ST Finn pilots the ship from the fleet to Canto Bight why did he need a pilot in TFA?

He takes a ship to Canto Bight after waking up from his coma.
And let us not forget this.



I think John Boyega is a good actor and once he is done with Star Wars I don't think he will look back.

The lack of talent here is Rian Johnson did he even watch TFA?

 

Skill transfer is occasionally a bit iffy in the movies. We've seen Anakin be a prod racing hero and we've seen that those skills transfer to being able to fly a fighter. We know Luke was able to bullseye womprats from his T-16 back home and that those skills transferred to being able to fly a fighter--though ANH also made it clear that Luke wouldn't be able to fly a ship like the Falcon capable of interstellar flight.

However, pretty much anyone in the SW universe is able to ride a speeder, and suggesting that just because Finn can't fly a TIE-fighter or a ship capable of interstellar flight, he wouldn't be able to ride a speeder, is a bit absurd, IMO. That's like saying that a person who can't drive a car is automatically also unable to ride a bicycle.

Not sure the top image is appropriate.

 

Rose flew them to Canto Bight.

The skimmers on Crait are the equivalent of driving not piloting.

Han Solo even notesthe difference in the Solo movie: "I'm a driver and I'm a flier (pilot)."

 

I just assumed that a TIE fighter is more complex than basic ships. Even Poe, an ace pilot, has trouble at first.

 

There was a shot in TLJ with Finn in the pilots seat flying to Canto Bight.

 

I feel like there’s a profound difference in the skill required for flying a ship in pretty much a straight line through hyperspace, and evading a star destroyer after stealing a TIE. Even 3PO is capable of the former, but the latter requires a pilot.

 

It's probably similar to how flying an F-16 and flying a Boeing 747 are different skills. Flying a Boeing is still a learned skill though, not something that "everyone can do." Likewise, flying through hyperspace is a learned skill, it's obvious that wet-behind-the-ears Luke underestimates the amount of skill involved in the scene where Han needs to point out that "traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy" or the scene where Han smirks "and who's gonna fly it, kid? You?" and Luke starts to respond that he's not such a bad pilot before getting shut down by Obi-Wan.

 

Do we even know if he was “flying” that ship? Even on the Libertine later he’s in the back talking to DJ. If he’s in the captain’s chair for a scene while Rose is doing something it’s probably more of a formality than a skill. Like when a parent tells their 4-year old daughter to watch their younger baby brother because a parent has to use the bathroom. It doesn’t mean the kid is ready to setup her own daycare.

I also agree that the ski speeders are more like jetskis than space ships and even there he was the least comfortable of the group.

 

Finn is smart and competent. He can handle basic ships, which a TIE fighter is not. He could probably become a skilled pilot in the future with training.

 

I'd still argue that piloting a speeder requires a different and probably lower level of skill than piloting a TIE, even when taking the circumstances into account, but yeah, you do have a point bringing up the weird Rey/Poe meet-cute thing. It could very well just be a case of inconsistencies developing because of the production cycle for each film overlapping too closely.

 

Regular ships in the Star Wars universe are like cars, they are "driven", not "piloted".

A TIE fighter needs a proper pilot.

 

You mean when Rose stood up and was walking toward the back as Finn asked about Canto Bight?

It was in auto pilot like @Darth Chiznuk mentioned.

Finn doesn't know what Canto Bight is, let alone how to get there.

 

Is this an asked and answered situation at this point?

 

Johnson watched daily takes of TFA while he was writing and working on TLJ.

 

The novel, I believe, shows Rose teaching Finn how to fly it. So yes, it's Finn piloting, but it was because he was shown how. Now, should that have been in the movie? Probably. But it's been validly explained, so it's not a continuity error or anything, either.

 

Just a thumbs up to the OP before the lock.