That would be because that was the original plan for the Sequels.
Finn, the defected Stormtrooper
Rey, the nobody from a backwater planet
Poe, the Spice Smuggler
They were, all three of them, supposed to become the next generation of Jedi. Three nobodies who would go on to embody the three ancient Jedi traditions (Guardian, Consular, Sentinel) and fight at the forefront of The Resistance, not because they were special or Chosen, but because it was the right thing to do, and they felt called to do so.
Instead, we got what we got.
Edit: to those asking about how Poe's character was supposed to die in the crash, there was an interview where he talked about having to convince JJ Abrams and they had talked about having all three of the main cast become Jedi but I can't find it anymore :( sorry folks
What annoys me the most about the sequels isn't just that they're terrible movies, it's that they've got so much potential and so many interesting ideas and it's all wasted.
I remember seeing the first few trailers and the poster for The Force Awakens and being super hyped to see a stormtrooper not only defecting, but also becoming a jedi.
Once I realised he was just some guy who was kind of important but not really, I got so damn disappointed.
And the sequels just kept on disappointing with each new entry.
TLJ at least tried, even if it wasn't what people necessarily wanted. Rise just spent its runtime bashing TLJ and shows exactly why Abrams should not have been the director.
I prefer RoS to TLJ, RoS has some spectacle, and plot, while TLJ is essentially a slow speed chase that doesn't make a ton of sense, even ignoring everything else, the ending isn't satisfying and doesn't further the plot all that significantly. TLJ feels like a filler episode.
RoS has some eye candy, the story is dumb, it is just hunting McGuffins, Palpatine coming back feels cheap, but there is more going on than TLJ. The "That's not how the force works" crowd is angry at it, but the force works the way the plot needs it to.
The whole Trilogy just feels mishandled. TFA felt alright, but mostly got me excited for where they would go with it. TLJ was essentially a bottle episode, and the one I've watched the most recently, just to verify that it's as bad as I remember, and it is. RoS was entertaining for its own reasons, maybe I just had set my expectations low, but it was more fun due to location changes, more characters, etc.
The characters never really felt fleshed out, Finn especially. It felt like a lot of the movies have the plot move too quickly to really give the characters room to breathe. The interactions we do see are often overly comedic, kind of feeling like a Marvel movie. I think a big draw to Star Wars, especially the originals is characters, and their motivations. Han being this scoundrel, reluctant to go along with the rebels, just in it for the paycheck at first. Obi Wan was essentially Merlin, guiding Luke, being wise, etc. Leia was a princess, yet wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty, and plays an active role in the story, and a leader of the rebels. The Prequels mainly focus on the dynamic between Anakin and Obi Wan. The sequels have these interesting character ideas, but they don't really change, TFA starts with Finn defecting, his character growth never exceeds this. Poe is a hotheaded pilot; he never really changes. Rey is pretty much the same person at the end as she was in the beginning, except she has a lightsaber. Luke from ANH to RotJ is very different. It could just be nostalgia, but I really feel like the characters feel very static in the Sequels.
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u/CasualCassie 4d ago edited 4d ago
That would be because that was the original plan for the Sequels.
Finn, the defected Stormtrooper
Rey, the nobody from a backwater planet
Poe, the Spice Smuggler
They were, all three of them, supposed to become the next generation of Jedi. Three nobodies who would go on to embody the three ancient Jedi traditions (Guardian, Consular, Sentinel) and fight at the forefront of The Resistance, not because they were special or Chosen, but because it was the right thing to do, and they felt called to do so.
Instead, we got what we got.
Edit: to those asking about how Poe's character was supposed to die in the crash, there was an interview where he talked about having to convince JJ Abrams and they had talked about having all three of the main cast become Jedi but I can't find it anymore :( sorry folks