Of all the new "Star Wars" characters in J.J. Abrams' "The Force Awakens," perhaps the least is known about Johny Boyega's Finn.
We know that Daisy Ridley's Rey is a scavenger on the planet Jakku who may or may not be related to an original trilogy character. We know that Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron is a hot shot pilot for the Resistance...who may or may not be related to an original trilogy character. And we know that Adam Driver's Kylo Ren is a Vader-obsessed Dark Side figure who works for Andy Serkis' Supreme Leader Snoke...and may or may not be related to an original trilogy character.
But all we know (which isn't much) about Finn is that he is a stormtrooper who defected from The First Order.
But Boyega knows there is much more to the character than that and said as much in a great interview with CNET.
"What he will say about the movie is that Finn is on a journey, much like the origin stories of gods and superheroes from other mythologies. 'All the characters we love - Batman, Spider-Man - never ever start off as those guys,' Boyega says in his rich British accent."
The film's promotional campaign has suggested that Finn may be the first in a new age of Jedi, as he's been seen wielding Anakin (and Luke's) iconic blue lightsaber. Given his transition from The First Order to the Resistance, we can expect both his internal and external journey to mirror that of the "Star Wars" legends that came before him.
"I think Finn is a very interesting character. Finn is going to represent that classic 'Star Wars' story and that classic 'Star Wars' narrative. We have all these new characters coming in, but Finn is going to be one of the characters that carries on the narrative that we all know from the original.
"So, for me, it felt like it's necessary for my guy to be introduced - and introduced with a bang - because his story is not as straightforward.
"Everybody's asking about the mystery of who Finn is. He's a mysterious guy so far, and no one has any clue what's going on with him."
Disney's choice to keep Finn's backstory tightly under wraps may be a reflection of his overall importance to the story. Getting fans into theaters with as little information about him as possible is by design.
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" will hit theaters on December 18.
