I’ve seen it suggested that without Bendemption and Reylo, IX will be nothing but a moral-conflict-free romp for our heroes. And seriously, wtf?
Finn is a walking moral dilemma all on his own. Because for him and everyone who loves him he raises a terrible question about every enemy Stormtrooper they kill – could they have been another Finn in the making?
The First Order is an organisation run by powerful people who made terrible choices. But its wars are fought by child soldiers who were never given any choice at all.
That’s what makes the battle we’re set to see happen in IX so fascinating. It’s not that the causes themselves are morally grey. The Resistance are clearly fighting for good and the First Order is unquestionably evil. And yet good can’t fight its cause without slaughtering innocents, and I think that’s the most interesting possible dilemma we could be asked to see play out.
And hell yeah I want to see Finn try to resolve it by leading a Stormtrooper revolt. And I want conflict among our heroes too. I want Rey, with her absolutist morality, to oppose Finn. I want Rey to show her love for Finn *through* her opposition – it’s because she believes Finn is so very special, so brave and so good-hearted that she doesn’t think any other Stormtroopers can live up to his example.
And I want Finn to want to believe that what she thinks about him is true – while doing everything he can to prove her wrong. And in succeeding, in leading his fellow Stormtroopers to freedom, he’ll show what *is* special about him as well as what’s special in everyone, if you can find a way of calling it out.
I want IX to explore every crack and fault line in Finn and Rey’s relationship so they can discover together how strong its foundations are.
This makes perfect sense because you know what else would have hardened Rey against the idea of redemption for fascist killers?
The incident with “Ben” would have only confirmed in Rey’s mind that Finn is one of a kind, and that expecting others to follow Finn’s example would only end in heartbreak and destruction. She was burned badly when she trusted in Kylo Ren’s goodness and wouldn’t want Finn to risk his emotions and life in the same way, on a far greater scale with potentially deadly consequences at that. She barely made it out herself and can’t bear the thought of losing him.
If the story went this way it would be yet another parallel to Anidala, except much more robust. As seen in a clip from AotC (link), Padmé believed steadfastly in democracy–for some people anyway, Clones, Tuskens and other undesirables need not apply–while Anakin did not shy away from advocating a dictatorship in the face of democratic dysfunction. Similarly, we would get to see Finn believe in ordinary people’s ability to make choices for the good, with his vision being actually democratic and not just thinly-disguised aristocratic rule like the Senate that Padmé believed in. Rey’s healthy skepticism in the idea that non-Finn people brought up to evil could turn away from it would be sympathetic and rational under the circumstances.
Under this scenario it’s interesting that Finn and Rey are confirmed to be together for all or most of IX. Depending on how early this conflict starts we could watch them in truly interesting arguments yet still bound together by the mission and mutual affection. And man would I love it.
I love this. And also I love that in this scenario their dynamic is reversed from what it was in TFA – with Finn bravely ready to step back into the maw of the First Order and Rey terrified for his life and begging him not to go.
I’ve seen it suggested that without Bendemption and Reylo, IX will be nothing but a moral-conflict-free romp for our heroes. And seriously, wtf?
Finn is a walking moral dilemma all on his own. Because for him and everyone who loves him he raises a terrible question about every enemy Stormtrooper they kill – could they have been another Finn in the making?
The First Order is an organisation run by powerful people who made terrible choices. But its wars are fought by child soldiers who were never given any choice at all.
That’s what makes the battle we’re set to see happen in IX so fascinating. It’s not that the causes themselves are morally grey. The Resistance are clearly fighting for good and the First Order is unquestionably evil. And yet good can’t fight its cause without slaughtering innocents, and I think that’s the most interesting possible dilemma we could be asked to see play out.
And hell yeah I want to see Finn try to resolve it by leading a Stormtrooper revolt. And I want conflict among our heroes too. I want Rey, with her absolutist morality, to oppose Finn. I want Rey to show her love for Finn *through* her opposition – it’s because she believes Finn is so very special, so brave and so good-hearted that she doesn’t think any other Stormtroopers can live up to his example.
And I want Finn to want to believe that what she thinks about him is true – while doing everything he can to prove her wrong. And in succeeding, in leading his fellow Stormtroopers to freedom, he’ll show what *is* special about him as well as what’s special in everyone, if you can find a way of calling it out.
I want IX to explore every crack and fault line in Finn and Rey’s relationship so they can discover together how strong its foundations are.
This makes perfect sense because you know what else would have hardened Rey against the idea of redemption for fascist killers?
The incident with “Ben” would have only confirmed in Rey’s mind that Finn is one of a kind, and that expecting others to follow Finn’s example would only end in heartbreak and destruction. She was burned badly when she trusted in Kylo Ren’s goodness and wouldn’t want Finn to risk his emotions and life in the same way, on a far greater scale with potentially deadly consequences at that. She barely made it out herself and can’t bear the thought of losing him.
If the story went this way it would be yet another parallel to Anidala, except much more robust. As seen in a clip from AotC (link), Padmé believed steadfastly in democracy–for some people anyway, Clones, Tuskens and other undesirables need not apply–while Anakin did not shy away from advocating a dictatorship in the face of democratic dysfunction. Similarly, we would get to see Finn believe in ordinary people’s ability to make choices for the good, with his vision being actually democratic and not just thinly-disguised aristocratic rule like the Senate that Padmé believed in. Rey’s healthy skepticism in the idea that non-Finn people brought up to evil could turn away from it would be sympathetic and rational under the circumstances.
Under this scenario it’s interesting that Finn and Rey are confirmed to be together for all or most of IX. Depending on how early this conflict starts we could watch them in truly interesting arguments yet still bound together by the mission and mutual affection. And man would I love it.
The scene that shows him spare a Jakku villager? Yup, I do. It’s one of my favorite scenes in SW because it actually displays the horrors of war on a ground level, something the films usually shy away from…and still do.
Hell I wish the deleted snow chase was kept in.
It shows the weaknesses of both Finn and Rey. Finn isn’t a great driver and Rey isn’t a great shot, so they switch places to take down their peruses. Its a great display of team and it shows that both characters have their strengths and weaknesses. The cut that got put out favors more on Rey’s strengths while also showing more of Finn’s weaknesses and honestly its why I still do take some issues with TFA, even though I love it.
The deleted scenes show though that JJ really does understand Finn and Rey, so I got faith for IX to show more of the morally complexity of Finn and more of his strengths.
I’ll be forever miffed that the scene with Finn and the villager was cut. But at least Force of Destiny made the second scene canon after a fashion.
My guess is time and some tone bull shit that Disney didn’t want to do.
That random chase scene with Han solo’s hentai monster is pretty much the longest and pointless scene in TFA that I could honestly say it never should have made it in the film.
I don’t agree that the hentai monster chase is pointless. For one thing it has a crucial step in the development of the relationship between Finn and Rey, a moment where she reaches for him for help and comfort as they’re faced with the rathtars.
We’re presented with Rey as someone who’s both uncomfortable with physical intimacy and who relies on no one but herself to look after her. First change in their relationship is when she gives Finn her hand after he asks her if she’s okay. Next step happens during the rathtar chase where she’s reaching for him, wordlessly asking for help and comfort. A significant change in the character and part of the build up the confession scene where she asks Finn to stay with her after he tells her the truth about himself.
The second important part about the rathtar chase is that it directly parallels Finn’s scene during the fight on Takodana where he sees Rey kidnapped. In both scenes one sees the other grabbed and carted off by a monster and in panicked fashion chases after them, even if they have no chance in hell of defeating said monster at that moment. And both parties have to get a bit creative in their rescue attempts as a result.
Seriously, Rey’s panicked “Finn!” as he’s grabbed and pulled away is a great parallel to Finn yelling “Rey!” as he rushes across the battlefield when he sees Kylo has snatched her. The deliberate mirroring in these two scenes is yet another build up of how much these two come to care for each other over very short time and it heavily underlines that Finn is as important to Rey as Rey is to Finn.
Could these points have been delivered better? Yes. And the scene is definitely overly long I agree on that. In fact, trimming it down would have delivered those points better.
But I dispute that it is pointless and I actually will defend the hentai monster chase scene’s right to exist in the movie.
Mara and I both did gifs comparing those two scenes (link, link), and the parallels were quite deliberate. For one thing, there was no earthly reason to tilt the screen so Finn would be dragged diagonally upward…
Much like Rey was carried up a ramp by the monster who stalked and snatched her.
The first shot was far too fast to make the point effectively, though, a complaint I have with much of the movie especially in scenes involving Finn. Like Mara said, the hentai monster wasn’t the best way to achieve story ends. It was also part of another overly long diversion. It is not one of those scenes that could have been cut without doing harm, though. If anything it should have been replaced with something better.
“Tears come to her eyes as she lifts him, holds his lifeless
body in her arms. Snow flurries around them as she cries,
holding this boy who she just met, who she already adores.
They are left here to die – nearby MORE TREES DROP as the
planet continues to COLLAPSE. And just as it seems like all
is lost… Her wet eyes look up to see:” –
L.J.'s Obsessions 