Asking if Finn and Poe were underused in the latest Star Wars sequel trilogy is like asking whether or not Old Ben Kenobi fought in the Clone Wars. The answer is so glaringly obvious that if you think about it hard enough, a disturbance can be felt in the Force. Naturally, Finn and Poe both had their time in the spotlight, which has caused fans to turn to Reddit (like any good Star Wars devotee should) — deciding once and for all which series lead was more under-valued. That contentious board can be found here
Ever a fan of Captain Midnight and his videos, we’d have to agree with the hard-hitting YouTuber. When it was all said and done, Disney did Finn so unbelievably dirty. Like slicing open a Tauntaun with a lightsaber dirty. The opportunity that the media juggernaut had with Finn was one of the most interesting in Star Wars history.
A defected stormtrooper dealing with his past life and the horrors of war, all while attempting to turn over a new leaf and fight for real freedom in the galaxy. Finn’s story could have had heart, pain, and most of all — healing. Instead, Disney tossed him up on the shelf, only allowing Finn to reappear when they needed a character to scream “Rey!” at the top of their lungs. And scream he did. If howling like a banshee was a Force power, Finn would be a master.
Finn may have been underused, but at least he had a little bit more going on than poor Poe. If Finn was forced to ride the bench, Poe didn’t even make the team. Seriously, does anyone really know anything about Poe Dameron? Okay, for starters, we know he’s one heck of a pilot. So good, in fact, that before his rebellious good guy days, he smuggled Spice across the galaxy to make ends meet. That’s it. That’s where our collective knowledge ends.
Does anyone know anything else about this guy? And we’re not talking about behind-the-scenes deep dives here; we’d like to know what the filmmakers allowed Poe to do on screen — not through the pages of a comic book or in some obscure interview. The answer, sadly, is not much. With a woefully undersold Oscar Isaac in the role, Disney missed the mark on its Han Solo stand-in and left fans scratching their heads in the process. Poe was such a cool character, or he could have been if done right but doing things the right way hasn’t been Disney’s modus operandi lately.
So who was more underused, Finn or Poe? We’d like to think both characters were equally underused in their own right, leaving fans high and dry along the way. Looking back there’s only one real constant; Disney. The house of mouse was given this incredible toy box to pull from. Filled with characters, concepts, and settings that have stood the test of time for nearly 50 years — it’s only fair to expect that Disney could put together fantastic Force-filled adventures. So what gives?
Somehow, Disney’s production of compelling Star Wars stories has been few and far between since their purchase of the franchise way back in 2012. Finn and Poe aside, ultimately, there’s a bigger threat on the horizon. Looming front and center, like the Death Star suspended in space, the question we all should be really asking ourselves is; why can’t Disney revive Star Wars?