Fans were thrilled to see the Skywalker Saga return with the sequel trilogy, but that excitement quickly turned to frustration in some circles. The Star Wars fan base is so massive that it’s impossible to please everyone, but the sequels proved to be especially polarizing. For various reasons, viewers took issue with creative decisions in each installment, and some have spent the years since theorizing how the movies could have been improved. Even the people who made the sequels didn’t agree with all of the storytelling decisions. John Boyega, who played Finn in the three sequels, has pitched his changes that might have fixed the trilogy.
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During an appearance at Florida Supercon 2025 (via Popverse), Boyega laid out how the sequels would have been different if he was in charge. “First of all, we’re not getting rid of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, all these people. We’re not doing that. The first thing we’re going to do is fulfill their story, fulfill their legacy. We’re going to make a good moment of handing on the baton,” he said. “Our new characters will not be OP’d in these movies. They won’t just grab stuff and know what to do with it. No. You’ve got to struggle like every other character in this franchise. I’d do that.”
He continued, “I’d look to the Old Republic stories and see what we can add to the continuation of that. I would definitely want to see Force Unleashed stories in there. I would try to expand the Star Wars universe as much as possible while respecting the lore. If we’re expanding the lore, we have to do it in within the respective boundaries that stay true. But Luke Skywalker wouldn’t be disappearing on a rock. Hell no. Standing there and he’s, like, a projector? I would want to give those characters way more way more.”
Would John Boyega’s Changes Make the Sequel Trilogy Better?
Keeping the legacy characters alive is perhaps the most significant change Boyega is suggesting. Each installment killed off Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Leia Organa one by one, so reversing that would have had a major impact on the stories. Whether or not that would have been for the best is up for debate. As fun as it would have been to see the original trilogy trio together embarking on adventures again, keeping the unit around for all three films could have drawn attention away from the younger characters. During development on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, original screenwriter Michael Arndt tried to give Luke a bigger role, but found that he overshadowed the new faces. That was why The Force Awakens became about finding Luke. It was easier to keep the focus on the young characters if just one legacy character had a main supporting role. The Force Awakens became Han’s movie.
It’s understandable why Boyega would want to keep the legacy characters alive, giving their stories a happier ending, but a case can be made that their deaths played a meaningful role in the story and weren’t done for just a cheap reaction. Han’s death was a turning point in Kylo Ren’s arc. Luke sacrificed himself to save the Resistance and inspire the galaxy. Leia used what was left of her strength to reach out to her son and bring him back to the light. Without knowing more about Boyega’s plan to set up a passing of the torch situation, it’s hard to say if it would be “better.” It was sad to see the original trilogy heroes pass on, but they still left behind a legacy. Carrie Fisher’s tragic death also put the filmmakers in a difficult spot during Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Boyega’s desire for new characters to not be overpowered feels like a response to the “Rey is a Mary Sue” critique that gained traction after The Force Awakens premiered. Some people took issue with Rey deftly demonstrating skills, such as holding her own with a lightsaber and piloting the Millennium Falcon, though other viewers have argued there are plausible explanations for Rey’s abilities within the text of the film. This is somewhat shakier ground; after all, Luke used the Force to destroy the Death Star in Star Wars: A New Hope, so the franchise has always featured protagonists who quickly tap into the Force. There isn’t really anything in the films to suggest Rey, Kylo Ren, or anyone else is “overpowered” — they’re just strong with the Force. Rey struggled in her own ways, particularly emotionally, as she grappled with her parents abandoning her and naively believed she could turn Kylo Ren back to the light.
Boyega’s comments will surely spark another wave of fan discussion, but one thing that’s clear is he’s passionate about the franchise. It’s unknown if he will ever reprise Finn in a future movie, but if he does return, perhaps he’ll suggest pulling from some Old Republic or Force Unleashed deep cuts to flesh out the lore and mythology. There perhaps could be a role for Boyega in the in-development Star Wars: New Jedi Order, which revolves around Rey’s mission to rebuild the Jedi Order years after The Rise of Skywalker. Lucasfilm has drawn from Legends before, so there’s no reason why they can’t tap into some of those materials.
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image courtesy of 20th Century Studios
