We’re starting to wonder why people are thinking that…
Despite the mystery surrounding the new characters, it’ll be no surprise if some of them are tied to the characters that led the original films. Kylo Ren and Rey are two particular players that have a lot of theories swirling around them, but it seems the rumor mill is working overtime for this film. While we know Poe Dameron’s parentage, Finn is something of a mystery other than the fact he’s a First Order stormtrooper who seemingly falls out of favor with his superiors.
There’s also this theory popping up over and over again that Finn is the son of Lando Calrissian.
Why do people think that?
We’re gonna be honest, aside from the odd rumor there’s absolutely no evidence pointing to this being a thing. He’s very clearly a First Order stormtrooper who’s been living under their yoke for quite some time. That’s not to say it’s impossible he’s Lando Calrissian’s son, but there are no facts in any on screen or printed material thus far that even point to it being a possibility.
We admit, there was a product on Amazon that claimed Finn was Lando’s son, but it was since retracted.
The only thing the theory has going for it is that we have no idea what Finn’s last name is. The Force Awakens Director J.J. Abrams has also So, we’re really not sure where people are getting this.
So, you’re saying this isn’t very likely.
Not at all, no.
Do you think the rumor got started because —
Yes, it’s probably because Finn is played by John Boyega, a black actor.
That seems silly.
That’s because it is, though we’re not saying the association is mean spirited in any way. But there’s no reason to think that two major black characters in Star Wars need to be related to each other.
Is there any behind the scenes rumblings to support the theory?
No, there’s actually more behind the scenes stuff that disproves it. After Lawrence Kasdan and J.J. Abrams reworked the original material developed by George Lucas and Michael Arndt , characters were changed around and the casting process changed completely. We can only assume the character of Finn was a creation of Abrams and Kasdan, as they narrowed their focus on casting for that character as their screenplay was nearing completion.
The rumors at the time certainly highlighted John Boyega as a possibility for the role of Finn, but there was much talk of white actors for the role as well which means race wasn’t an in universe factor in casting.
But wouldn’t it be cool if he was Lando’s son?
Maybe, but the simple fact of the matter is not everything needs to be connected. In fact, when everything is connected (see SPECTRE), the stories often feel petty and small. One of the reasons Han Solo is such a beloved character is he’s the everyman flying by the seat of his pants in an extraordinary situation. He’s not the son of a famed Jedi or a high ranking government official, he’s just a smuggler with a heart of gold.
At the end of the day, Finn just needs to be a guy. He’s a grunt working for the bad guys until one day he realizes that maybe, just maybe, the world is a lot more complicated than he originally thought.
That’s way more interesting than giving him some secret past.
