This Star Wars Theory Would’ve Saved Disney’s Sequel Trilogy

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Over the course of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rey (Daisy Ridley) learns to embrace the Force that is pushing and pulling at her, allowing her to rise up and join the Resistance. During her final climactic battle with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a key detail teased what could have been, had the creative teams behind the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy not changed direction. In the film, Finn (John Boyega) spends a moment in the fight, and while it doesn’t go well for him, the fact that he wielded a lightsaber speaks volumes.

The Theory That Could Have Saved It All

This brings us to the first half of an amazing theory: Finn was Force-sensitive. The promos even support this idea, as Finn was pretty consistently portrayed holding Rey’s lightsabers in the posters. Going back and rewatching the trilogy reveals a dozen little hints that further confirm this theory, including several details in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Remember how Finn was running around and trying to get Rey alone to tell her something? That big reveal wasn’t a confession of love (which so many people assumed), but the revelation about his Force Sensitivity. He was still in the early days of processing this, so he only wanted to talk about it with trusted friends. Makes sense, right?

Finn having a connection to the Force would have set him up for a much bigger role throughout the entire trilogy, and we’re not just talking about him being one of two Jedi against the rising tides of darkness. We’re talking about a repeat of another iconic pattern in Star Wars.

When Light Turns to Dark

Let’s think about the original direction of the Trilogy. If Rey was already established as a powerhouse, and Finn was primed to become another Force user, what does that indicate? Given Rey’s early temptation to the Dark Side, it isn’t hard to guess where this story might have gone.

Rey becoming a Sith would have changed everything for the trilogy. Star Wars has some of the best betrayal arcs around, so we have no doubt the franchise could have pulled it off again. This would have pitted Rey and Finn on opposite sides, adding new layers of tension and despair to the ongoing war.

Where Kylo Ren would have fallen into this plan is a lingering question; would he have used the temptation to lure Rey over, or would she have filled a void left by the villain? Presumably, Rey and Kylo’s relationship would have gone the way of many Sith users, with her eventually trying to usurp her master, possibly with the help of her own student. We were robbed of ever learning the details of that particular story.

Doing Justice to Characters And Fans

Forcing Rey and Finn on opposite sides of the battlefield wouldn’t just have been a brilliant move as far as fans are concerned; it would have done justice to the characters. Star Wars: The Force Awakens built Finn up as an important and integral character of the franchise, only to shunt him further and further to the side in subsequent films.

Fans and actors have had a lot to say about this, as the Sequel Trilogy arguably treated many of its characters pretty poorly. If the franchise had only stuck to its guns and run with the original plan (assuming the theory is correct), we believe it could have saved the trilogy.

Whether or not we’ll ever see a Dark Side Rey or the completion of Finn’s arc on the big screen remains to be seen. If there is any silver lining to be had here, it’s that Finn’s story is going to continue in canon novel form, starting with Star Wars: The Last Order.