke’s (Andy Serkis) backstory and Palpatine’s mysterious return.
Even Finn’s big plot development — that he is, in fact, Force-sensitive — has been relegated to other forms of media. The Rise of Skywalker teases Finn’s confession to Rey about his abilities but never gets to it. Director J.J. Abrams even had to clarify this plot point in interviews, proving once again just out misguided the storytelling of The Rise of Skywalker truly is.
‘The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special’ just confirmed Finn will be a Jedi
In fact, it looks like it has fallen to The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special to confirm — for the first time on screen — what is next for Rey and Finn. The premise of this new Disney+ animated special is that Rey (voiced by Helen Sadler) is struggling with the right way to train Finn (voiced by Omar Benson Miller) as a Jedi. So she journeys through time to find answers.
Of course, The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special isn’t technically canon. However, the point of the Lego Star Wars brand is to riff on the saga. So its acknowledgment of Finn as Force-sensitive and Rey as his Jedi Master is still impactful. Their master-apprentice dynamic isn’t presented as a joke but quite earnestly. So the special succeeds where The Rise of Skywalker failed.
