Finn

In 1 BBY, more than a decade before Finn's birth, the Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger heard Rey's voice promising Finn that they would meet again. This occurred during his visit to the World Between Worlds, a realm existing beyond time and space.

At the young age of three, the boy who would become Finn was taken from his family to serve the First Order. Finn later reflected that he was too young to even remember his family. He was given the designation FN-2187 and became a stormtrooper in the First Order, a military junta that carried on the ideals of the fallen Galactic Empire in the decades following the Galactic Civil War. During FN-2187's childhood, FN-1971 managed to smuggle in Kade Genti comics. Despite being contraband that would have resulted in reprogramming for the children if discovered, FN-2187 enjoyed the comics.

FN-2187 served as a cadet under Phasma, alongside troopers FN-2199 "Nines," FN-2000 "Zeroes," and FN-2003 "Slip." Known as Eight-Seven to his fellow troopers, FN-2187 was considered an ideal First Order stormtrooper by his comrades and superiors, consistently achieving top scores as a cadet. He appreciated and understood his squad's Stormtrooper armor, but took pleasure in the moments when he could see their personalities and diverse faces.

Following this aboard the Finalizer, stormtrooper groups used Atmospheric Assault Landers to investigate GUHL-JO387O, a planet in the Outer Rim Territories. GUHL-JO3870 was known for its muddy terrain, and FN-2187 complained about scrubbing the assault landers. While scrubbing, a creature from GUHL-JO387O boarded one of the landers. The multi-armed, purple, furry creature lunged at Finn, causing him to stop cleaning and run towards a Special Forces TIE fighter, knocking off his helmet and sending the creature away. Remembering Phasma's strict training, Finn noticed the creature stealing his helmet and gave chase.

He chased the creature throughout the Finalizer, preventing its discovery even as it shut off the lights during a formal meeting with Kylo Ren, General Armitage Hux, and other First Order officers. Ren used his lightsaber to illuminate the room. Concerned about Ren's reaction, FN-2187 continued chasing the creature into a chamber where it found Phasma's helmet and discarded Finn's. Realizing he was in her quarters and she was showering, Ren knocked on the door. Using the helmet, Finn impersonated Phasma to fool the fallen Jedi, giving orders to find the creature.

Later, arriving on GUHL-JO387O with the rest of the First Order, Finn thought he finally had a chance to release the creature, but discovered it had escaped its box and taken control of the AAL. It lifted the transport into the air and crashed it into the mud, sending Finn out the front ramp. Phasma ordered FN-2187 to eliminate the creature, but Finn, envisioning betraying Phasma and facing the consequences, decided to leave the creature alone, especially considering the larger and more fearsome members of its species closing in on the First Order squad. Lambasting FN-2187 for his lack of helmet, Phasma ordered a retreat from GUHL-JO3870.

Some time later, FN-2187 and a group of stormtroopers including an officer were deployed to a sunny jungle planet. While patrolling, a yellow and blue Kowakian monkey-lizard climbed onto Eight-Seven's shoulder and pulled off his helmet. This revealed his face again, causing Finn to lose grip of his blaster and prompting the other stormtroopers to look at him. The monkey-lizard laughed at the prank, while Eight-Seven looked uncomfortable. C-3PO later told this story to some visitors, describing it as "comical."

FN-2187 also oversaw sanitation duties at Starkiller Base. Once, while cleaning the Base with another trooper, FN-2187 was playfully using his mop when Kylo Ren and Phasma passed by. Unsure what to do, Finn saluted with the mop, which dripped on him as Ren passed by. Shortly after, he was ordered to help a group of stormtroopers clear a 'blockage' in a tunnel. Joining a cleaning crew of armed Stormtroopers and Flametroopers, Finn spoke to a terrified man who described the infestation as full of rage and fury. The group entered the tunnel and were halted by a deafening screech, followed by the decapitation of one of the troopers. The group engaged the purple tunnel bats, with Finn even saving the captain, Bray (stormtrooper), by using a flamethrower against the swarming bats.

After questioning the captain's decisions, Finn was criticized for complaining and punished with three weeks of trash escort duty. During this duty, Finn found a crack in the tunnel wall, leading to a chamber full of blue, glowing, flower-like structures. Realizing the 'infestation' was the creatures' native home, FN-2187 tried to convince the captain to save the tunnel bats, but failed. He then smuggled the tunnel bats out of the Base to the junk planet Garbage Moon of Maher, where he revealed to the garbage barge pilot, Marialew, what he had done. She decided not to turn him in, saying that compassion was dangerous to a stormtrooper, but a little rebellion was good.

During FN-2187's time aboard the Finalizer, his destroyer occasionally docked with the First Order's massive capital ship, the Mega-class Star Dreadnought Supremacy. After his defection, Finn felt guilty that he couldn't inform the Resistance about the Supremacy's deadly capabilities. While serving the First Order, FN-2187 was selected several times for executioner trooper duty, hoping he would never be ordered to carry out any executions.

During his time as a cadet, Eight-Seven and his fellow troopers participated in a training simulation where they assaulted a New Republic bunker, aiming to destroy a heavy repeating blaster manned by Republic soldiers. Slip fell behind during the assault, and Eight-Seven intended to rescue him. Despite objections from Zeroes and Nines, who wanted to complete their objective and believed rescuing Slip would lead to their capture, Eight-Seven ordered them to rescue their fellow soldier. He sent Zeroes and Nines in different directions to divide the Republic's attention, while he rescued Slip. Although Zeroes and Nines were pinned down, their diversion allowed Eight-Seven to enter the Republic bunker, where he threw a grenade and destroyed the blaster before the Republic could react.

Captain Phasma and General Hux monitored the simulation. After the session, Phasma told the troopers their performance was adequate. Each received a review, with Eight-Seven commended for his kill rate and objective completion. She added that his fellow soldiers should follow his example. The other troopers were dismissed, but Eight-Seven was ordered to stay so Phasma could question why he rescued Slip, as it wasn't the first time he had helped him. Phasma ordered him to stop, stating that the First Order was only as strong as its weakest link. Instead of fixing the problem, she said he was allowing it to persist and weaken the group. Phasma sensed hesitation, but he assured her he would stop helping Slip.

Following this, FN-2187 and his fellow troopers were deployed to a mining colony in an artificial asteroid field called Pressy's Tumble in the Pressylla system of the Outer Rim Territories. Captain Phasma informed the Stormtroopers that their purpose was to 'restore order' after Republic agents allegedly infiltrated the mining operations, sabotaged equipment, and created dissent among the miners. In reality, the miners had staged a strike to protest harsh working conditions. Upon arrival, Captain Phasma took FN-2187's unit to a room of negotiators and ordered the troopers to execute them. FN-2187 aimed his rifle at an Abednedo negotiator but couldn't bring himself to shoot; Slip attacked the negotiator instead. Upon returning from Pressylla, FN-2187 and his fellow troopers were officially recognized as full-fledged Stormtroopers. Captain Phasma decided FN-2187 should be deployed in an upcoming battle on Jakku, believing he would understand what it meant to be a Stormtrooper and fight back when attacked.

Soon after, FN-2187 and his fellow troopers were assigned to a mission to the desert junkyard planet of Jakku, where Lor San Tekka, a former explorer and devout member of the Church of the Force, supposedly possessed a piece of a map leading to the location of Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi.

FN-2187 was aboard the Star Destroyer Finalizer, heading towards Jakku, when he underwent another training program in a simulation room with fellow Stormtroopers FN-2199, FN-2003, and FN-2000. The program was set in a Jakku village, preparing them for their upcoming mission. During the program, FN-2187 eliminated most of the enemy targets, with his squad joking about his perfect marksmanship. The simulation ended when FN-2187 ordered them all to get down, wrongly believing one of the 'targets' was holding a grenade when it was a civilian holding a harmless object. Most were relieved they hadn't fired upon the civilian. A nameless voice then ordered them to assemble in the hangar for deployment.

The First Order's intimidating AALs arrived on the surface, and FN-2187 was deployed with four elite First Order squadrons of Stormtroopers to the village of Tuanul. The village was populated by members of the Church of the Force, who resisted the invaders. The First Order assaulted the village, searching for San Tekka. During the fighting, 2187's friend FN-2003 was killed by Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, who wiped his blood on FN-2187's helmet. This deeply affected the Stormtrooper, opening his eyes to the horrors of war. Later, after San Tekka's death, Kylo Ren ordered the villagers killed, but 2187 refused to fire, which Ren noticed, staring him down.

Returning to the Finalizer, Eight-Seven felt significant stress from the mission, removing his helmet to breathe. Captain Phasma noticed his distress and lack of helmet, and told him to submit his blaster for inspection to ensure he fired a shot. Knowing he would be discovered and subjected to reconditioning for not firing on the villagers, and with his faith in the First Order severely shaken, he decided to desert. Needing a pilot, 2187 secretly freed the imprisoned Poe Dameron, and they stole a Special Forces TIE Fighter. FN-2187 manned the guns, killing several of his former comrades in the hangar and disabling the Finalizer's turbolasers.

During the escape, Dameron asked the Stormtrooper his name, to which he replied with his number. Not wanting to call a man a number, Dameron named him Finn, from the FN in his number. Finn liked the name and began using it. Dameron also told him that the map vital to the Resistance was located in his white and orange BB-series astromech droid, BB-8. Finn didn't want to return to Jakku, insisting they would be killed, but Dameron pressed on, revealing that the map led to Luke Skywalker. The TIE was immediately hit by a missile, sending it spiraling down to a crash landing in the Goazon Badlands.

Finn ejected from the TIE when Dameron triggered the ejector seat. Unfortunately, Dameron's jacket was caught in the ejector mechanism, preventing his escape. Left with no choice, Dameron piloted the TIE to a crash landing, after which he was thrown clear and knocked unconscious.

Waking up alone in the desert, Finn was shocked and breathing heavily, before noticing smoke in the distance. Making his way to the crash, Finn found Poe's jacket but no other sign of the man, and the fighter sank into the sand. Believing Dameron to be dead, Finn discarded his armor and wandered through the desert, eventually arriving at Niima Outpost, looking for BB-8 to carry on Poe's mission.

At the settlement, he found BB-8 with a scavenger named Rey, after witnessing her and the droid being attacked by thugs. He tried to help but stopped when the young woman defeated them with her quarterstaff. Soon after, BB-8 pointed him out to Rey, identifying Dameron's jacket, prompting her to chase him. Finn tried to outrun her, but Rey caught up and smacked him with her quarterstaff. Held under questioning and accused of stealing Dameron's jacket, while also receiving electric shocks from BB-8's arc welder, Finn explained that he and Dameron had escaped from the Finalizer and falsely claimed to be with the Resistance to gain their trust. The three were immediately targeted by the First Order and fled, initially hoping to commandeer a quadjumper, but after it was destroyed by orbital fire from First Order TIE fighters, they decided to commandeer an old freighter: the Millennium Falcon. Finn operated one of the Falcon's quad laser cannons while Rey piloted the ship. Despite the cannon getting stuck in forward position, Finn destroyed one of the pursuing fighters after Rey's clever maneuvering.

Once the Falcon reached space, it was in desperate need of significant repairs. Therefore, Rey and Finn made an effort to mend the dilapidated spacecraft. Subsequently, Finn admitted to BB-8 that he was not affiliated with the Resistance and attempted to persuade the droid to divulge the location of the Resistance base. After some deliberation, BB-8 disclosed that the Resistance base was situated within the Ileenium system. Immediately after Rey completed the necessary repairs, the ship became ensnared in a tractor beam. Initially, Finn surmised that they had been captured by the First Order, leading him to instruct Rey to reverse her repairs in order to saturate the Falcon with toxic fumes, clarifying that stormtrooper helmets are designed to filter out smoke, not poisonous substances. Donning breather masks, Finn, along with Rey and BB-8, sought refuge in the maintenance shaft.

Instead of the First Order, the Millennium Falcon was entered by the smuggler Han Solo and his Wookiee companion Chewbacca, who were there to reclaim their ship, which had been pilfered from them years prior. Solo's initial impression was that Finn and his companions were thieves, and he proceeded to interrogate them. Finn and Rey promptly identified Han Solo as the Rebellion general, the renowned smuggler, and the rightful owner of the Falcon. Upon discovering his stolen property, Solo instructed Chewbacca to confine Finn and his fellow travelers to an escape pod and jettison them into the nearest inhabited star system. However, Finn and Rey dissuaded Solo and Chewie from this course of action by elucidating their need for his assistance in delivering BB-8 to the Resistance, emphasizing that the droid possessed a map that would guide them to Luke Skywalker.

Regrettably, Han's freighter, the Eravana, had been infiltrated by two infamous criminal organizations, the Guavian Death Gang and Kanjiklub, to whom Solo was in debt. Anxious to shield Rey and Finn from involvement, Han relegated them to the lower levels of the freighter while he and Chewie proceeded to negotiate with the criminals, accompanied by BB-8. The smuggler attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, to assure both factions that he would eventually resolve the situation.

The Guavian Death Gang's negotiator, Bala-Tik, recognized the BB-8 astromech droid as the subject of a First Order bounty and demanded that Han surrender the droid, along with any stowaways present on board. As the altercation escalated, Rey inadvertently released three rathtars that Solo had been transporting for King Prana while attempting to separate the gangs from the smugglers by manipulating the blast doors. Finn was briefly seized by a rathtar and dragged away, but Rey managed to sever the rathtar's tentacles by closing a blast door upon them. They successfully evaded the gangs and initiated a jump to hyperspace aboard the Falcon. Subsequently, Bala-Tik instructed his subordinates to notify the First Order that Han Solo and the droid unit had absconded aboard the Falcon.

Upon entering hyperspace, Finn attended to Chewbacca's injuries, but the Wookiee proved to be a difficult patient to treat. During their journey, Solo prompted BB-8 to display the map it possessed. However, the map was incomplete, representing only a fragment of a larger, more comprehensive map. Finn and Rey learned from Solo that Luke Skywalker had been endeavoring to revive the Jedi Order. Nevertheless, a male apprentice had betrayed Skywalker and undermined his efforts. Consequently, Skywalker had vanished from the galaxy entirely. Solo posited that Luke had embarked on a quest to locate the mythical First Jedi Temple. Opting not to deliver Finn, Rey, and BB-8 directly to the Resistance, Solo intended to transport them to the planet Takodana, where he could secure suitable transportation for their onward journey.

En route to Takodana, Finn remained with Chewbacca while Rey collaborated with Solo in the cockpit. At some juncture during the voyage, the Millennium Falcon abruptly emerged from hyperspace. As Rey hastened to Finn and Chewbacca, Finn inquired about the situation. She explained the presence of a potential tracking device somewhere on the ship and engaged in a discussion with Chewbacca regarding its possible location. Finn inquired about Chewbacca's response, and Rey clarified that Chewbacca suspected the tracker to be near the active sensor pulse generator. Finn expressed his confusion and apologized for his inquiry. Subsequently, Finn accompanied Rey and Chewbacca to the generator, where the latter discovered the tracker concealed behind a panel. Finn promptly removed the tracker, inadvertently initiating a countdown on the tracker's self-destruct mechanism. Rey swiftly exclaimed that the tracker was rigged with explosives and necessitated immediate ejection through the airlock, as Finn inquired about the remaining time. Chewbacca abruptly seized the tracker from Finn's hands, rushing toward the airlock as Rey explained that the tracker had only twenty seconds until detonation. Finn now comprehended the urgency of their situation and sprinted to the cockpit to alert Solo. Upon entering the cockpit, Solo informed him that the hyperdrive was operational once more but was promptly interrupted by Finn, who conveyed the presence of a bomb aboard the ship and the need for a rapid hyperspace jump. Rey and Chewbacca successfully removed the tracker, and as the Millennium Falcon entered hyperspace, the tracking device detonated behind them. Shortly after reentering hyperspace, Finn joined Solo, Rey, Chewbacca, and BB-8 in the cockpit, where Rey turned to the group and remarked on their effectiveness as a team.

Upon landing on Takodana, Finn and his companions paid a visit to the pirate and tavern proprietor Maz Kanata's castle, which functioned as both an inn and a bar for space travelers. Finn also had the opportunity to meet Maz herself, who advised him to cease his flight and engage in combat. Subsequently, Finn was invited to join the Resistance in its struggle against the First Order, an offer he initially declined, deeming the First Order too formidable. He then confessed to Rey his true identity as a stormtrooper and declared his irrevocable departure from the First Order. After she declined his proposal to join him in escaping the conflict, he wished her well. He planned to depart with pirate Captain Sidon Ithano, who offered him transportation to the Outer Rim Territories in exchange for labor.

While loading the Meson Martinet in preparation for his departure with Captain Ithano, Finn glanced upward and witnessed the Hosnian Cataclysm, realizing that the First Order had finally launched its assault on the New Republic. After returning to the castle and reuniting with Han, Chewbacca, and BB-8, Finn and his companions set out to locate Rey. Venturing into the basement of Maz Kanata's castle, they encountered Maz, who presented Finn with the lightsaber that had once belonged to the Jedi Knights Anakin and Luke Skywalker, which she had been safeguarding. She instructed Finn to find his friend Rey, who had previously discovered the object and fled into the surrounding forest after experiencing a Force vision.

Shortly thereafter, Maz Kanata's castle was attacked by the First Order, who had been alerted to BB-8's presence by the spy Bazine Netal. During the ensuing battle, Finn questioned his possession of a weapon, but Maz reminded him that he did indeed possess one. Finn wielded the lightsaber, eliminating at least one stormtrooper and engaging in a duel with FN-2199, who brandished a Z6 riot control baton. He proved incapable of defeating Nines, his former comrade, who was shot by Han Solo wielding Chewbacca's bowcaster. Finn, Solo, and Chewbacca were subsequently captured by First Order Stormtroopers, but they executed an escape when the Resistance's X-Wings arrived across Nymeve Lake and launched a counterattack. Finn witnessed Kylo Ren carrying Rey away into his command shuttle and rushed to her rescue, but he was largely helpless as Ren departed the battlefield.

Aboard a Resistance transport, Finn journeyed with Solo, Chewbacca, and BB-8 to the Resistance base on D'Qar, where he was reunited with Poe Dameron, who had survived the crash on Jakku and was surprised to encounter Finn. Poe remarked that his old jacket suited the former Stormtrooper and encouraged him to keep it. Finn also met General Leia Organa who commended him for renouncing the First Order and aiding Poe's escape. Finn then shared details about Starkiller Base with Admiral Ackbar.

Finn was later present during the meeting convened to strategize the attack on Starkiller Base– an attack that was imperative before the battle station could recharge its weapon. His knowledge of the superweapon proved invaluable in planning the assault, as he identified its thermal oscillator as a vulnerable point. He volunteered to accompany Solo and Chewbacca on the Falcon to disable the shield generator on the planet's oscillator, though his primary motivation was to rescue Rey.

After executing a hyperspace jump through the shields and crash-landing on the planet, Finn revealed to Han and Chewie that he had previously been employed in sanitation on Starkiller Base, much to Solo's dismay. Finn devised a plan to lower the shield surrounding the planet, thereby enabling Resistance pilots to attack the thermal oscillator and destroy the weapon. While stealthily navigating the clandestine facility, Chewbacca apprehended Captain Phasma, and the trio, including an overconfident Finn, coerced her into lowering the shield. She cautioned them that her troops would storm in and eliminate them all, but Solo dismissed her warning, inquiring of Finn whether there happened to be any conveniently located trash compactors within the base, into which they subsequently deposited her via a garbage chute.

The three then discovered Rey, who had independently escaped by harnessing her nascent Force abilities. Upon exiting the facility and needing to reach the oscillator, Finn and Rey commandeered one of the First Order's Light Infantry Utility Vehicle snowspeeders, utilizing it to traverse the expansive distance. Finn bestowed the jacket upon Rey to provide warmth, and they embarked on their journey. They were swiftly pursued by several more snowspeeders piloted by First Order Snowtroopers. Rey began firing at their pursuers from her seat, but the two switched positions as they drove into the cover of a forest. Finn discharged a pile of snow, causing it to collapse onto one of the snowspeeders and disable it, while targeting the engines of the others. Finn's blaster was dislodged from his grasp just before Rey executed a jump over a large chasm, thereby evading their pursuers. The two then resolved that henceforth, Rey would pilot and Finn would provide the firepower.

Upon reaching the oscillator, Rey and Finn proceeded to set charges, and upon their return, they witnessed Han Solo confronting Kylo Ren, who was revealed to be Han's son, Ben Solo. After witnessing Kylo murder his father, Rey and Finn attempted to flee through the woods, only to be intercepted by Kylo once more, who obstructed their path. Rey attempted to employ her blaster against Kylo, but he propelled Rey backward with a Force push, rendering her unconscious. Finn, horrified, rushed to Rey's side while Ren angrily denounced him as a traitor. An enraged Finn then ignited the lightsaber, which Ren asserted rightfully belonged to him. Finn challenged him to "come and get it" before engaging him in a duel. Although Finn briefly held his own, despite his lack of formal lightsaber training, he ultimately proved no match for the dark warrior, although he did manage to stab Ren in the arm. In his defeat, Finn was disarmed and sustained injuries to his shoulder and spine. Severely wounded, Finn was overwhelmed by pain, and his muscles went limp. He could discern the sounds of lightsabers clashing around him, but as the pain intensified, he could no longer resist the encroaching darkness. As he succumbed to unconsciousness, his final thought was of Rey.

After Finn was incapacitated, Rey regained consciousness and utilized the Force to retrieve the lightsaber and defeat Kylo. Rey transported Finn to Chewbacca aboard the Millennium Falcon and placed him in intensive care at the Resistance base in a coma. Rey bid him a heartfelt farewell, kissed his forehead, expressed her gratitude for everything, and declared that they would meet again before she departed to locate Luke Skywalker.

Finn regained consciousness within a flexpoly bacta suit aboard the star cruiser Raddus following the Resistance's flight from D'Qar. Upon being greeted by Poe, he inquired about Rey's whereabouts and learned that she had journeyed to Ahch-To to retrieve Master Skywalker. The First Order intercepted the Resistance fleet upon its emergence from hyperspace in the Crait system, initiating an attack that resulted in the destruction of the bridge. General Organa survived, albeit gravely injured, and was transported to the medbay. Finn retrieved the transponder beacon Organa was employing to signal Rey's location and resolved to flee to prevent her from becoming entangled in the First Order's assault. He then proceeded toward one of the escape pods, where he was intercepted by Rose Tico, a former flight engineer and current maintenance worker whose sister Paige had perished in the First Order's attack, and who had been assigned to guard the pods against deserters.

Rose was initially captivated by Finn, whom she perceived as a Resistance hero, but she observed that he had packed a bag and deduced his intention to desert. Rose stunned Finn and placed his body on a cart in an attempt to transport him to the brig. Upon regaining consciousness, Finn informed Rose about Rey and the First Order's ability to track the fleet through hyperspace. The two then began to formulate a plan to disable the tracker aboard the Supremacy and enable the fleet to jump away, thereby safeguarding both the Resistance and Rey.

The two presented their plan to Poe, who consented to authorize it without the knowledge of the fleet's new commander, Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo. Needing clearance codes to board the Supremacy, they contacted Maz Kanata, who directed them instead to the Master Codebreaker, whom they could locate at the casino in Canto Bight, a city on the planet Cantonica. Finn entrusted Poe with Leia's tracker.

Finn, accompanied by Rose and BB-8, departed for Cantonica. However, as they commenced their descent near the planet's atmosphere, they were interrupted by the passage of an unknown floating tentacled alien that emitted electrical currents around its body. As it ascended above them, some of the tentacles struck the shuttle, causing a surge of electricity to course through the ship and temporarily disable BB-8, who had been assisting in steering the shuttle. Rose then requested that Finn take over the controls while she attended to the task of repairing the droid. Finn voiced his concerns regarding his piloting abilities, but Rose pointed out that they had little choice. As they descended further, Finn observed and pointed out to Rose that there appeared to be more of the unknown alien creatures. As he did his best to navigate them through the flock, Finn saw one of the creatures quickly appear on an apparent collision course. Finn called out to BB-8. Luckily for him, Rose was just about done fixing the droid. BB-8 then resumed control of the ship which allowed them to avoid coming into contact with any of the creatures. As they floated off into safety, Finn inquired about BB-8's condition, which the droid replied to by way of extending his built-in torch. Rose and Finn then complimented the droid as well as each other before proceeding to the rest of their mission.

They crash-landed their shuttle on a private beach and entered the casino, despite the efforts of an Abednedo businessman named Slowen Lo to prevent them. Finn was awestruck by the opulence of the casino, but Rose exposed him to the animal abuse, child labor, and war profiteering that transpired behind the scenes. Rose recounted to Finn that she and her sister hailed from the Otomok system, which had been utilized as a testing ground by the First Order, and that many of the casino's patrons had amassed wealth by selling weapons to the First Order.

BB-8 pinpointed the master codebreaker, but Slowen Lo reported them to the police for illegal parking, resulting in Finn and Rose's arrest and stunning. Finn attempted to pick the lock to their cell, yet his actions only succeeded in making another panel slide over the mechanism. Overhearing their discussion regarding their plans, their cellmate, DJ, offered to assist them in infiltrating the Destroyer, but Finn declined, dismissing DJ as a mere pickpocket. DJ then employed a manufactured passkey to unlock the cell door, enabling Finn and Rose to escape as well.

Finn and Rose fled into the Canto Bight stables, where the stableboy Temiri Blagg aided their escape, allowing them to ride on the backs of one of the casino's fathiers. They initially guided the fathiers toward their shuttle, but the police officers destroyed it. The fathiers stampeded through the casino and town, causing extensive damage, before eluding the police by traversing tall underbrush. Rose and Finn were then retrieved by BB-8 and DJ aboard the stolen yacht Libertine.

DJ demanded Rose's medallion as collateral. Despite Finn's objections, Rose relinquished it to him. DJ revealed to Finn that the yacht's previous owner was an arms dealer who supplied weapons to both the First Order and the Resistance. DJ attempted to persuade Finn that the entire galaxy was a machine and that he should abstain from involvement in causes and embrace a life of freedom.

DJ partially deactivated the Supremacy's shields, enabling the Libertine to slip aboard. Finn, Rose, and DJ pilfered uniforms to disguise themselves as First Order officers in order to infiltrate the ship and reach the tracker. They also encountered 926, a stormtrooper who recognized Finn, as they had been members of the same stormtrooper batch. However, 926 was unaware of Finn's defection and, assuming that Finn had been promoted to officer, congratulated him and expressed his doubts regarding the former stormtrooper's suitability for command.

Finn, Rose, and DJ reached the tracker, but they were apprehended by Phasma, who feigned delight at seeing Finn again. However, DJ brokered a deal, exchanging information about the Resistance's escape plan he had gleaned from Finn and Rose, which involved utilizing cloaked transports to reach the surface of the mineral planet Crait, in exchange for payment and his freedom, much to the consternation of both Finn and Rose. The First Order commenced firing upon the Resistance transports, destroying the majority of them.

Phasma ordered Finn and Rose's execution, opting to inflict suffering upon them by having them executed via laser ax, but before the executioner troopers could deliver the killing blow, Holdo utilized the Raddus to ram the Supremacy at light speed, causing the hangar to erupt in flames and rendering Finn unconscious. Finn and Rose attempted to reach a Xi-class light shuttle to escape the heavily damaged Supremacy, but they were intercepted by Phasma.

Phasma extended her baton, and Finn seized a riot control baton, with which he engaged Phasma in a duel, but he was unable to withstand her for long. Phasma forced him backward and ultimately knocked him off his feet and into a pit. However, a rising platform beneath him saved his life. This enabled him to position himself behind Phasma and deliver a blow that cracked her helmet, causing her to stumble onto unstable footing. Finally witnessing his corrupt superior's actual flesh in a solitary eye staring up at him, Finn proudly declared himself to Phasma as a rebel before her platform collapsed, sending her to her demise into the fire below.

After witnessing this, Finn noticed BB-8 and Rose, who provided Finn with a ride to the shuttle aboard a hotwired AT-ST. As the shuttle took off, Finn remarked that they were heading where they belonged, and they turned toward Crait to reunite with the Resistance.

Pursued by two TIE fighters, Rose barely managed to pilot the shuttle beneath the closing bunker door of the abandoned Rebel outpost where the Resistance was concealed. The Resistance opened fire on the shuttle, but Finn persuaded them to cease.

The Resistance planned to remain hidden in the bunker until they could transmit a signal to their allies in the Outer Rim. However, the First Order swiftly deployed All Terrain MegaCaliber Sixs, AT-ATs, and a weapon Finn recognized as a battering ram cannon to infiltrate the bunker. Finn suggested to Poe that they utilize the base's complement of speeders to launch an assault against the siege cannon, in order to afford the Resistance time to transmit their message. Finn piloted one of the speeders in the battle and was able to exercise greater control over the speeder after jettisoning his monoski. The First Order deployed TIE fighters, which destroyed numerous speeders. However, the timely arrival of Rey and Chewbacca in the Millennium Falcon diverted the fighters away from the Resistance speeders.

As Finn's landspeeder approached the cannon, Poe, realizing the futility of their efforts and the excessive potential loss of life, commanded a retreat. Defying Poe's directive, Finn embarked on a perilous course, directly into the cannon's line of fire, intending a sacrificial act. However, before Finn could give his life for the Resistance, Rose intervened, crashing her speeder into his, diverting them both from the cannon's trajectory and sending them crashing to the salt-covered ground. Finn rushed to Rose's side, who was injured near the First Order's front lines, questioning her intervention. Rose explained her belief that the war would be won by protecting what they cherished, not by destroying what they hated. Following this, Rose kissed Finn before losing consciousness, just as the siege cannon fired, obliterating the bunker door.

Subsequently, Finn carried Rose's body through the destroyed entrance and entrusted her to the care of Resistance medics. He then observed the projection of Luke Skywalker arriving at the Resistance's location to face the First Order, and felt compelled to assist him. However, Poe argued that Skywalker's actions were a diversion to allow the Resistance to escape. Poe and Finn then noticed the absence of the vulptices that had previously overrun the base. Finn, accompanying the rest of the Resistance, followed Poe through the outpost's caverns until they reached an uncharted natural exit blocked by rocks. Rey, located on the other side, employed the Force to clear the obstruction. Finn embraced Rey, and the surviving members of the Resistance escaped aboard the Falcon.

Aboard the Falcon, Finn sought a blanket to cover Rose while Rey kept watch. During this search, Finn briefly glanced at the Sacred Jedi texts Rey had concealed in a compartment on the freighter. Sometime after she regained consciousness, Rose and Finn discussed the events that transpired and mutually agreed to remain friends.

In a rare peaceful moment aboard the Millennium Falcon after their departure from Crait, Poe recounted to Finn and Rey the events that had unfolded since their crash landing on Jakku. Finn listened intently, but their conversation was interrupted by General Organa, who expressed her delight at their growing camaraderie. Throughout this period, Finn consistently monitored Rose Tico's condition to ensure her recovery from her injuries. During a conversation with Poe regarding Rose's rescue, Finn described the First Order's heartless policy of abandoning the injured. Poe then shared with Finn the events that occurred while he was unconscious during the evacuation of D'Qar, as well as the fate of Black Squadron afterward. Finn reassured Poe about his unwavering faith and optimistic outlook, and their discussion was then interrupted by C-3PO, who delivered news regarding the status of Black Squadron via a data transmission, ultimately leading to Poe and Black Squadron's involvement in the Battle of Grail City.

Shortly thereafter, the battered and diminished Resistance forces aboard the Millennium Falcon sought refuge at the Ryloth Defense Authority base, where they were welcomed by Leia's ally, Yendor Brethen, a former Rebel pilot. During a gathering of Resistance assets on Ryloth, Finn demonstrated to Pacer Agoyo that even individuals with questionable backgrounds could choose a different path. After determining that the Resistance required additional ships and personnel, General Organa reviewed a list of First Order prisoners provided by Maz Kanata and noticed the familiar initials R.C. on the list. Believing this to be her former rival and Centrist New Republic Senator Ransolm Casterfo, Organa decided to dispatch Poe and a team to Corellia in search of him, as Casterfo was thought to be imprisoned on the shipbuilding world.

Later, Finn and Rey engaged in a personal conversation aboard the Falcon, which Poe interrupted to inquire about Finn's romantic involvement with either Rey or Rose, receiving negative responses in both cases. Subsequently, Poe invited Finn to accompany him undercover to a clandestine auction at the birthday celebration of Nifera Shu, the spouse of a wealthy Corellian businessman, utilizing an invitation provided by Maz Kanata. Finn eagerly accepted, and Poe reminded him of his origins and his significance within the Resistance, after which they continued preparations for the mission.

Upon arriving in Coronet City, Finn and Poe adopted the guise of affluent Canto Bight businessmen at Shu's birthday event and auction, while the second team proceeded to extract Casterfo from the Corellian Command Base. After narrowly avoiding scrutiny at a First Order Stormtrooper checkpoint, thanks to Finn's suggestion that Poe was a celebrity, the two gained entry to present Shu with a gift, bestowed upon Dameron by Suralinda Javos, who also accompanied the team to the party with Charth Brethen.

At the party, Finn pointed out to Poe that a significant portion of the attendees were affiliated with the First Order. While Dameron acknowledged this was logical given the city's occupation by the First Order, he was still taken aback. The two introduced themselves to Nifera and Hasadar Shu in a flirtatious manner, and Poe presented Nifera with the gift, a miniature Lylek from Ryloth. As she had been an entomologist in her youth, the gift held great significance for her, granting the two digital access to the secret holographic auction. Poe began to expend the Resistance's funds at the auction, and dispatched Finn to locate other bidders, but without success. Soon, the Resistance was outbid, but the situation devolved into chaos as the First Order launched a sudden raid on the party.

The celebration rapidly descended into disorder, as Finn and Poe struggled to locate Suralinda and Charth amidst the First Order's assault. After locating the two, the room's lights were extinguished, and Nifera, having witnessed her husband's death by a Stormtrooper's blaster, fled. Poe decided to pursue her in order to obtain the list, directing Finn to escape with the other two. Dameron successfully retrieved the list, and he and Nefira dove over the balcony and into the water below. Finn assisted the two in climbing out of the pool, and they formulated a plan to escape Corellia, during which Shu revealed her allegiance to the Collective, a techno-activist underground movement.

Poe's team eventually rendezvoused with the second group, who had successfully liberated Casterfo and several other prisoners. The two groups exchanged information and immediately devised a new plan to gain access to the hangar. Wedge Antilles and Norra Wexley elected to create a diversion, which allowed Finn and the others to reach the hangar and the ships, but their actions attracted excessive attention from the stormtroopers. Antilles was wounded by blaster fire and was unable to continue fighting, but Norra insisted on remaining with him. Just as they believed their end was near, Poe, piloting a stolen starfighter, arrived at the last moment and eliminated the remaining stormtroopers. With everyone safe, they all returned to the Resistance aboard a CR90 corvette.

Following the mission, Finn, Poe, and the others gathered with the escaped prisoners in a Collective safehouse on Helmaxa, where Poe delivered an inspiring speech to the Resistance. Finn congratulated him on his address, and together with Rey, the three embarked on a journey, hopeful, to save the galaxy together.

Shortly after at Horizon Base, Finn contacted Poe Dameron to report an unexpectedly large First Order presence at the base. Concerned that the First Order was pursuing the same objective, Dameron instructed Finn that he and his partner Gannis Ducain would have to ascertain the situation, emphasizing that the Resistance was relying on them for this mission. Finn and Ducain argued about Ducain's theft of the Millennium Falcon, when a First Order stormtrooper approached them and demanded to see their identification. In response, Finn shot down several barrels suspended above the stormtroopers, incapacitating them and enabling the two to escape.

Inside the base, Ducain apologized to Finn, explaining that he had joined the Resistance in an effort to become a better person, given his past transgressions. However, Finn was more concerned with combating the First Order and securing necessary allies. During their conversation, Finn and Ducain heard a loud approaching noise and were suddenly confronted by a candori. The creature seized them and attempted to devour them, at which point a man appeared, claiming ownership of the candori and stating that it was there to protect him and his fellow Oruans from the First Order, whom he believed Finn and Ducain to be. Finn attempted to explain that they were members of the Resistance, but the man had heard that the Resistance had been destroyed. Finn informed the man and his group that he was aware of what the First Order had done to their planet and that they were now alone, just like the Resistance. Upon hearing this, the man ordered the candori to release the two.

Finn informed the group about the First Order's threat to the base, but they were already aware. Mezlo, their leader, possessed extensive knowledge of the First Order, having nearly driven them off his planet with a small force, but ultimately failing. He assumed that Finn was there to recruit him, but declined to join, stating that he sought to fight for honor and viewed the Resistance as merely attempting to be heroes. This angered Finn, who shared his past as a First Order stormtrooper and explained that he was with the Resistance because they honorably did what was right. Ducain also explained his reasons for fighting for the Resistance, and Mezlo attempted to apologize for judging the Resistance– but was interrupted by a group of stormtroopers. The stormtroopers ordered them not to move. Ducain thought that they were done for, but Mezlo's plan kicked in when another candori came out from the ceiling and grabbed the stormtroopers. Finn then Contacted Poe to pick them up as they all opened fire on the now distracted stormtroopers.

After escaping the base, Finn again asked Mezlo to join the Resistance, but he once again refused telling him that he and his people will fight against the First Order on their own, after being made refugees. Back at the Falcon, Mezlo promised to help the Resistance if they ever truly needed it, and Finn promised to do the same. Onboard, Dameron was disappointed that the Oruans did not accept the offer, and he believed that the Resistance was still alone. But having learned otherwise, Finn explained that while First Order had an army, they did not have honor. Finn believed that the Oruans would fight with them one day, and they would not be alone.

At the Wayward Comet refueling station, Finn became embroiled in a physical altercation with a Dashade, exchanging blows. Nearby, in a doorway, Poe Dameron scolded BB-8 for not avoiding trouble while he met with a contact. BB-8 indicated that it was not his fault, and Poe requested that the droid intervene in Finn's fight. BB-8 tripped the Dashade, triggering a chaotic bar brawl that allowed Finn to speak with Poe in the doorway. Poe informed Finn that his contact had succeeded, and they now had the coordinates of a secret, decommissioned New Republic impound on the moon of Avedot, allegedly containing weapons confiscated from pirates. Finn then departed to retrieve Resistance agents Norik and Oron to meet Poe at their shuttle in the hangar.

As Finn departed, he inadvertently collided with the changeling Clawdite Remex Io. Io recognized Finn and contacted Kendoh Gang leader Kendoh Voss, who instructed Io to follow Finn back to his ship and attach a tracker. Voss then contacted a First Order Lieutenant, seeking to claim the bounty on Finn's head. After consulting with General Hux on the Finalizer, who was pressured into pursuing the sighting by the newly appointed Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, the lieutenant was authorized to make a down payment on the bounty.

Unaware of the Kendoh Gang's pursuit, Finn and his team entered Base 354-23X and discovered that all of the security systems were inactive. Finn exclaimed that this was shaping up to be his easiest mission ever, to which Poe responded with playful disapproval. The group found little of value and began to doubt the accuracy of their information, but Finn did locate a dilapidated T-47 airspeeder. Poe refused to give up, however, and they continued deeper into the base. Finn instructed Tonkins to remain behind and guard the entrance, but the man was swiftly dealt with by the large Aqualish Wooro.

As the team further explored the impound, Tonkins approached them, much to Finn's confusion. Tonkins then opened fire, revealing himself to be Remex Io in disguise. The Gang and the Resistance exchanged fire, resulting in the loss of two Resistance agents, and Finn narrowly escaped, making his way to Poe, who had finally located the weapons cache with BB-8. Finn then shot a control panel, closing the door to the room he and Poe were in, but sealing off their only exit. But to Finn's advantage, the bounty hunters don't know Dameron is on the mission as well. Wooro then used a heavy blaster to try to cut through the door, as Finn explained his plan to Poe.

The Kendoh Gang completed their breach of the door and entered the room, only to find it empty, as Dameron had concealed himself behind a large crate. During his attempt to remain hidden, Finn fell from a ceiling air duct onto Io. A fight broke out between the two, with the changeling assuming various powerful forms in an attempt to inflict greater damage on Finn. Wooro then attempted to stun Finn, but missed and stunned his own Clawdite companion, much to Kendoh Voss's frustration. This error allowed Finn to narrowly escape, while Poe loaded the newly acquired materials onto the Resistance's transport. While leading the bounty hunters around the base, Finn thought he lost them until he ran straight into Wooro. The large Aqualish punched him down once more, but Finn did not give up, continuing to run until he reached the T-47 from earlier. Utilizing its harpoon gun to shoot his enemy through the shoulder, Finn was injured and knocked out by the recoil.

Awakening to Dameron's urgent transmission, Finn found Wooro still alive but pinned to the wall, and Poe cornered by the bounty hunters' ship. Finn dove out of the way of the bounty hunters' blaster fire, as BB-8 used a crate of thermal detonators to allow Poe to escape in the Resistance's transport. Telling Finn to meet him outside, Poe flies away, leaving Finn with just the T-47. Finn hopped in the airspeeder, and used it to crash into the bounty hunters' ship, ejecting himself just in time to be caught by Dameron, the two managing to escape the Moon of Avedot with most of the weapons they came there for.

Sometime after the Mission to the Moon of Avedot, Finn and Chewbacca departed from the rest of the Resistance to deliver bacta that he and Poe retrieved on their mission to the planet Tevel. During the time they were gone, Rose, Rey, and Poe expressed missing Finn and Chewbacca shortly before they went on a mission to Minfar.

At one point, Finn, Rey, Chewbacca, and BB-8 were escorting black market smuggler Moebin Faltus to Prahvin on the Millennium Falcon in exchange for information regarding people attempting to escape the First Order. Finn and Faltus argued about the freighter at its dejarik table, with the smuggler believing it was old, ugly, and too slow. Suddenly, the two hear a rumble, followed by a bleeping alarm, and rush to the cockpit. There, Rey tells them that it's probably misaligned engine couplings, and they go off to find out. While attempting to fix the Falcon, Finn expressed his distaste for working with Faltus, while Rey argued that his contacts would be worth it– and that the ship would need to land nearby for repairs.

Rey and Chewbacca then landed the Falcon on the local planet Choss, to retrieve a new static charge dissipator. Rey headed off towards a city with BB-8 and Moebin, while Finn and Chewie stayed back to work on fixing the ship. While Rey was in town, gallivanting her way away from the bounty hunter Kief Varris, hired by the First Order to capture Faltus, Finn and Chewbacca took the Falcon for a test flight after attempting some repairs, but found that it was still hopeless.

After Rey and BB-8 fought Varris, they snuck aboard his shuttle to rescue Faltus, before crashing it into the forest below. There, they met up with Finn and Chewbacca one more, with Finn informing Rey of their continued issues and his lack of faith in repairing the Falcon. Then suddenly, BB-8 revealed that he took the necessary part from Varris's shuttle, and that's what caused it to crash. With the whole crew reunited, Moebin saved, and the ship repaired, the Resistance departed Choss, with Faltus agreeing to tell them about his operation.

Far into the Outer Rim Territories, Finn, Poe, and R2-D2 created a Jedi training course for their friend Rey on the rocky moon of Noaxson. Finn and Poe observed that this was the ideal location due to its erratic light cycle and shifting surface terrain, and were eager to reveal it to Rey, blindfolding her before the unveiling. The two men told a surprised Rey that they wanted her to get trained faster so she can join them on more missions, and that they also just wanted to be helpful. Rey then excitedly began to run the obstacle course.

After running the course a bit, Rey fell into a cave full of pirates led by the Quarren Algron, and Finn began to get worried about Rey, and citing a feeling that she was in trouble while searching the horizon with macrobinoculars. Just before going to search for her, Finn and Poe are surrounded by more pirates and taken to their ship and questioned. The pirates recognized Rey, and wanted to claim her and their bounties from the First Order. They're then approached by an older pirate named Corrin, who tells the pirate Lannix that he was supposed to be at their long-range comms. The two got into an argument, and Lannix declared that he was the new leader. During this argument, Finn and Poe are able to slip out of their ties, and tackle Corrin just as more pirates arrive and the situation escalates. Finn and Poe are able to run away from the pirates' blaster barrage, taking Corrin with them.

Pinned down, Finn makes a plan to run for the pirates' ship, hoping to disable their long range comms, but is interrupted by a Weequay pirate giving them the option to peacefully surrender. As he's speaking, Rey threw her staff at the yelling Weequay, charging in to take on the pirates. From the other side, Finn and Poe charged in blasters blazing, and they take down the pirates together. Rey then cracked a joke about whoever built the training course not knowing about the pirate presence, and Lannix let off one last threat of contacting the First Order. But with the knowledge that the long-range comms are shut off, Lannix laid his head down and admitted defeat. The Resistance then once again safely left in the Millennium Falcon, as Rey thanked Finn, Poe and Artoo for their effort, but stated that it was probably best that they leave the Jedi training up to Rey's master, Leia.

Later, General Leia Organa dispatched Finn and Dameron to the Wild Space planet Kamil to secure livestock for the Resistance. During the mission, Dameron and Finn spent at least 5 days waiting for their animals, and Dameron felt underused, while Finn felt lucky to lay low, and explained that the food the livestock would bring is very important. After trying some food, they attempted to buy the animal it was from, but it was far too expensive, leading the two to the The Lucky Whistle Saloon. There, they attempted to find leads on cheap livestock, but failed at the socialization required to do so, and thus went for a dance as a break. While dancing and talking to some Octani, they got a lead on Dhar Wat, someone who was selling spare parts that might be useful for the Resistance.

Following this, they abandoned their initial plan concerning livestock and instead located the train carrying Wat. Once aboard, Finn found himself in a very packed carriage before he and Poe acted as catering staff, which they did to search for Wat. After Poe discovered him, he assisted the Octani in battling a First Order officer inside the officer's quarters. Wat then stated the First Order had taken his components and relocated them to a different carriage. Dameron and Finn then embarked on a mission to find the parts, concurrently agreeing with Wat that he would be a consistent supplier, and quickly encountered Stormtroopers and First Order officers. A pursuit and altercation then unfolded throughout the train, with Finn disabling an officer's comlink to prevent them from requesting reinforcements. Soon after, Finn and Poe were trapped by First Order troops inside a storage car, where a fight then commenced, with Finn and Dameron successfully subduing the First Order forces through close-quarters combat. During the melee, Finn discovered a Wookiee doll and even utilized it to strike an officer. Finn then located the required components and detached the carriage from the remainder of the train. The pair also found a significant number of livestock on their carriage, which they gave back to the Resistance, and Finn gifted the doll to Rey.

After Darth Sidious' broadcast announcing the Final Order and the return of the Sith, General Organa dispatched operatives to gather details about this development. Dameron, Finn, Chewbacca, Klaud, and R2-D2 piloted the Millennium Falcon to Sinta Glacier Colony. During the journey, Finn and Dameron engaged Chewbacca in a game of dejarik, commenting on the Wookiee's skill. Upon reaching the colony, Finn facilitated the transfer of intelligence from a new First Order spy via Boolio, the Ovissian mine overseer, into R2-D2. Shortly after the data transfer began, the First Order arrived with numerous TIE fighters, closing in on the Resistance's position. As the transfer concluded, Boolio sarcastically instructed Finn to "win the war" as recompense, and Finn promptly took up a position at one of the Falcon's turrets to shoot down TIE fighters as they made their escape.

As they fled, Dameron, much to Finn's apprehension, executed several hyperspace skips with the Falcon to various hazardous locations in order to evade the pursuing TIE fighters. The aged freighter managed to return to the Resistance's base on Ajan Kloss, where Finn reunited with Rey and joked about Poe's temper. Finn and the team then shared the spy's information with the Resistance, revealing that Palpatine had somehow returned.

Subsequently, Rey resolved to embark on a quest to locate a Sith wayfinder to pinpoint Sidious' location. Rey and her companions then journeyed to Pasaana, where they discovered Ochi of Bestoon's dagger. Chewbacca and the dagger were presumed lost during the mission when a First Order transport, believed to be carrying him, was destroyed by Rey's Force abilities during an encounter with Kylo Ren.

C-3PO's programming prevented him from deciphering the Sith inscription on Ochi's dagger, which contained the location of another Sith wayfinder leading to Exegol. Therefore, the group traveled to Kijimi, where Poe had connections with a droidsmith. They were apprehended by Zorii Bliss and the Spice Runners of Kijimi, a group Poe had once been affiliated with. However, Bliss agreed to assist them after a brief altercation with Rey. The droidsmith Babu Frik bypassed C-3PO's restricted memory banks, revealing that the Emperor possessed a wayfinder in his throne room on the second Death Star within the Endor system. Meanwhile, the Knights of Ren tracked the Resistance to Kijimi, and Ren, aboard his Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Steadfast](/article/steadfast(resurgent-class)), initiated a large-scale hunt for the Resistance within the city. Rey sensed Chewbacca's presence through the Force on the Star Destroyer, prompting the team to organize a rescue operation.

Utilizing a captain's medallion provided by Bliss, Poe, Finn, and Rey infiltrated the Steadfast. Poe and Finn successfully rescued Chewbacca, but were subsequently captured by stormtroopers and brought before General Armitage Hux for execution. However, Hux spared their lives, revealing himself as the spy. Hux then escorted them to the Millennium Falcon. Rey, along with Poe, Finn, Chewbacca, and the droids, escaped aboard the Falcon.

In the final hours leading up to the decisive confrontation, Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, Chewbacca, and the droids C-3PO, BB-8, and D-O crash-landed on Kef Bir, the ocean moon of Endor. Upon discovering the wreckage of the Death Star in the moon's waters, the Resistance members were surrounded by Jannah and her tribe of Orbak riders. After learning of their affiliation with the Resistance, Jannah agreed to assist them in their mission. She advised that they would need to wait until the following day for the tides to subside. While the team worked to repair the Falcon, Finn discovered that Jannah and her tribe were, in fact, a company of First Order stormtroopers who had deserted after refusing to fire on civilians, much like himself. Impatiently, Rey commandeered a skiff and piloted it towards the Death Star ruins. Finn and Jannah resolved to locate Rey when she engaged Ren in a duel amidst the Death Star ruins. Finn and Jannah attempted to intervene, but Rey pushed them away.

After Rey departed alone, Finn, Dameron, Chewbacca, the droids, Jannah, and her tribe returned to the Resistance base on Ajan Kloss, where they learned of Organa's death and Poe's appointment as acting general. Following a period of adjustment to this promotion, Dameron appointed Finn as general alongside himself. Through information discovered within D-O while Finn interacted with the droid in Rey's workstation, the Resistance acquired sufficient intelligence about Exegol to formulate an attack plan. Concurrently, Calrissian and Chewbacca were dispatched to the Core Worlds aboard the Falcon to rally allies.

Finn delivered a passionate address to the Resistance members gathered beneath the Tantive IV before the battle, asserting that the Resistance had been on the defensive for too long and that it was time to take the fight to the First Order. He claimed to have a strategy for the Resistance's ground assault on the Final Order's Navigation tower and boarded the YC-123B transport hauler Fortitude as the group departed for the Sith homeworld.

During the Battle of Exegol, Finn advocated for a ground assault over an aerial assault to disable the navigation tower while simultaneously avoiding Sith Eternal detection. Unbeknownst to the Resistance, General Pryde had redirected the navigational signal to his ship to guide the Sith fleet out themselves while the Resistance approached the surface tower. Through the Force, Finn discerned that the communications signal had been transferred to the Steadfast and decided to lead the ground team to disable the signal tower before reinforcements arrived. Dameron and the air team provided cover for the ground team as they ascended and landed on the Steadfast's hull to disable the tower. The ground team, accompanied by the Orbak Tribe led by Jannah and Finn, boarded Pryde's command ship, engaging in a firefight with Sith troopers and Sith Jetpack Troopers dispatched from the Xyston-class Star Destroyers of the Sith fleet. Finn and Jannah disabled the beacon by dropping thermal detonators down a reinforced hatch, but the setback was only temporary as Pryde's crew reset the antennae. Realizing that they had to destroy the Resurgent Star Destroyer, Finn and Jannah remained aboard the vessel's hull while Rose Tico, Beaumont Kin, Kaydel Ko Connix, and the rest of the ground team retreated.

As they remained, Sidious was overpowering Rey and a newly redeemed Ben Solo, utilizing Force drain to replenish his strength. When Lando unexpectedly arrived with a large fleet of civilians to confront the Sith Eternal forces, Finn's spirits were lifted, and he declared that Lando had succeeded. Finn and Jannah assumed control of the turbolaser cannons on the command ship and targeted the bridge of the Steadfast, eliminating Pryde and destroying the tower just as Rey channeled the power of past Jedi to defeat Sidious once and for all. The Steadfast then began to explode and plummet towards the surface of Exegol with Finn and Jannah still on board, but they were rescued by Calrissian and Chewbacca on the Falcon at the last moment. Aboard the Falcon, Finn acutely sensed Rey's demise through the Force, but discovered she was alive when she emerged from the ruined Sith Citadel in Luke's X-wing after being resurrected by a redeemed Ben Solo. He later informed Poe that people were rising up against the First Order and that they had finally achieved victory.

Subsequently, he, along with the rest of the crew on the Falcon, returned to Ajan Kloss to celebrate their triumph over the Sith Eternal and the death of Sidious. Observing the joyous reunions and collective happiness, he was deeply gratified. He reunited with Poe Dameron, and they embraced. When Rey arrived, she, Finn, and Dameron shared an emotional embrace. Later, Finn and Dameron discussed the possibility of Sidious's return, concluding that even if he did, it would not be for a considerable time.

An artist, possibly the Ithorian Gammit Chond, depicted Finn, alongside other significant figures in galactic history, and his contributions during the search for Luke Skywalker in a collection of planetary maps. The Graf Archive published these maps, including images of Finn and descriptions of his actions, long after the conflict with the First Order.

Finn was a male human. During his tenure with the First Order, he donned the standard stormtrooper armor. After his desertion, he discarded the armor but continued to wear the armor's body glove and boots, and adopted Poe Dameron's jacket as a memento. Upon learning that Dameron was alive, Finn offered to return the jacket, but the pilot insisted he keep it.

During his time with the First Order, Finn was regarded by his training cadre and fellow soldiers as one of the most promising stormtroopers. His instructors considered him loyal, dutiful, brave, intelligent, and possessing the necessary strength to become a great stormtrooper and potentially an officer. Finn was indoctrinated to believe that the New Republic was corrupt and that the First Order was essential to establish order in a chaotic galaxy. His perception of the galaxy was shaped by his training, with the First Order presenting only what they wanted him to see, which he initially accepted without question. Although he was eager to be deployed and serve the First Order and Supreme Leader Snoke, he was troubled by doubts. His faith in the First Order was significantly shaken after his squad's execution of miners on Pressy's Tumble. His doubts culminated on Jakku, where he witnessed the death of his friend FN-2003 at the hands of Poe Dameron and refused to fire on unarmed villagers. This shattered his belief in the First Order, motivating him to desert, liberate Dameron, and ultimately assist Rey and BB-8, siding with the Resistance.

At his core, Finn was an inherently righteous, compassionate, and empathetic individual, despite his upbringing. He was protective of others, even risking a training mission to save FN-2003. This empathy extended to strangers; he intervened to help Rey when he saw Unkar Plutt's thugs attacking her, stopping only when he realized she could handle them herself. He was assertive and unafraid to defend himself, telling Maz Kanata that she had no right to judge him.

Poe and Rey were the most important friends in Finn's life. As his first genuine friends, he developed an enduring bond with each of them. Finn assisted Poe in escaping the First Order as his first act of defection, and Poe gave him his new name. Finn developed a deep trust and care for Poe, and they proved to be excellent partners. After their crash on Jakku, Finn was relieved to find that Poe had survived, and they embraced.

While infiltrating the First Order's Star Destroyer to rescue Chewbacca, Finn immediately ceased firing at stormtroopers in the corridors out of concern for Poe after he was shot in the crossfire, checking to see if he was alright, which led to their capture. Similarly, Finn formed a strong bond with Rey, and they trusted each other implicitly. His plan to infiltrate Starkiller Base was motivated by his desire to rescue Rey, and upon awakening from his coma, he immediately called out her name and inquired about her well-being to Poe.

He remained concerned for her until they were reunited on Crait, embracing her tightly upon their reunion. Finn was also able to sense her death and subsequent revival through the Force because of their bond. After the war against the First Order ended, Finn reunited with his two best friends and embraced them tightly as they celebrated the Resistance's victory.

Having endured a lifetime of abuse at their hands, Finn feared returning to the First Order after his desertion. He was hesitant to join the Resistance, believing it to be a lost cause that would soon be destroyed by the First Order. He initially intended to escape to the Outer Rim and disappear, which he nearly accomplished at Kanata's castle on Takodana. However, his conscience prevailed after witnessing the destruction of the Hosnian System, inspiring him to join the subsequent battle against the First Order.

Finn demonstrated courage in battle. Despite witnessing Kylo Ren's power repeatedly, he was willing to fight him to save Rey. He immediately confronted Phasma when he and Rose encountered her contingent of Stormtroopers aboard the Supremacy's hangar, using the first weapon he could find, a Z6 Riot Control Baton. Once committed to the cause, he was willing to fight and die for the Resistance without regard for his own life, preferring death to a First Order victory.

By the time of the Battle of Exegol, Finn had evolved into a calm, confident, and fully committed member of the Resistance, dedicated to eradicating the First Order. He displayed level-headedness, often mediating between the more impulsive Rey and Dameron. Finn remained the only one of his friends who was unshaken in the face of the Final Order. He had complete faith in the Resistance and General Leia Organa.

As a stormtrooper, Finn consistently achieved top scores in his training and was considered a potential officer. His First Order training made him a skilled marksman with a high kill rate.

This skill with blasters translated into proficiency as a gunner. During the escape from the Finalizer aboard a stolen TIE, Finn eliminated numerous stormtroopers, destroyed the contents of the Finalizer's hangar bay, disabled several turbolaser batteries and ventral cannons, and even destroyed an incoming missile despite having no prior experience piloting starfighters. It was only Finn's distraction due to an argument with Poe Dameron that led to the stolen TIE being struck by a missile and disabled. The following day, Finn manned the ventral quad-laser cannon turret aboard the Millennium Falcon during the escape from Jakku, destroying one TIE on his own and another with Rey's assistance. His shooting proved valuable in vehicular combat as he fired at pursuing First Order snowspeeders on Starkiller Base while Rey drove a stolen snowspeeder. He further demonstrated his marksmanship against TIE fighters while escaping the Sinta Glacier Colony with Dameron and Chewbacca.

Finn was capable of piloting ships when necessary but doubted his abilities and preferred operating as a gunner. Additionally, he piloted a ski speeder during the Battle of Crait.

Finn's stormtrooper training included melee combat, in which he also excelled. This likely contributed to his skill with a lightsaber, despite a lack of formal training. He held his own against a stormtrooper with a riot baton and, despite being defeated, inflicted a shoulder wound on the more experienced Kylo Ren.

Aboard the Supremacy, Finn tested his skills against his former superior officer, Captain Phasma. However, it wasn't enough in a straight fight; he only managed to knock her down with the element of surprise and the high ground.

Finn demonstrated excellent leadership and teamworking skills throughout his time with the Resistance. On the Millennium Falcon, Rey noted how effective Finn, her, Han, and Chewbacca were as a team. Later, Finn helped lead operations and rally Resistance troops with inspiring words on multiple occasions. When Dameron became General of the Resistance, he promoted Finn to General as well, stating that he could not lead without him.

Like other First Order stormtroopers, Finn was trained in treating battlefield wounds. He utilized this training to assist a wounded Chewbacca.

Before his defection from the First Order, Finn was considered officer material.

Though untrained, Finn was Force-sensitive, which contributed to his defection from the First Order. By the time of the Battle of Exegol, Finn could sense people and objects with the Force; he sensed Kylo Ren's presence on Pasaana and later knew the location of the Final Order's navigational signal based on "a feeling." He also felt Rey's death and reached out to her with the Force to try to help her return.

Finn is played by John Boyega in Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, Episode VIII The Last Jedi, and Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker. Boyega's casting was announced on April 29, 2014, and his character was revealed in the first teaser trailer for The Force Awakens on November 28, 2014. His first name was revealed by Entertainment Weekly in an exclusive digital trading card. The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams stated that it was "completely intentional" that the character had no last name, with the film explaining that "Finn" was a name given to him after he deserted the stormtrooper ranks. During pre-production, Abrams used the placeholder name "Harry" until they decided on "Sam," which was eventually changed to Finn.

The writers of Episode VII decided to make Finn a deserting stormtrooper because Lawrence Kasdan thought it would be "incredible" to have their protagonist come from a group of previously "faceless, indistinguishable automatons." Co-writer Michael Arndt recalled that Kasdan blurted out his idea when they were struggling to find a unique background for their male lead.

Boyega, who Abrams described as one of the biggest Star Wars fans in the cast, auditioned nine times for the role. Unlike his costar Daisy Ridley, Boyega used an American accent because Abrams felt his London accent was not right for the role, and it was only by switching his accent that Boyega was able to get more auditions. Boyega said he sees Finn as the audience's surrogate, explaining, "During the auditions I found that my niche for this character was definitely in the more humor and fear. So he just represents us in the film — just finally having a Star Wars character that goes, 'This is really dangerous.' Finn is a part of myself, just magnified a tad." He also feels Rey is the lead who is stressed by her journey, while Finn is the one having fun.

In The Rise of Skywalker, Finn starts to tell Rey something before they are swallowed by quicksand and then declines to mention it again. Co-writer Chris Terrio said, "There are some people who read it as Finn having feelings for Rey; there are some who read it as Finn trying to make that Force-related confession [that he's Force-sensitive]." Boyega himself seemed to have the latter interpretation, tweeting, "No… Finn wasn't going to say I love you before sinking!"

Terrio elaborated, "What's undeniable is that in the middle of the battle [on Exegol], when the source of the navigation signal is changed, Finn has a very strong sense of where it is, and that's knowledge he couldn't really have unless he was using the Force. So, the story is certainly pointing that way, and then, in the moment of Rey's death… I shouldn't use the word death because death is a complicated word there… But in the moment — it's not a death per se — when the life is going out of Rey, Finn can feel her and her last breaths. He stops and feels Rey. Chewie and Jannah don't understand it as they're in the frame behind him. When Rey is breathing what seemed to be her last breaths and almost all of the life is drained out of her, Finn can feel it." He also said the development was meant to reinforce The Last Jedi's theme that "you don't have to be a Skywalker or a Palpatine in order to be strong with the Force."

According to The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, storylines considered for Finn included reuniting with a long-lost sibling during an intelligence gathering mission.

After the sequel trilogy ended, Boyega gave an interview in 2020 in which he criticized how his character was treated, believing Finn had been pushed in marketing for a role he was not given. As a black actor, he felt insulted by the difference in how Finn was marketed and how the character was used in the story. In 2023, Boyega gave another interview in which he touched on his Star Wars experience, saying that the "good" and "ugly" times both shaped him into who he was as he moved throughout the industry. He stated he had become "comfortable" with the character's end point in The Rise of Skywalker, stating "I feel like the arc that JJ tried to tie up, that's where I feel comfortable with the release of him." He also confirmed that, since The Rise of Skywalker, he had been able to enjoy further Star Wars releases, such as The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi, as a fan.