They say clothes make the man. That may very well be the case when it comes to good old FN-2187. Thus far in the Star Wars sequel trilogy the traitorous, First Order Stormtrooper has struggled to find himself as a character. In The Force Awakens his central goal began as solely one of survival. Then there was his fondness for Rey that led him back to Starkiller Base. His affection for Rey continued to drive him well into The Last Jedi. With a new look, and a new resolve, however, we may find Finn’s identity crisis resolved in The Rise of Skywalker.

Finn's Identity Crisis
Finn suffers an identity crisis in The Force Awakens. (Image: Lucasfilm ltd.)

Many fans found it difficult to warm up to Finn initially. That’s due in part to us not knowing much of his backstory. Similarly, there was nothing particularly identifying about the character. At First he was clad Stormtrooper armor, then in a borrowed jacket. Even in The Last Jedi Finn wore a stolen Imperial uniform. It’s no wonder Finn’s identity crisis has thus far gone unresolved. The character has no identity of his own. That changes in Star Wars: Episode IX.  

Solving Finn’s Identity Crisis in Episode IX

The folks at Cinema Blend hit the nail on the head in noting that we as human beings use our clothing to show ourselves to the world. Likewise, the non-villain characters of Star Wars are all, for the most part, expressly unique. All, that is, except Finn. In Episode IX, however, Finn’s costume is finally reflective of the man wearing it. That man emerged at the end of The Last Jedi when the character final faced Finn’s identity crisis head-on.

Boyega; Finn's Identity Crisis
Finn finds himself during his battle with Phasma. (Image: Lucasfilm ltd.)

“You’ve always been scum,” Phasma tells him. “Rebel scum,” he replied, for the first time with confidence.  John Boyega even addressed the issue during the Episode IX panel at Star Wars Celebration:

I think the last two movies Finn couldn’t decide where he belonged. And in this film he’s a full-fledged Resistance sexy young man. At the beginning my big thing was costume. I always felt that Finn didn’t have his identity through his costume.”

Finns Identity Crisis - official character looks
Finn’s new look in The Rise of Skywalker. Image: Lucasfilm Ltd.

Boyega has already promised big things for Star Wars: Episode IX. Here’s hoping those “big things” involve a character that, to this point, has yet to establish himself as the hero fans hoped he would be. It’s time for Finn’s identity crisis to end.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens December 20, 2019 in theaters everywhere.

Source: Cinema Blend