Star Wars actor John Boyega (Finn) recently stated that he’d be done with Star Wars after The Rise of Skywalker. Perhaps that’s why he was so forthcoming in a recent interview when asked about his experiences with the franchise. In it he touched on two lingering questions with respect to the Star Wars sequel trilogy. First, does what Rian Johnson did with The Last Jedi need fixing? And secondly: If so, will J.J. Abrams indeed fix it with Episode IX? According to Boyega, it seems the answer to both of those questions is yes.

Rise of Skywalker; Star Wars Character Arcs; John Boyega
Joonas Suotamo is Chewbacca, Oscar Isaac is Poe Dameron, Daisy Ridley is Rey and John Boyega is Finn in STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

The British actor spoke to Hypebeast as we approach The Rise of Skywalker’s world premiere. He wasn’t shy about expressing his reservations, and displeasure, with his character’s arc in The Last Jedi:

The Force Awakens I think was the beginning of something quite solid. The Last Jedi, if I’m being honest, I’d say that was feeling a bit iffy for me. I didn’t necessarily agree with a lot of the choices in that and that’s something that I spoke to Mark [Hamill] a lot about and we had conversations about it. And it was hard for all of us, because we were separated.”

John Boyega on the Star Wars sequel trilogy’s main issue

Star Wars curse; mark hamill; carrie fisher
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Core to the original trilogy’s appeal was the camaraderie and chemistry among its three main stars. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford formed a natural trio. Not so for the three protagonists of the sequel trilogy. The Force Awakens introduced the characters of Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac). The Last Jedi had the perfect opportunity to expand upon and develop their relationships. To the contrary, Rian Johnson inexplicably separated the three, main characters for nearly the entire length of the film.

I guess the original Star Wars films there was much more of a trio feel where it was essentially about Luke’s journey…. But Han and Leia there was a strong dynamic, which I think, I don’t know how quickly we’re going to be able to establish that long-term dynamic with [Episode] Nine. But if it’s exploring that dynamic, then that would be cool…. And maybe that’s a great opportunity to get to know them a little bit more.”

Daisy Ridley; John Boyega; Oscar Isaac
Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) embrace on the final day of filming for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The question remains of whether Abrams can accomplish what Rian Johnson failed to do. That is, can The Rise of Skywalker bring Rey, Finn and Poe together in such a way as to forge a stronger bond between not only the characters themselves, but also between the characters and the fans. Based on what John Boyega had to say, it seems Abrams has at least tried to fix that glaring issue from the previous film.

We’re now less than two weeks from finding out for certain.

The Rise of Skywalker opens next Friday, December 20.

Source: Hypebeast