[tps_header][/tps_header]5. A Stormtrooper’s perspective.
The Star Wars franchise has always been pretty one-sided. In the original trilogy, the Jedi and Rebellion are good and the Sith and Empire are “bad guys”. Every Stormtrooper is faceless and mindless. They invade planets, murder Luke’s family, shoot Ewoks and attack our heroes . A New Hope never shows the perspective of, say, a soldier being ordered to shoot innocents, but I know a film that does…
It’s Force Awakens! – which gives us Finn! Or “FN-2187”, as he is originally branded. His story is that of slavery to the First Order – he was stolen from his family at birth. We see FN’s nerves spike when his friend is KIA in the film’s opening raid on Jakku. Then the dying soldier streaks blood onto FN’s helmet (the first blood ever shown on a Stormtrooper in Star Wars!) The following shot of the Stormtroopers lining up to kill unarmed villagers is haunting, especially as FN can’t bring himself to do it.
What follows with his escape! He befriends Poe Dameron, who gives him a spiffy jacket, an identity with the name “Finn” and a new search for his purpose. And BAM – we have our first (and quite awesome) Stormtrooper character in Star Wars.
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