‘Star Wars’ fans refuse to be satisfied with celebrations until John Boyega gets his due

It is a big day for Star Wars fans. 

The annual Star Wars Celebration kicked off with the news of three upcoming films spanning three different eras directed by three different filmmakers; one of them will take place 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker’s events and will see Daisy Ridley’s return as Rey. Mingled with the overall excitement for the film is a bag of mixed opinions, but the real elephant in the room is John Boyega’s character Finn. 

It’s no secret that Boyega’s Finn was notoriously cast to the side after The Force Awakens and completely sidelined in The Rise of Skywalker. His storyline was a harvesting ground of potential, but unfortunately, Disney was not willing to pick the fruits of Boyega’s labor. The same can’t be said of the fans. 

Ridley’s return prompted legions of fans to congregate on Twitter to express not just the desire for Boyega’s return, but the necessity, if only to right the wrongs his character shamefully experienced at Disney’s hands. 

Wishful thinking can only take you so far, though. Virtually every fan agrees Finn’s storyline was mistreated, and should Boyega decide not to return, it wouldn’t only be understood, it’d also be merited.

Still, there’s hope. Even if Boyega just makes a cameo.

At the end of the day, amidst the hope, excitement, and potential, the underlying sentiment appears to be one of resignation.

Boyega has spoken at large about his feelings toward Disney’s treatment of him and his character. In 2020, he slammed the studio in a GQ interview for bringing on a Black character, heavily marketing him “to be much more important in the franchise than they are, and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”

To this day, Boyega remains a huge Star Wars fan, but after everything he went through he’s said it’s “almost nicer not having to be in it, and not having to deal with that.” That doesn’t necessarily put the nail in the coffin, but it does make the prospect of his return all the more unlikely. Still, there’s an opportunity here for Disney to right its wrong. Now it’s only a question of whether it will rise to the occasion.