ST Who's the real co-lead Finn or Kylo? Who SHOULD it be?

I see it as this

Luke --- Han --- Vader
Rey ---- Finn --- Kylo

Han had more screentime than Vader, but Darth was ultimately more important to the storyline. I see a similar scenario with Finn and Kylo.

 

Yes, I agree - it looks that way so far, but the difference is I think they are doing something more complex with Kylo. He will not be mirroring exactly what Vader was and I believe that the different "ratio" will be made more apparent in the next movie. Kylo Ren will not be the Vader substitute of the story. he will turn out to be more of an Anakin from the PT but reversed.

EDIT: I also agree with rhymecheat It makes no sense to try to map out new characters 1:1 to old ones. This trilogy will be different.

 

It makes no sense to try and map 1:1 new characters to old ones. It won't happen like that.
Rey looks like Luke now, may looks like Anakin in Ep8, because she's Rey, not Anakin or Luke.

 

I was just comparing them as Main lead, co-lead and Lead Antagonist. That's all.

 

Finn is not even close to Han. Finn is going through his own hero arc while Han was a merc. Yea Han had to come back but it was obvious that he was always a supporting character. Not so much with Finn.

 

The leads are the characters whose eyes you see the story through.

Traditionally, in SW, it means the character who is the protagonist of the B-Story. ESB does this *perfectly*, which is one of the reasons why it's often considered the best film. We've got Luke and Yoda on one side, and Han and Leia on the other. Those stories converging is what made the film work.

It's been said that films are all about switching between stories...you follow one story for awhile...then "meanwhile, back at the farm...."SW, even the bad ones, have typically followed this formula pretty well. For as much as people hate AOTC...it was a pretty good split between Anakin and Obi-Wan.

 

This is a tough question. It's sort of hard to tell, but I am pretty sure that there will be a bigger focus on Kylo rather than Finn. Finn is an essential character, obviously, but I feel like the trailers portrayed him as the main protagonist rather than Rey. That's just me, but I think he'll still have a big part. Kylo seems to be the main focus because he is the one who needs redemption and goodness (aka the light side) so in my opinion, he will have a bigger role.

 

Well if that's the case then Finn and Rey are obviously the co-leads. They're the two we're meant to identify with most and follow on their journey. Kylo has an important arc, for sure, but as the opposing force facing the heroes. I know there are some that want him redeemed, but at this point that's not the purpose of his character and if that were to happen in ep8, it weakens the narrative. You have to have a strong villain as a counterpoint to strong heroes. IF at the end of ep9, Kylo makes some sort of sacrifice play, then I can see redemption working but IMO that's the only way.

 

At the end of the day, people see what they wanna see, not what's really true, if Finn isn't a co-lead then what is he? Supporting actor? Lmao, god the things people do to downplay him. Not saying kylo isn't important because he really is, but saying kylo is the co-lead with Rey and Finn isn't is just a disregard for everything we have been given.

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While the discussion has been interesting, this is such a ridiculous conversation topic. WGAF who gets the 'real' co-lead label, and why does there have to be any co-lead?

That said, let's carry it on, I like it.

I feel commercial interest hasn't received enough attention. John Boyega and Daisy Ridley are a dream ticket for Disney selling a new film to launch a new generation of Star Wars: two young likeable actors, one capable of playing a strong female and one of non-white ethnicity with obvious talent and range. It's the perfect duo of politically correct, wholesome diversity.

But just because they're the poster children for selling this ONE movie (they're not trying to sell us the whole trilogy with one promotional campaign), doesn't necessarily mean they are both 'lead' characters (regardless of what Arndt said in a casual remark).

Rey is quite clearly the lead. Unequivocally. Above any other character.

Finn provides important linkages. He links Poe to Rey (with ample assistance from BB8), then links Rey to Han, then links the Resistance to Starkiller base. He is supporting all the way through. But only supporting. Ordinarily I would expect him to take a lesser role in Ep.8, however I feel Boyega as an actor and Finn as a character have gone down so well that Disney will probably want to keep him reasonably involved. I have a sneaky feeling there's going to be a minor homosexual storyline between him and Poe (Disney embracing 21st Century diversity).

Ben Solo is also a supporting role in TFA, but is a more important role across the trilogy. I suspect he and Luke will have an encounter at the end of Ep.8 where Luke tries to set Ben straight on the truth about Anakin.

Ultimately I continue to hope that Star Wars is the story of the Skywalkers, and to overcome Snoke (Plagueis), Rey Skywalker and Ben (Skywalker) Solo will have to unite, maybe with Luke also, though I fear Luke may not live out the trilogy with them (unless Ben sacrifices himself). As such I think Rey and Ben may become co-leads, though I wouldn't be surprised if it takes more of an ensemble approach, with Rey continuing as the focal point.

 

You don't send two actors all over the world promoting the movie if they're not lead characters that you're selling for the whole trilogy. That would be a huge waste of money and time for everybody involved.

 

That's just a little absurd given the context that TFA is going to be the biggest selling movie of all time (if it's not already) - just where exactly has the money and time been wasted. The whole TFA campaign, apart from Harrison Ford's injury and plane antics, has gone pretty perfectly, and Ridley and Boyega are the perfect faces for a new generation of fans, but you're reading too much into it if you think that confirms them as co-leads across the whole trilogy. Movies get sold one at a time.

 

In this thread there are a surprising number of people who are going to great lengths to insist that a black actor cannot be the male lead of a Star Wars trilogy.

 

I'll be disappointed if his role becomes smaller in the next movies. I liked his character and hopes he shares around the same screentime with Rey like he did in tfa. Most critics loved john boyega and Finn so I guess that's good news.

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A black actor led the promotional campaign, just not the story in the movie. If the Star Wars saga is a family story about the Skywalkers, for Finn to lead the whole trilogy he's going to have to be either a descendant of Mace Windu or Lando Calrissian. I just don't see that they're going to throw in a completely new character unrelated to anyone in the previous films and have them lead a whole trilogy, regardless of ethnicity.

 

Lol I've never seen a fandom more hellbent on downplaying an actor and a character more than I have with TFA and John Boyega, going so far as to convince themselves that even though he's a male lead of this movie don't worry Adam Driver will take over the next one!!! I can only see this thread going down a bad road. The title itself is a pissing contest-- who SHOULD be? Dear god.

 

It's absurd if you don't realize that Disney's playing the long game. They're not just selling one movie they're selling the trilogy. The movie was going to break records with or without boyega going on a world tour. The point is to make sure that people not only like the characters, but the actors as well so that they'll stay for the whole trilogy. If it was just about selling that one movie they had plenty of famous actors that they could've used to sell it.

 

So where is Finn in the key scenes of the film (in the context of the saga)?

- The final duel? On his ass.

- The final scene? AWOL.

- The flashback linking the new lead to the past films? Not involved.

- The scene with the most emotional power? A bystander.

- The destruction of the bad guy's base? A bit-part.

Finn was not a lead role in that film. If he was, which scenes demonstrate that he was the lead?

 

I thought Finn was pretty clearly the co-lead. He has as much screentime as Rey and is a part of the entire story from beginning to end. He's also been marketed along with Ridley so I have no reason to assume otherwise. Sure, he might have less screentime in the sequels but I highly doubt they spent so much time on his character for no reason. Episode VIII looks like it is set up to have Finn and Rey having their own stories.. again making the case that they are co-leads. I agree that Rey is THE main character but Finn is right there as the Han/Leia/Obi-Wan of this trilogy

 

- The final duel? On his ass. - after heroically facing the badass of the FO even though it is what he was running away from.

- The final scene? AWOL. - in a coma after showing his courage and paying the price....not awol

- The flashback linking the new lead to the past films? Not involved. - I'm guessing this is the lightsaber flashback? she may have been seeing through someone else's eyes. We don't know for sure. But it could be linking her with the luke before Kylo attacked.

- The scene with the most emotional power? A bystander. - the most emotional scene is subjective. I don't know which scene you are talking about.

- The destruction of the bad guy's base? A bit-part. - the brains behind the ENTIRE OPERATION

 

- The final duel? Bravely taking up the lightsaber when he knew he couldn't win.
- The final scene? - a coma cliffhanger to leave endless possibilities
- the flashback scene? - followed by seeing the planets destroyed and running back not away from his fears because of compassion mirroring Rey's heme of embracing destiny
- the scene with most emotional power? - shared the last scathing look with Ren and had to be held back
- Desrruction of bad Guy's base - Finn's help directly led to that

Never mind you hate him so anything I say is probably futile. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

I don't want to sound disrespectful but with this argument - by total screen time connecting almost everybody - BB8 then is the main lead. With the exception of Kylo Ren and Luke and I don't remember the droid interacting with Leia as well, BB8 interacted with absolutely everyone and had the most screen time and was in almost all scenes of the movie. Then the real lead of the movie should be BB8 if we were looking for screen time presence...
Again, no disrespect meant making this comment, just pointing it out.

 

-He participated in the final duel. First person to do so as a matter of fact.
- In a coma due to the aforementioned duel.
- That was Rey's visions why would he be in there?
-Seriously? Did you want him to be down there with Han and Kylo?
- Lowered the shields and helped to blow a hole into base that was big enough to allow the planes to get to the oscillator. Not to mention he was the one who provided the necessary information to even blow up the base in the first place.

Let's not forget that he's the very first person that they show in this series and ignore the fact that if he wasn't a main player that his journey to Rey wouldn't have been shown since it wouldn't be vital to telling Rey's story.

But hey, if you want to downplay Finn's role in this movie, be my guest.

 

Fair enough. You could definitely call BB-8 one of the main characters but you know what I mean. Finn is in the movie from start to finish and interacts with basically every major character along the way. BB-8 was more of a C3PO or R2D2 type character that was around. Finn didn't just have a majority of screentime but he was a major character through it like Rey. That to me is pretty telling. It definitely looks like it's set up to following him and Rey for the rest of the trilogy.

 

Well, the villain isn't typically considered a "lead". I think ultimately Ren will have more importance in the story at large than Finn. But Finn is the real "Co-Lead".

It's like Ford was the Co-Lead in the OT, but ultimately Vader was more important in the overall story than Han.