1) Finn
I very nearly put Poe Dameron here, but if I’m right about Han dying and the fact that Luke is now going to be more Jedi Master than Rebel pilot, this new trilogy is going to need someone to fill that role, and Poe obviously fits the bill. Having Finn die would be a crushing loss to this franchise as John Boyega is such an amazing talent, but the signs are definitely pointing to him quite possibly not reaching Episode VIII.
For starters, he’s a member of The First Order when we first meet him. While he clearly sees the error of his ways at some point, Finn is probably someone who has done a lot of bad things, so there’s a chance he doesn’t actually deserve to go on and live happily ever after as a hero. Instead, it might just be enough that he redeems himself here by sacrificing himself in order to save Rey and the rest of the Resistance.
Despite the fact that Finn is the one who has been shown with the lightsaber so far, the popular theory is that Rey is actually the Jedi. Even if Finn does have the makings of a Jedi, there’s no reason to believe he should be able to hold his own while battling Kylo Ren (who has been part of that mysterious group of Knights and seemingly been under the tutelage of Supreme Leader Snoke), hence why it makes sense that he’s the one Rey is crying over in the trailer.
Removing Finn from the equation would allow Rey to take centre stage in Episode VIII and beyond – a female lead in a Star Wars movie; at last! – and seems the most likely outcome.
