ST Finn/John Boyega Discussion Thread

I don’t think DLF could offer Boyega enough money if he wasn’t comfortable with the part they wanted him to play.

 

You'd be surprised how quickly actors change their mind. Boyega's career isn't really that big, he's not going to turn down a big production like SW even if he isn't 100% happy with the role.

 

I think they'd have to make him a Jedi or something along those lines for him to even be remotely interested in even cashing a Disney paycheck at this point.

He's doing alright financially. He's got investments and even owns a studio now. He's not desperate for cash.

I just don't seem him wanting to return to play Finn, the guy who screams Rey's name for 2 hours and is just one of many defected troopers. Or even a paycheck-cameo.

 

I think he only comes back to be a Jedi like he almost was in Sequels.

 

Nah… not unless you believe Boyega was just making **** up when criticising Disney… and I don’t believe he was.

 

I agree. Hes got to stand by his own morals. Unless, as you say, they give him a storyline that he's more comfortable with, which I think Disney would have to do if they want Finn back in.

 

I think there are 4 things that would make Boyega come back.

1. Money. Because its always about money. Even Ridley is said to be getting a large top paid actress's pay cheque to return.

2. A story that focuses on Finn or at least a cool role for Finn.

3. To be a jedi. Or at least having a saber and doing force stuff.

If they want him back enough. These aspects would likely be in talks with him and come to some agreement.

The thing that i think may dilute the interest of that is that being a jedi might feel a little less like royalty these days. Since we seen a fair amount of it in the Disney+ shows now. Creating a feeling of whats the point? Its not special anymore

 

Uh...I very much doubt this. Being a Jedi in the post-ST era would still be very special and unique.

 

Being a jedi in general will gradually start to feel less special and unique. We just had the Acolyte which was full of jedi. We had Obi Wan return. We had Ahsoka, Ezra and Sabine i guess. Baylen and shin being their own form of jedi or i dunno what they are meant to be. We had Jod in Skeleton Crew who had elements of being a jedi. Several different aspects of jedi have been explored since.

While with episode 7-9 it could be argued the ST really was the only place to see new Jedi live action. Now we ain't starved for it. infact the sabers are being passed around fairly often.

Infact i think The Alcolyte suffered for that very reason. it wasn't a must watch show that gradually dipped in viewers. it was a show that started out fairly low. Suggesting that the big appeal of a Jedi show wasn't that appealing.

 

I believe we've already reached that point. As I mentioned elsewhere, growing up, Luke Skywalker was my all time fav hero - the vibrant, youthful Jedi who captured our imagination. Part of what made him special was his rarity; he was essentially the only one of his kind in a universe where Jedi were nearly extinct.

Now, with the proliferation of Jedi characters across the Star Wars universe, while inherently exciting to see, their increasing numbers have arguably diminished the unique significance that once made becoming a Jedi feel so extraordinary.

 

I don't think the Acolyte "suffered" because it had lots of Jedi in it. For those that criticized it, that seems to be the least of their issues with that show. Unless lots of Jedi is 'woke' now. Hell. Maybe it is.

Outside of that show, we've basically had zero to 1 or 2 Jedi in each entire movie/series.

The ST had Rey. Another single Jedi story once again. And Luke, as he was a Jedi on screen, was barely a thought inside of it. And we never even got to see his 'flourishing' academy. All wiped out, off screen. Although its fair to say that the ST treated the entire franchise, Jedi and non-Jedi alike, like it was a toy set that diminished the significance of many, or all, of its concepts.

Then there's Mando, which has Grogu, and Luke got to show up for that. Which went over very well with audiences and fans. But again, no Jedi popping in and out of that show either.

Boba had none. Andor had none. Solo had ... none.

Ahsoka had former Jedi. And some dark side force users. And witches. But no actual living Jedi.

Cumulatively we're seeing more of them over time, but they're still pretty rare in each of the stories we're getting. But if you can argue that the Jedi are less special because we're getting more of it, than you probably think SW in general is less special, because we're also getting more of that too.

Like it or not, the Jedi were only extinct in the OT. They weren't that way 20 years prior. And I don't think they were supposed to stay that way after the OT, despite Disney making sure of it.

 

It doesn't matter whether Ahsoka had force users called "Jedi" because to the audience, its likely going to be seen the same thing. Ahsoka and multiple others in that show are running around with a lightsaber using the force. its what Jedi do. So its still giving the audience their fix of that stuff.

Yes i do think thats a thing.

 

I get that some will prefer it where force users/Jedi/Sith are more the exception rather than the rule, as it feeds into some of that mythical texture the OT brought... where the Jedi were something ancient and reflective of the past... I'm agnostic about it, in that I just like *good* stories with rich characters and worlds I can get lost in, regardless of force users or not. However, I do like to see progression in the films, and the logical use of progressive storytelling. For example, ROTJ set up a galaxy where the Jedi (plural) would be more of a factor post the 'Battle of Endor'... i.e. it was both logical and a natural progression of the story, that Luke would re-establish the Jedi Order under the New Republic. That Abrams/Kasdan wanted to revert to an OT type state of play meant that progressive storytelling was axed in favour of derivative filmmaking... ergo, the Jedi were removed from the story 'off-screen'.

A separate point but related... I don't particularly like the overuse of Jedi, whom survived Order 66, in stories set between the PT and OT. And whilst yes, sure have some survive... I think that device is used a little too regularly in recent years.

 

I do wish that in the PT movies, the Jedi were still unseen and elusive to the regular citizens of the galaxy. Even while fighting in the Clone Wars, and such, most would never have ever come across one themselves. And if they did, it would be the moment of their lives. I wish there was a bit more of that.

And in a galaxy comprised of millions of stars, and possibly hundreds of thousands of alien civilizations, even a full fledged PT Jedi Order, with 10,000 knights, they would still be a rarity in a galaxy wide government with trillions of life forms. Were talking like 1% of 1% here.

That said, I don't mind post PT Jedi stories. I never liked the notion that most of them were all wiped out on a single day. Sure, a purge makes total sense. A reckoning where they're all cast out as traitors and killed by their comrades. But I like the stories of them being hunted down and killed one by one. Which is what the OT hinted at anyways.

 

Although I would welcome it, I'm not really attached to the idea that Finn becomes an actual Jedi. To be honest, I find the personalities of the Jedi pretty boring and I feel like his personality doesn't really fit that. At least as I understand them from the PT. I'd rather he become his own unique character with his own personal code. I would like to see him use a lightsaber again though.

 

Yup. When Disney/Lucasfilm releases Star Wars films annually and multiple streaming shows, each new entry naturally becomes more expected than exceptional. It's similar to how we experience special occasions - the first time feels monumental, while repetition creates familiarity.
This doesn't necessarily diminish the quality of individual stories, but it does transform how audiences engage with the franchise - shifting from "must-see cultural events" to regular entertainment options. Marvel has experienced this same transition.

I'm not criticizing this approach, but it definitely will change how we perceive something when it becomes more abundant.

 

Are you watching Andor S2 right now?

It's exceptional.

I'm sorry that how others perceive SW influences your feelings on its specialness. i think SW is always special. Even with more and more content coming out than ever. That's because of the concept, the artistry, the stories. Its just a different beast than most of what comes out of Hollywood. And that's from someone who hates the ST. In fact, I dislike the ST because its the closest we get to SW feeling like something Hollywood would do in some other unspecial franchise. But even the worst SW, even the ST, is still special to me. It's unique.

 

I'm not either, but more so because they just didn't follow through with it in the ST. Was he? Wasn't he?

 

That's the problem. The ST is so woefully underdeveloped, making Finn a Jedi now (although I'd argue that should have always been part of the plot/story of the ST) would seem so left field as to appear silly i.e. you can't really make him a force user after the fact. It would appear inorganic and artificial.

 

They should have followed through with it and it would tie in with Kylo stopping and looking at him on Jakuu. Maybe he sensed it too.

 

If we're going to keep the ST, I say just ignore the weak parts and move forward. If DisneyLFL is going to be rigidly constrained by it, we'll never get anywhere.

I'd would trade future awesome stories that aren't 100% correctly or set up by the ST, rather than tepid stories about Finn the Rebel something or other because that's what was functionally set up in the ST.

The ST was a creative dead end for most of its future stories. A little hand-wavey "Finn was always force sensitive' Jedi mind trick is in order for the story.

 

It’s pretty much what they did with Leia. Anything involving her and the force was an aftermath of the last OT movie.

I think your assumption is that it doesn’t matter if it’s outside of the important trilogy. But Star Wars is a constantly progressing franchise through many types of media.

 

Double post

 

I wasn't suggesting that my personal appreciation of Star Wars is diminished - I was pointing out a viewer/marketing reality. When something becomes more frequent and readily available, it naturally feels less like a special event to the broader audience. This doesn't comment on quality or the unique magic of Star Wars itself, just how scarcity versus abundance affects public anticipation and cultural impact. The original trilogy and even the prequels were cultural moments partly because of their spacing and rarity. Disney's approach trades that event status for regular engagement, which is simply a different business and distribution model. Example:

Absolutely, Andor S2 is exceptional. But I've noticed it doesn't seem to be making the same cultural splash as The Mandalorian did. This isn't about quality - Andor is outstanding - but rather how it's positioned in an increasingly crowded Star Wars landscape. With so much Star Wars content releasing regularly, even brilliant shows like Andor risk getting somewhat lost in the shuffle of the broader entertainment conversation....particularly amongst the general public. Again, this isn't about quality (perceive or otherwise) it's about the proliferation of content.

 

That is *not* what they did with Leia in the OT. Leia was never used as a bait and switch. Her being a 'Skywalker', as I'm sure you know, was a result of too much plot i.e. Lucas had to consolidate. Finn is a result of too little plotting, done by various people whom were not joining things up...