So the new "Star Wars" movie has been out for a while now, and since we’ve all seen it, I think it is safe to talk about who our favorite character is out of all the new ones that have been introduced. If you haven’t seen "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" yet, then first off, what’s wrong with you? It’s an amazing movie and it’s the only movie that came out this Christmas that you should have bothered seeing! If you haven’t seen it yet, then you should STOP READING NOW, because this article will contain SPOILERS for the plot. So if you haven’t seen it, close your computer now and head to your nearest movie theater.
Poe Dameron
Poe is unfortunately ranked last on this list because he has the least amount of backstory and not a lot of screen time. It is not because he isn’t interesting, quite the opposite, but compared to the other new characters, he really doesn’t have a lot of story around him other than the fact that he is the best pilot in The Resistance. But one thing that is great about his character is the humor that he sees in the intense moments. He knows just the right thing to say to add some comic relief to the situation. Consider when he gets captured by the First Order and is taken face to face with Kylo Ren, and he asks “How does this work? Do I talk first? Do you talk first?” Most people would just give the bad guys an evil scowl when captured. He is also the owner of the best droid in the series, BB-8, which puts him in a huge lead over the other characters.
Kylo Ren and Finn
So these two characters are tied for second because both are equally interesting in their own way. Kylo Ren is essentially the new Darth Vader of these movies, and Finn is the new Han Solo. You'd think that Finn is the new Luke Skywalker, but we actually learn that that will be a different character. Finn is probably placed a little more toward the bottom of the tie, because his character backstory is not as intriguing as Kylo’s. Finn was an orphan taken from his family and raised to be a Stormtrooper. He has a very interesting character arc in this movie, and it will be very interesting to see how he develops as a character throughout the series. But in terms of his past, we basically know that he will most likely never meet his family.
Kylo Ren, on the other hand, is the new Dark Side Jedi and is the son of Han Solo and Princess (oh, I mean General) Leia. He feels the pull to the light but refuses to join it and rather fights for the Dark Side. He chooses to follow the footsteps of his grandfather, Darth Vader, and he is put to the test when he has to kill his own father. Which he does, and it's quite frankly unforgivable. No one kills Han Solo! It will be exciting though to see if he will be a redeemable character in the end like Darth Vader was. Darth Vader saved Luke in the end, but maybe Kylo will stay on the Dark Side to complete Vader’s mission, since he sees the light as weakness.
Rey
Rey is hands down the most interesting character and most exciting to see introduced in this new series. She is a scavenger on Jakku when we first see her, but she becomes much more important when we finish the movie. She becomes the first female Jedi of the franchise, and if not the first, then the first well-written female Jedi who actually has lines! She was abandoned on Jakku by her parents and was surviving there until she meets Finn and discovers her destiny of taking up Luke’s lightsaber. She’s a character who doesn’t just assist the male characters of the movie and is not just there to be their love interest. Her skills as a pilot make her somebody worthy to be the new pilot of the Millennium Falcon. Not only is she an excellent pilot, but she can hold her own in a fight, as demonstrated by her ability to defend herself on Jakku, saving herself from the First Order’s captivity, and defeating Kylo Ren in a lightsaber fight.
However, we do have quite a few questions about her and her past. Like, who were her parents? How is she connected to the Force? And why was she abandoned on Jakku? But even more exciting are the questions about her future. (Again, if you haven’t seen the movie yet, why have you read this far? But also, stop right now, because I am literally summarizing the ending here!) We last see Rey with Luke on a remote island, so is it logical for us to assume that she is going to be training with him and become the “new hope?" How will she defeat the First Order? And will we ever find out who her parents are and why they left her on Jakku?
Now, before people start getting upset about this list, this is just my opinion about who are the most interesting characters. There are others that I didn’t even mention, but I decided to focus on the four that are the most heavily featured in the movie. No offense to General Hux and Supreme Leader Snoke, they just don’t have a lot of screen time and by default are less interesting. There was a lot of hype and excitement around this movie, and I think we can all agree it lived up to the anticipation. There's really just one more question; when can we see the next one?
