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* HeartbeatSoundtrack: Rey's Force rumble is a heartbeat, in contrast to Kylo Ren's feline growl.
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* HeartbeatSoundtrack: Rey's signature Force rumble sound is a heartbeat, in contrast to Kylo Ren's feline growl.
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* HeartbeatSoundtrack: Rey's Force rumble is a heartbeat, in contrast to Kylo Ren's feline growl.
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* {{Tomboy}}: Especially when compared to the previous female leads. Rey [[RealWomenDontWearDresses never wear dresses]], she has a [[ContraltoOfDanger deep voice]], her hairstyle is a stylized [[BraidsOfAction braid]] that is practical for combat, her face is described as [[UnkemptBeauty "grimy"]] in the novelization, she is very interested in [[WrenchWrench mechanics]] and [[AcePilot piloting]], and she's also very good with [[GamerChick flight simulators]]. On top of that, she is also able to defend herself pretty well and [[ActionGirl kick ass]].
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* {{Tomboy}}: Especially when compared to the previous female leads. Rey [[RealWomenDontWearDresses never wear dresses]], she has a [[ContraltoOfDanger deep voice]], her hairstyle is a stylized [[BraidsOfAction braid]] that is practical for combat, her face is described as [[UnkemptBeauty "grimy"]] in the novelization, she is very interested in [[WrenchWrench [[WrenchWench mechanics]] and [[AcePilot piloting]], and she's also very good with [[GamerChick flight simulators]]. On top of that, she is also able to defend herself pretty well and [[ActionGirl kick ass]].
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* {{Tomboy}}: Especially when compared to the previous female leads. Rey [[RealWomenDontWearDresses never wear dresses]], she has a [[ContraltoOfDanger deep voice]], her hairstyle is a stylized [[BraidsOfAction braid]] that is practical for combat, her face is described as [[UnkemptBeauty "grimy"]] in the novelization, she is very interested in [[WrenchWrench mechanics]] and [[AcePilot piloting]], and she's also very good with [[GamerChick flight simulators]]. On top of that, she is also able to defend herself pretty well and [[ActionGirl kick ass]].
* TookALevelInBadass: As she uncovers her potential in the Force, she goes from tough scavenger to self-taught beginner Jedi.
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* TookALevelInBadass: As she uncovers her potential in the Force, she goes from tough scavenger to self-taught beginner Jedi.
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* HairstyleInertia: She's shown to have her trademark three buns in a flashback as a child of five.
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* HairstyleInertia: She's shown to have her trademark three buns in a flashback as a child of five. In ''Rey's Survival Guide'' it's explained that she keeps the same hair hoping that her familly will recognize her after decades.
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* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: She is this to Kylo Ren. After Kylo's MindProbe backfires and Rey learns Force techniques from his mind, she is able to pull them off with much more success and damage, even defeating him on a lightsaber duel without previous experience.
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* WorthyOpponent: To Kylo Ren. In their final duel, [[spoiler: he's impressed by her power and instead of killing her while he had the upper hand, he asked to be her teacher.]]
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* BadassBystander: Despite being TheHero, she starts the movie as this. Finn tries to save her from an attack and is suprised when she's able to fight back and kick ass.
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* {{Leitmotif}}: Rey's fairytale motif is present in all the main themes of ''The Force Awakens''.
* LightIsGood: Rey is one of the nicest characters of the saga, and constantly associated with the Light side. Her name can be interpreted as "ray of light", she always wears white-ish clothes and Maz Kanata tells she has "the light" within her.
* LightIsGood: Rey is one of the nicest characters of the saga, and constantly associated with the Light side. Her name can be interpreted as "ray of light", she always wears white-ish clothes and Maz Kanata tells she has "the light" within her.
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* UnkemptBeauty: In the novelization, Rey is described as a beautiful young woman even with a "grimy" face.
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* UnkemptBeauty: In the novelization, Rey is described as a beautiful young woman even with a "grimy" face.
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* UnkemptBeauty: In the novelization, Rey is described as a beautiful young woman even with a "grimy" face.
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* OnlyTheChosenMayWield: Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber calls for her [[spoiler: ''twice'', even when Kylo Ren, Anakin's grandson, is trying to summon it.]]
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* TheBerserker: When fighting Kylo Ren in the climax, she goes from scared to vicious. In the novelization, Kylo Ren is surprised by her raw power and aggressive behavior. [[spoiler: Rey is so involved in the combat that the only thing that stops her from killing Kylo Ren is the floor opening between them.]]
* HiddenDepths: At first sight, she's just a humble person from a junkyard planet and constantly dismissed as "the girl" or "the scavenger". As the story goes on, [[spoiler: it becomes apparent that she is a powerful Force sensitive who is able to defeat TheDreaded Kylo Ren twice.]]
* ImprobablePilotingSkills: Rey is able to do pretty bold acrobacies with the ''Millennium Falcon'' even without formal training.
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* WhenSheSmiles: Every time she geeks out, [[MeaningfulName Rey]] figuratively lights up the room.
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* WhenSheSmiles: Every time she geeks out, [[MeaningfulName Rey]] figuratively lights up the room. In the novelization, even Han Solo mentions her smile.
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* JabbaTableManners: Rey eats her food the same way you'd expect any person who spends most of their time eating alone to -- chewing with her mouth open, eating with her hands.
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* SecretLegacy: After Rey's harrowing Force Vision, Maz implies the "family" that she has been seeking is in fact Luke Skywalker, which comes as a complete surprise to Rey. Whether this is due to her Force abilities making her an obvious fit for the Jedi or an actual blood relation is left ambiguous.
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* {{Shorttank}}: She appears very tomboyish yet still feminine.
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* SecretLegacy: After Rey's harrowing Force Vision, Maz implies the "family" that she has been seeking is in fact Luke Skywalker, which comes as a complete surprise to Rey. Whether this is due to her Force abilities making her an obvious fit for the Jedi or an actual blood relation is left ambiguous.
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* MinorLivingAlone: Rey is around nineteen, and survived alone on Jakku since she was a child.
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* MeditationPowerup: Rey briefly meditates during her duel with Kylo Ren, which allows her to turn the tide of the battle and win.
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* JabbaTableManners: Rey eats her food the same way you'd expect any person who spends most of their time eating alone to -- chewing with her mouth open, eating with her hands.
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* HiddenDepths: Finn (then FN-2187) is first introduced as a run-of-the-mill Stormtrooper, but is quickly revealed to be a good person who wants nothing to do with serving as the First Order's tool.
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From Nobody To Nightmare is about villain, while Rey is a hero.
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* FromNobodyToNightmare: Much like her two predecessors, she starts ''very'' small, going from an abandoned child, to scavenger to heroine and potential ChosenOne.
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* FromNobodyToNightmare: Much like FriendlessBackground: Rey was alone on Jakku for over a decade, and appeared to spend most of her two predecessors, time scavenging the wrecks old ships. Based on her initial reaction to having her hand grabbed by Finn, she starts ''very'' small, going from an abandoned child, was not used to scavenger to heroine and potential ChosenOne. being touched either.
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* DeadpanSnarker: Finn has some lines humorously pointing out the sheer absurdity of what's going on around him.
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* CripplingOverspecialization: He only received training to be a stormtrooper, which means he only knows how to handle blasters.
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* CripplingOverspecialization: He only received training As Finn lampshades, he was trained from birth to do exactly one thing: be a stormtrooper, Stormtrooper, which means he only knows point and shoot a blaster. He doesn't know how to handle blasters.pilot any vehicles (not even his own faction's TIE Fighters), he has no mechanical skill (he doesn't even know how to identify proper tools), and he has little if any melee combat training. When he is stuck with a melee weapon, he ''does'' bravely try to defend himself with it, but is always over-matched, and always searches for a blaster to switch to at the first opportunity. Once he manages to take a blaster rifle from a dead Stormtrooper, he's a ''very'' effective marksman with it (being the first major case of a Stormtrooper actually averting the ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy). In addition, being raised from birth as a child soldier, he has only the vaguest of knowledge about the overall galactic political situation. This is underscored by his [[{{Foil}} teamwork with Rey]], as marksmanship is one of the few things she ''isn't'' highly skilled at, otherwise being a jane-of-all-trades. She's been a scavenger for her whole life so she knows machine parts and how to repair them, she's a naturally skilled pilot (Finn doesn't even know which control panel does what), and from holding her own against street toughs on Jakku she's a good melee fighter. She doesn't have much experience with guns, though.
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* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: Like Han, Finn has a dark past, is on the run from vengeful bad guys, and initially is more interested in saving his own hide than helping the greater good. But unlike Han, who was always a self-serving loner, Finn spent his life in zealous devotion to a cause (also, he has moral compunctions about shooting first...).
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* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: Like Leia, Poe is a critical rebel agent whose capture is the inciting incident of the story, and whose rescue brings Finn into the conflict. But whereas Leia was a double agent, posing as an Imperial politician, Poe is already famous even among the bad guys as a daring Resistance hero.
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* CompositeCharacter: Rey has features of Luke, Leia, and Han. From Luke she gets her poor, desert-dweller upbringing and her special destiny and Force powers. And his lightsaber. From Leia, she gets a somewhat forceful, standoffish personality and her identity as an assured, self-reliant woman - and is the woman of the trio. From Han, she gets her AcePilot skills (although Luke is no slouch in that department either, her piloting is specifically contrasted to Han's), some snark, mechanical skills, [[spoiler: and the Millennium Falcon.]]
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* AcePilot: Rey. She gets into the pilot's seat of the ''Millennium Falcon,'' a vessel which needs a co-pilot at the ''best'' of times and manages to fly it well enough not only to escape two TIE Fighters, but to enable Finn, with a broken gun, to shoot the last one out of the sky. And this is when, by her own admission, she's never flown a ship offworld.
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->'''Appears in:''' ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' | ''[[Film/TheLastJedi]]'' | Episode IX
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->'''Appears in:''' ''Before the Awakening'' | ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsPoeDameron Poe Dameron]]'' | ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' | ''[[Film/TheLastJedi]]''
''Film/TheLastJedi''
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->'''Appears in:''' ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' | ''[[Film/StarWars8 The Last Jedi]]'' | Episode IX
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->'''Appears in:''' ''Before the Awakening'' | ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsPoeDameron Poe Dameron]]'' | ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' | ''[[Film/StarWars8 The Last Jedi]]''
''[[Film/TheLastJedi]]''
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->'''Appears in:''' ''Before the Awakening'' | ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsPoeDameron Poe Dameron]]'' | ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' | [[Film/StarWars8 ''[[Film/StarWars8 The Last Jedi]]
Jedi]]''
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->'''Appears in:''' ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' | [[Film/StarWars8 Episode VIII]] | Episode IX
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->'''Appears in:''' ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' | [[Film/StarWars8 Episode VIII]] The Last Jedi]] | Episode IX
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->'''Appears in:''' ''Before the Awakening'' | ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsPoeDameron Poe Dameron]]'' | ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' | [[Film/StarWars8 Episode VIII]]
The Last Jedi]]
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%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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%% Please list all movies by their full titles instead of "Episode #".
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!All spoilers regarding the Prequel Trilogy, the Original Trilogy, and ''The Clone Wars'' are unmarked. Examples relating to Disney's EU and the new movies can be spoiler-tagged if deemed necessary.
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Tropes specifically applying to the characters based on their appearances in the ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' can be found '''[[Characters/StarWarsTheatricalLegends here]]'''.
To return to the Character page for ''Franchise/StarWars'', go '''[[Characters/StarWars here]]'''.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[header:Heroes of the Resistance]]
[[folder:Rey]]
!!Rey
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rey_sw.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I know all about waiting."'']]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/DaisyRidley, Cailey Fleming (young)
->'''Appears in:''' ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' | [[Film/StarWars8 Episode VIII]] | Episode IX
-->''"I think I can handle myself."''
A self-sufficient scavenger on Jakku, who is something of a loner before meeting BB-8 and Finn.
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* TheAce: Expert survivor, gifted mechanic and pilot, and skilled melee fighter. The latter eventually translates into Rey felling (an admittedly heavily wounded) Kylo Ren in a one-on-one lightsaber duel.
* ActionGirl: Rey utilizes her staff as a weapon in a style similar to the real-world martial art of bōjutsu. She is also the best melee fighter of the three new protagonists. Then she's revealed to be Force-sensitive and quickly picks up how to use it, culminating in her using Luke's lightsaber to best Kylo Ren in a desperate duel.
* {{Adorkable}}:
** One of the first things we see her do is eat her dinner while wearing an old Rebel pilot's helmet.
** She displays barely contained childish glee when she tells Han that she bypassed the compressor to fix the ''Falcon''.
* AnywhereButTheirLips: She kisses the comatose Finn on the forehead as a gesture of farewell. In the novel, she is described as kissing him, but it doesn't specify ''where''.
* AscendedFangirl: She's a fan of the main characters from the original trilogy, Luke in particular. To her, they are legends. She gradually meets them in her first appearance. Her most favorite is even implied to be her new mentor. Having Han offer her a job serving on the ''Falcon'' within a day of teaming up with him and Chewie makes her light up.
* BadassAdorable: Cute as a kitten and tough enough to single-handedly take down ''both'' of Unkar Plutt's thugs in close combat, and that's ''before'' her Force potential awakens. And much like Luke, she is an endearingly childlike dork with a kind heart and an insatiable lust for adventure.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Rey is the only main character in ''The Force Awakens'' not to suffer any serious injuries or show visible wounds.
* BeneathTheMask: Rey keeps up a somewhat stoic demeanor and insists that her family is coming back for her, but, as her interactions with Maz Kanata and Kylo Ren reveal, she suffers from terrible loneliness and knows, deep down, that her family is never coming back to Jakku.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Case in point, she leaves a nasty scar on Ren's face after the latter severely injures Finn]].
* BigEater: Finn can only marvel at the amount she eats at Maz Kanata's castle in the novelisation. Not surprising considering she's been used to barely eating all her life.
* BrainyBrunette: Not so much in the manner of books this trope implies, but Rey's quite handy with mechanics. Kinda of required given her means of survival was searching crashed starfighters for vital parts to sell for food.
* BreakoutCharacter: The advertising for ''The Force Awakens'' played up Finn as the hero of the film and the actual film mostly seems to revolve around him, but it's ultimately Rey who turns out to be the true protagonist of the Sequel Trilogy and is becoming an iconic face of the ''Star Wars'' franchise in her own right alongside the ranks of Luke, Han, and Leia themselves. Following the release of ''The Force Awakens'', she's no longer secondary to Finn in the public's eyes, whether it's an advertisement for Star Wars Celebration or the LEGO adaptation of the film.
* BrokenBird:
** Being an abandoned child made her one. Despite her naïve optimism, she clearly has abandonment issues, judging by the look on her face when Finn announces his plan to leave and the vision it triggers.
** Despite being exceptionally proud of having fixed the ''Falcon'', when Han gives her a non-response, her glee turns on a dime to almost abject disappointment.
* CharacterDevelopment: She starts out as a loner intent on waiting for her family to come back, and she maintains this mindset in insisting she has to go back to Jakku once she helps BB-8 complete his mission. Even after Maz Kanata flat-out tells her that whoever left her on Jakku is never coming back and she has to go forward, she refuses to accept it to the point of running away. It takes the discovery of her Force powers to convince her of her destiny and to find Luke, the person she realizes she has to go to.
* ChekhovsSkill: Climbing and scavenging through a crashed Star Destroyer means she knows her way around Imperial / First Order technology / architecture.
* TheChosenOne: Seems to be. Maz Kanata feels a strong force from her when she touches Luke's lightsaber. She is also the one sent to look for Luke himself, presumably to be trained by him, at the end of the first film.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter:
** Unlike the previous female leads Leia and Padme, Rey doesn't have a privileged background, starting out as a poor scavenger on a backwater world.
** Unlike the previous Force-sensitive heroes, Luke and Anakin, Rey doesn't [[JumpedAtTheCall jump at the call]]. In fact, she [[RefusedTheCall rejects it]] until the final act of the movie. Where Luke and Anakin both dreamed of a greater adventure, Rey's greatest hope was for her family to come back for her. She also grew up mostly alone, unlike the two Skywalkers (Luke was raised by his aunt and uncle, and Anakin was brought up by his mother). There's a visual contrast between them as well: Anakin and Luke were both light-haired men, while Rey is a dark haired woman.
* ContraltoOfDanger: Rey has a low-pitched voice and proves herself early on as someone who can take care of herself.
* CoolBike: Her speeder counts as a futuristic variant.
* CoolStarship: [[spoiler:In a sad example, Rey inherits the ''Millennium Falcon'' after Han's death, taking it on her mission to find Luke]].
* CoolSword: She feels the Force calling her towards Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber, and later uses it to fight Kylo Ren.
* CuteBruiser: Don't let her looks fool you. She's more than capable of handling herself in a fight and WILL kick your ass if you mess with her or her friends.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: She was abandoned by her family when she was only a child and has spent her entire life alone, fending for herself.
* DamselOutOfDistress: She uses the JediMindTrick on a stormtrooper in order to free herself from Kylo Ren's clutches. Finn finds out she's one of these when he finds her under attack by a group of thugs on Jakku and rushes in to help her, only for her to soundly beat them all before he can even get there.
* DeadpanSnarker: Not as much as Han Solo, but Rey throws around her fair share of snark. One of her first remarks, in response to BB-8 citing his origins as "classified," is a dry, "Classified, really? Me too. Big secret."
* DisasterScavengers: She lives in a fallen [[WalkingTank AT-AT]] and most of what she owns is scavenged from the wreckage of a great battle between the New Republic and the Empire.
* DistaffCounterpart: To Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy. She starts out as an impoverished orphan on a desert planet, is swept up into the war thanks to an astromech droid she salvages, later discovers her proficiency in the Force, and eventually even ses Luke's old lightsaber and seeks training under a previous-generation Jedi (Luke himself) on a remote planet. By the end of ''Episode VII'', it's clear that she's TheHero of the sequel trilogy, just as Luke was to the original trilogy.
* DudeMagnet: Finn is completely open about his admiration for Rey, and Kylo Ren has a creepy VillainousCrush on her to the point where his master calls him out on it in the novelization.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: She needs rations and could sell BB-8 for a ton of them. She doesn't. Keep in mind, this is a droid she has just met and has no connection to, so the gesture should tell you a lot about [[NiceGirl what kind of person]] she is.
* FallingIntoTheCockpit: Rey proves surprisingly adept at flying the ''Millennium Falcon'' and evading TIE fighters even though by her own admission she has limited piloting experience. She's not quite perfect out of the starting gate though, as she initially has some trouble with handling and tends to scrape the ship along the ground a lot. It is implied that her potential with the Force is part of this, as even she expresses astonishment that she did as well as she did.
* FireForgedFriends: Escaping from stormtroopers in a piece of "garbage" with Finn leads to them becoming quick friends.
* {{Foil}}:
** Rey and Kylo Ren have a number of interesting parallels and contrasts. While he is an infamous enforcer for the First Order who [[spoiler:began as a Jedi student]], she is a seemingly random scavenger who becomes aligned with the Resistance and becomes a Jedi student at the end of ''The Force Awakens''. They both have rather stoic exteriors that give way to strong emotion (glee and sorrow for Rey, rage and angst for Ren), hiding deeper insecurities and fears (Rey has abandonment issues and has lived a very lonely life; Kylo fears never living up to the image of Darth Vader and is tempted by the Light Side). They both [[spoiler:saw Han Solo as a father figure]], but to opposite results: Rey [[spoiler:bonded quickly with Han, and mourned his death]] while Ren [[spoiler:saw Han (his biological father) as a disappointment and, although conflicted before and after the fact, murdered him]]. Ren embraces the Dark Side, while Rey follows the Light, but both struggle with inner Light and Dark. Rey wears white, Ren wears black. They were both [[spoiler:sent away by their families]], are both strong in the Force, and they each [[spoiler:had/will have Luke Skywalker as a teacher in the ways of the Force]]. Even their roles in the story contrast, but are equal in importance; she's TheHero, while he's TheHeavy.
** Taking it to its' almost literal extreme, [[https://player.fm/series/rebel-force-radio-star-wars-podcast/star-wars-oxygen-vol-26-tfa-part-2 The Star Wars Oyxgen podcast]], in their breakdown of the ''The Force Awakens'' soundtrack, noted that when you play the notes in Rey's theme in reverse, you get Kylo's theme.
* FragileSpeedster: She prefers fighting using her agility. She struggles if she's forced to fight using strength. She overcomes this enough in the climax to overpower Kylo Ren in a struggle over their lightsabers.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Much like her two predecessors, she starts ''very'' small, going from an abandoned child, to scavenger to heroine and potential ChosenOne.
* GadgeteerGenius: According to [[AllThereInTheManual supplemental materials]], she built her speeder herself, and deliberately made it top-heavy and difficult to fly so that no one would want to steal it. Plus, she makes a living scavenging ship parts, so she'd naturally have some facility with machines. She even booby-trapped the area surrounding the AT-AT she lives in to keep rival scavengers out.
* GamerGirl: The novelisation of ''The Force Awakens'' claims she spent her free time on Jakku, playing flight simulators on a computer she had salvaged.
* GenderBlenderName: Rey is Spanish for "king" and is a common male name in Spanish speaking countries as well as the United States. Rey sounds like the English male name "Ray", and also coincidentally the Japanese androgynous name "Rei".
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: Inverted. They can adjust, but Rey prefers to fight using her SimpleStaff while Finn prefers to fight using blasters.
* HairstyleInertia: She's shown to have her trademark three buns in a flashback as a child of five.
* HeldGaze: Twice with Kylo Ren. The first time happens when he's forcing himself into her mind and she fights back. The second time happens during their ligthsaber duel, right before Rey taps the Force deliberately.
** Also with Luke Skywalker when she finds him. She holds out his old lightsaber while the two stare into each other's eyes in complete silence, both of them looking on the verge of tears.
* TheHero: After an entire film's worth of [[DecoyProtagonist hero-hopping]], Rey takes up the mantle for real when she awakens her Force powers, takes up the Skywalker [[HeroesPreferSwords family lightsaber,]] and brings down Kylo Ren.
* HeroicBSOD: Understandable, after watching her first real friend "abandon" her, being shown a traumatic Force Vision of loss and death, forced to confront the truth that whoever left her on Jakku is never coming back for her, and encouraged by someone she just met to give herself over to the Force and fight the Dark Side (a frightening thought for someone plagued with doubt, fear, and abandonment issues).
* IAmVeryBritish: Speaks with a Received Pronunciation accent.
* IKnowMortalKombat: According to [[AllThereInTheManual supplemental materials]], most of her pre-movie piloting experience came from a flight simulator she salvaged.
* TheIngenue: She often acts very naïve towards the world around her and can even come across as somewhat childish when interacting with others. It's justified, since she has been more-or-less alone since she was five.
* InstantExpert: She's able to figure out and reverse a MindProbe from Kylo Ren after being exposed to it twice. Subsequently, she's able to manage the JediMindTrick on a Stormtrooper ([[ThirdTimesTheCharm after two failed attempts]]), do a Force pull, and wield a lightsaber with some degree of skill in short order, all without formal training or even time to practice on her own. Even she's shown to be surprised by this, telling Finn after she pulls off the mind trick that he wouldn't believe what she did to escape. [[WordOfGod According to the creators]], the reason she's able to do all of this so quickly is because Kylo Ren's mind probe triggered something inside her brain that gave her a greater understanding of the Force. In the novelization, Kylo Ren is extremely agitated and concerned not only for Rey resisting him, but for the knowledge she had acquired into his mind.
* InternalHomage: Like Anakin and Luke before her, Rey is a major character living a hard-scrabble life on a [[ShiftingSandLand desert]] planet, and has dreams of leaving of her world behind to explore what lies beyond in the galaxy. Like Anakin, she also has a natural talent for technical skills, piloting, and the Force, which makes her something of a GenderFlip.
* JugglingLoadedGuns: Downplayed example, more than once she unthinkingly points a blaster at someone with Han hurriedly pushing the barrel in a non-dangerous direction.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: Rey is astounded when she's told that Luke Skywalker is real, and she's quite bowled over when she realises that the scruffy old man who has captured her ship is legendary smuggler Han Solo, and even more so when she realises that the ship in question is none other than the ''Millennium Falcon''.
* LeParkour: She's very comfortable jumping over large distances and climbing through walls.
* LonerTurnedFriend: Rey's instant connection with Finn is made more poignant by the fact that he might be the first human being to take an active interest in her in nearly a decade.
* MachineEmpathy: She has a feel for the Millenium Falcon's temperamental maintenance needs before she even realizes it's the ''[[LegendaryInTheSequel Falcon]]''. It impresses Han as well, convincing him to give her a job offer as second mate. She also learns the Falcon's flight handling quirks quite quickly after some early mishaps (also caused by a groggy ''Falcon'' that hadn't flown in years).
* {{McNinja}}: In her first appearance, she's mostly dressed like a shinobi and does LeParkour when scavenging.
* MeaningfulName: Rey, as in ray of hope and/or [[LightIsGood light.]]
* MindOverMatter: After Finn is defeated and Kylo Ren tries to claim it for himself, Rey summons Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber to her hand to fight Ren.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: This lean young woman won in a grapple with Kylo Ren in the final moments of their lightsaber duel by forcing her lightsaber into his, destroying it and leaving him defenseless to a rake across the face. In real-life, Daisy Ridley can [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAtNwkhWkfc dead-lift 80 kilos]].
* MysteriousWaif: Rey is a girl abandoned by her parents in a desert planet during her childhood, living in a state of extreme poverty. She also suffers from a serious case of MysteriousPast, where nobody knows about her background and who her parents are. She also displays strong psychic Force powers, unknowingly. In the novelization, Kylo Ren constantly asks who she is, feeling something really odd about Rey and becoming interested in her. Also in the novelization, Also in the novelization, when Kylo Ren tries to MindProbe her deeper, he is unable to progress due to a barrier in her memories.
* MythologyGag: Her home is an AT-AT shell. Player characters in ''VideoGame/StarWarsGalaxies'' could also live in these.
* NeutralFemale: Justified and then subverted. Kylo Ren tosses her into a tree and knocks her out, rendering her unconscious and unable to intervene during his fight with Finn. It's subverted when she gets up after he defeats Finn and takes him on herself.
* NiceGirl: Even as a loner at the beginning, she's kind enough to be willing to rescue a droid she's never met before from a net, keep him rather than sell him for a large profit, and defend him from thieves.
* TheNicknamer: Initially bestows the nickname "Classified" on BB-8 but later starts using his proper name.
* {{Omniglot}}: She knows Droidspeak and at least a few alien languages, a useful skill to have on a ScavengerWorld.
* OnlyOneName: She's only known as "Rey".
* ParentalAbandonment: Rey was left on Jakku by her family when she was five years old, has no idea why, and is still waiting for them to return for her.
-->'''Rey:''' I know all about waiting.\\
'''BB-8:''' [''beeps question'']\\
'''Rey:''' For my family. [''smiles''] They'll be back. One day.
* PossessionImpliesMastery: It only takes her a few shots to become an expert marksman with a pistol she's never used. She's also an instant expert with a lightsaber from the moment she picks it up.
* PowerCopying: Kylo Ren tries to probe her mind, and she blocks him, then reverses it. Then she uses the Jedi Mind Trick. Later in the film, she uses a Force Pull right when Kylo is trying to do the same.
* PsychicBlockDefense: When Kylo Ren probes her mind to find the missing star chart, she manages to block his attempts, and eventually get into ''his'' mind.
* QuestForIdentity: Her lack of family, and her dialogue with Maz suggests this will be her main StoryArc.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Delivers a very curt and devastating one to Kylo Ren in retaliation for his attempt to MindProbe her.
* RecurringElement: Like Anakin and Luke before her, Rey is a Force-sensitive outcast in the desert who joins the heroes in the first film of a trilogy.
* RefusalOfTheCall: It is heavily implied that she's TheChosenOne of the Sequel Trilogy, but she doesn't want to be, preferring to return to Jakku to wait for her family. The horrifying vision she experiences after finding Luke's old lightsaber doesn't help. [[spoiler:It takes seeing Han Solo die at the hands of his own son to finally snap her out of it.]]
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler:Kylo's slaying of Han Solo and severe injuring of Finn]] prompts this--during their fight, Rey is very visibly furious. Then subverted, as she decides to resist the lure of the Dark Side and spare him.
* ScavengerWorld: Rey lives on Jakku, the site of a major battle between the New Republic and the Empire, that left plenty of wreckage for scavengers to live off of.
* SeriesMascot: Following the release of the ''The Force Awakens'' and a well-received role, she's been recognized as the ''true'' protagonist of the Sequel Trilogy and is front and center in most advertisements after the film, which is quite impressive considering the other SeriesMascot is ''Darth Vader himself''.
* SheFu: She prefers using her agility in combat, sometimes incorporating her LeParkour skills.
* ShipTease:
** With Finn. They develop a close friendship in a short span of time, Finn asks her at one point if she has a boyfriend, Rey is heartbroken when he tries to leave, Finn goes deep into enemy territory to rescue her, they reunite with a long embrace, and she kisses him on the forehead in the end while he's in a coma.
** There's also a bit in the novelization with Poe[[note]]They don't actually have any interaction onscreen in the film other than at the end, where Poe gives her a look that could be interpreted as a glare as he and the medics take the unconscious Finn away for treatment[[/note]]:
--->'''Poe:''' Uh, hi. I'm Poe.\\
''She nodded slowly, searching his face and finding she liked it.''\\
'''Rey:''' I recognize the name. So you're Poe. Poe Dameron. The X-wing pilot. I'm Rey.\\
'''Poe:''' I know. Nice to meet you.
* {{Shorttank}}: She appears very tomboyish yet still feminine.
* ShoutOut:
** The character's production name, "Kira", was a nod to Creator/AkiraKurosawa, a major influence on the movies. "Rey" is likewise a nod to the longtime publisher of ''Star Wars'' books, Del Rey. In Sanskrit, Kira (or Kiran) means "beam of light". See MeaningfulName above.
** Rey's introductory scene is very reminiscent of that of fellow ActionGirl Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind.
* ShutUpHannibal: When Kylo Ren is mind probing Rey and starts to read her dreams and feelings aloud, she fights back with ferocity and tells him to get out of her mind. Then she gets into ''his'' head, which shocks him.
-->'''Rey:''' You're afraid... that you will never be as strong as '''Darth Vader!'''
* SimpleStaff: She is proficient in wielding a staff, both for combat and for exploring wrecks of questionable structural integrity.
* SkilledButNaive: A downplayed example as Rey has a broad range of useful skills, is from a rough, backwater place, and has a degree of ignorance of the wider galaxy that this trope usually embodies. However, unlike this trope being played straight, she adapts quickly, doesn't do anything dangerous out of ignorance, doesn't display much social ineptitude, and has some knowledge of outside events (even if they are passed to her as legends/myths).
* SleevesAreForWimps: Her outfit seems to have detached sleeves.
* TheSouthpaw: She can be seen doing many things throughout the film left-handed. She eats with her left hand, she carries her staff in her right hand when not using it, [[note]] Left-handed people tend to carry some objects in their right hand so their left is more easily available. [[/note]] carries a FN-1824's stolen blaster left-handed, holds Luke's lightsaber left-handed when she fights Kylo Ren, and holds Luke's lightsaber out to him with her left hand.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: She is quite used to being alone, but defends BB-8 from getting scrapped for parts. Nor does she sell the droid even when offered an incredible amount of food in return.
* TooHungryToBePolite: Rey eats her food the same way you'd expect any person who spends most of their time eating alone to--chewing with her mouth open, eating with her hands, licking the plate.
* TranquilFury: After she taps into the Force properly in the middle of a duel, her face is eerily calm. Then she uses her newfound power to beat down Kylo Ren.
* TookALevelInBadass: As she uncovers her potential in the Force, she goes from tough scavenger to self-taught beginner Jedi.
* UnskilledButStrong: Literally how Kylo Ren describes her to Snoke after she resists his MindProbe and pushes it all the way back into his mind. Despite being entirely untrained in the use of the Force or lightsaber combat, she not only manages to beat Ren's at his own game, but is also able to use the Jedi mind trick to escape the interrogation room. Finally, she holds her own against Ren (who is admittedly badly wounded) and by the end of the duel knocks him on his ass, with a nasty scar across his face as icing on the cake. She also is able to use the Force Pull.
--->'''Kylo Ren:''' She's strong with the Force, untrained but, stronger than she knows.
* WhenSheSmiles: Every time she geeks out, [[MeaningfulName Rey]] figuratively lights up the room.
* WrenchWench: Her technical skills impress Han Solo, and she gets irritated when Finn has no idea what tool she is looking for.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Finn]]
!!Finn (FN-2187)
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/finn21.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I was ashamed of what I was. But I am done with the First Order. I am never going back."'']]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/JohnBoyega
->'''Appears in:''' ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' | [[Film/StarWars8 Episode VIII]] | Episode IX
-->''"The name's Finn, and I'm in charge now."''
A stormtrooper who wished to turn his life around and leave the First Order. However, a chance encounter with Resistance pilot Poe Damereon and later a scavenger on Jakku named Rey sends him on the path to becoming an UnlikelyHero. His First Order callsign was "FN-2187", which his name "Finn" is derived from.
----
* TheAce: Back in the Stormtrooper Academy, Finn was in the top one percent of the class. He still got assigned to ''sanitation'', for all the good his grades did him. Given that his first battle turned him into a deserter and he seems to only know how to use a blaster, that might say more about the academy, but then again, [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy his skill with blasters is indeed fantastic for a stormtrooper]].
* {{Adorkable}}: He tends to be pretty nervous and uncertain in a very endearing way. How does he answer when Rey asks if he's with the Resistance? Dust himself off and say "Obviously. Yes, I am. I'm with the Resistance, yeah. ''I am with the Resistance.''" Then he asks BB-8 where the base is in hushed tones.
** Later while fighting stormtroopers at Maz's castle he seems more interested in running across the battlefield to watch Poe in his X-wing shoot down tie fighters.
* AerithAndBob: Continues the proud ''Franchise/StarWars'' tradition of mixing real-sounding names with SpaceOpera ones. We've got Rey, Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron, and ''Finn''. In his case, Poe came up with it on the spot based on his callsign.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: FN-2187 never fit in with the rest of his squad. First Order Troopers often nickname each other, and his unit refused to nickname FN-2187 as basically a way of ostracizing him. Just goes to show that bullying is alive and well even in totalitarian space armies. [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe It's also no wonder he becomes attached to Poe Dameron so quickly since Poe nicknames him immediately with his only question being if Finn likes the nickname.]]
* AlmightyJanitor: Literally. Finn admits that "sanitation" was his sole duty on Starkiller Base before his first combat assignment. It's TruthInTelevision--low-ranking soldiers are commonly assigned to menial tasks in order to instill discipline and obedience. In this case, it blows up in the First Order's faces, as Finn's knowledge of the installation is invaluable to the Resistance.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: His ChronicHeroSyndrome is at its greatest if it is Rey who is in danger.
* AmazonChaser: Finn has a look of ''awe'' after he sees Rey take down a couple of thieves by herself.
* TheAtoner: As his caption says, he's trying to start anew after having served the First Order.
* BadassAdorable: A painfully sincere and kind-hearted young man who uses his lifetime of First Order training to fight against their tyranny.
* BadassBoast: To Kylo Ren before the first half of the lightsaber duel: "Come get it!"
* BadassNormal: No (known) Force powers to speak of, but manages to hold his own, if only briefly, in a lightsaber battle with Kylo Ren.
* BadLiar: Finn's Resistance fighter act is so transparent that it doesn't fool Han for a minute. Before that, Poe calls bullshit on his motivation for helping him escape even more quickly. The only person fooled is Rey, and only because she's nearly as naïve as he is.
-->'''Poe:''' Why are you helping me?\\
'''Finn:''' Because it's the right thing to do.\\
''[{{beat}}]''\\
'''Poe:''' You need a pilot.\\
'''Finn:''' I need a pilot.
** Later subverted when he convinces everyone in the Resistance that he can disable the shields of Starkiller Base.
* BecomingTheMask: He initially pretends to be a Resistance member to avoid admitting to being an ex-stormtrooper. He eventually becomes the real thing.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: When Finn and Rey thinks the First Order's caught them and are about to board the Millenium Falcon, Finn gets the idea to re-route the life-support system and poison the Stormtroopers.
* BloodSplatteredInnocents: After getting the BloodyHandprint, he is immediately ordered to kill innocent civilians. His not firing makes other Stormtroopers suspect his gun was jammed (Captain Phasma and Kylo Ren were suspicious, but the slaughter helps along his HeelRealization nonetheless).
* BloodyHandprint: He gets one on his Stormtrooper helmet during the opening battle, and it seems to trigger a HeelRealization.
* CharacterDevelopment: He eventually stops running away from the First Order and decides to fight against them. You can even see his "wants to run" eyes turn into "LetsGetDangerous" eyes when Kylo Ren hurts Rey.
* ChildSoldiers: He was "recruited" at such a young age that he can't remember his family or his name (if he ever had one), and he implies that this is the standard for the First Order. They "recruit" very young children and infants and brainwash them, programming them to be fanatical and violent loyalists.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: He has a knack for risking his life for others regardless of his own well-being.
* ConvenientComa: Falls into one at the end of ''The Force Awakens'' as a result of the savaging he got at the hands of Kylo Ren.
* CoolSword: Through the course of events, the lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker[[note]]The very same one Obi-Wan took from a maimed Darth Vader on Mustafar and gave to Luke, and which was last seen tumbling into the depths of Bespin after Luke's disastrous duel with Vader on Cloud City[[/note]] ends up in his hands and he uses it against Kylo Ren. When he loses the duel, the lightsaber passes to Rey.
* CowardlyLion: Due to his background as a Stormtrooper, he's seen what atrocities the First Order is capable of, and believes they are too powerful to ever defeat. At first, his only goal is to get as far away from them as possible. Only after Rey is captured does he resolve to join the Resistance.
* CripplingOverspecialization: He only received training to be a stormtrooper, which means he only knows how to handle blasters.
* CurbstompCushion: While his duel on Starkiller Base goes pretty terrible, he still manages to stab Kylo Ren in the arm.
* DangerousDeserter: Leaves the First Order and joins the Resistance.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He was taken from his family when he was only a baby and was forced to undergo stormtrooper training.
* DecoyProtagonist: While he's TheHero for most of the movie and a co-lead alongside Rey by the time he crosses blades with Kylo Ren, he gets heavily injured, leaving Rey to take Kylo on and claim her role as the main protagonist. Also notable in the advertising of the movie, which shows Finn with the lightsaber and makes him out to be the new lead character protagonist of the series. He's not. Rey is.
* DefectorFromDecadence: He leaves the First Order after witnessing their massacre of innocent people in the beginning of the film.
* {{Determinator}}: He keeps trying to fight off Kylo Ren after having one of Ren's crossguards slowly burned into his shoulder.
* DoNotCallMePaul: His HeelFaceTurn is cemented by not wanting to be called FN-2187, eventually adopting the name "Finn."
* TheDulcineaEffect: He ran to Rey's defense the moment he saw her and took her by the hand to lead her to safety only minutes later. Rey was ''not'' pleased.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: First seen stopping to help a mortally wounded stormtrooper. This simple act underscores both his humanity and how out of place he is as a stormtrooper, who never grudge casualties or assist the fallen.
* FireForgedFriends: With Rey and Poe. The former bond after their escape from Jakku and the later have their FriendshipMoment in a TIE fighter escaping from the First Order's base.
* FishOutOfWater: Having been raised from childhood to serve the First Order, he is clueless about how a lot of the world works once he leaves.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: He goes from just another faceless [[{{Mook}} stormtrooper]] to a hero fighting the entire First Order.
* GoodCostumeSwitch: After escaping from the First Order, he gradually sheds his stormtrooper armor and completes his HeelFaceTurn by wearing Poe Dameron's jacket.
* GuyInBack: When he and Poe steal a two-man TIE fighter, Poe flies while Finn takes the gunner's chair. Poe gives him a hurried crash course in shooting as they fight off their pursuers. Later, when he and Rey steal the ''Falcon'' to escape Jakku, he takes one of the turrets while Rey pilots.
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: Played with. Initially inverted, as Finn prefers to fight using blasters while Rey prefers to fight using her SimpleStaff. Towards the middle of ''The Force Awakens'', Han gives Rey a blaster, and Maz gives Finn a lightsaber, playing it straight. At the end, Rey takes ownership of the lightsaber when Finn goes down. It's yet to be revealed what his main weapon in the sequel will be.
* HeelFaceTurn: He ditches the First Order early on.
* HeelRealization: He makes it clear that he thinks that working with the First Order made him the "bad guy," even if it was only for a brief period of time and he ditched them after his first combat mission.
* HellBentForLeather: Takes to wearing Poe's leather jacket. Poe thinks it suits him.
* HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic: Stormtroopers have never been shown taking their helmets off (Phasma states that they're forbidden from doing so, at least while in action). So, the instant he takes his off, we see that he is becoming one of our heroes.
* HeroesPreferSwords: Played with: while he prefers blasters as his trained weapon, he takes up the lightsaber in the middle of the film when he decides to stand and fight against the First Order instead of running away. He's also heavily associated with the sword in most of the marketing, though this is a RedHerring, as Rey claims the lightsaber after he gets injured by Kylo Ren.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy Amusingly]], Finn might very well be the most accurate Stormtrooper put to film. During a firefight, he is constantly on the run and fires his blaster while moving, several times with only one hand. Regardless, almost every shot lands dead in the center of his target's chest. Of course, he was top of his class, so his exceptional marksmanship is justified.
* InSeriesNickname:
** His old stormtrooper unit used to call him Eighty-Seven.
** Han takes to calling him "Big Deal" after he tries to make himself out as an important Resistance figure.
* InsistentTerminology: Rather understandably, once he defects from the First Order, he insists on being called "Finn", not "FN-2187".
* IndyPloy: Finn's greatest tactical asset is his ability to improvise. Hell, it's a hastily executed plan on Finn's part that ends up kicking off the entire plot of the movie.
* JackOfAllStats: He's a good marksman, but not on the same league as [[LivingLegend Han and Chewie]]. He can wield a lightsaber, but not as proficiently as Kylo Ren or Rey.
* JumpScare: In the trailer, a still shot of the Jakku desert is interrupted by him popping up in shock. Averted within the film itself.
* LineOfSightName: Poe, not wanting to call him by a serial number, improvises Finn from "FN", the first two letters of his callsign. Finn takes a liking to it.
* MadeOfIron: While it left him comatose, Finn survived a brutal thrashing at the hands of Kylo Ren.
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: He undergoes his HeelFaceTurn after his first mission. Supplementary material notes that he was an excellent team leader whose only fault during training was an odd reluctance to actually kill people.
* {{Mook}}: He starts out as just another stormtrooper before he defects after refusing to slaughter an entire village of innocent people.
* MookFaceTurn: From faceless grunt to runaway to hero.
* MythologyGag: His operating number, 2187, is also the cell number Princess Leia was held in aboard the Death Star in ''Film/ANewHope'', which in turn was a ShoutOut to ''21-87'', an art film that inspired Creator/GeorgeLucas.
* NeutralNoLonger: Initially, after deserting from the First Order, all Finn wants is to get as far away from his former employers as possible. This changes when Rey is kidnapped by Kylo Ren, causing Finn to throw his lot in with the Resistance.
* NeverHurtAnInnocent: Being ordered to kill innocent civilians in his first mission is what triggers his HeelRealization.
* NiceGuy: Astoundingly holding onto his sense of morality in spite of a lifetime of abusive ChildSoldier upbringing, Finn is a kind-hearted and compassionate soul who will ''unfailingly'' leap to the defense of a helpless innocent, no matter how afraid he may actually be.
* OddFriendship: With Han, given how they interact with each other over the course of ''The Force Awakens''. They both snark at each other, but Han makes it clear that he likes Finn and even saves his life when he shoots Nines with Chewie's bowcaster.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Justified, as his "real name" isn't really a name but a serial number/call sign.
* OverlyNervousFlopSweat: Several scenes show him sweating profusely.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: He's a well-trained soldier, but he's not trained in the force or very skilled with a lightsaber, a common staple of the series. This almost gets him killed when he faces a foe with both lightsaber and force training.
* TheParagonAlwaysRebels: According to prequel material, Finn had the best scores of any Stormtrooper recruit and was singled out as officer material by Captain Phasma. His only flaw was his unwillingness and inability to shoot unarmed civilians, which becomes the reason he defects after he is forced to participate in a village massacre.
* PhraseCatcher: After his desertion, he is referred to as "TRAITOR!" by First Order members, including Kylo Ren and FN-2199.
* ProperlyParanoid: Before entering Maz's castle, Finn asks Han if there's any chance there may be First Order sympathizers inside. Sure enough, they're recognized the moment they walk through the door.
* RealityEnsues: While he can use a lightsaber without injuring himself and look cool doing it, Finn isn't trained to use the weapon. As a result, when he uses Anakin's lightsaber against two opponents capable of fighting back against it ([[BossInMooksClothing FN-2199]] and [[TheHeavy Kylo Ren]]), he loses and is nearly killed both times.
* RedemptionPromotion: In the First Order, he was an interchangeable {{Mook}}. On the side of the Resistance, he's becoming a hero.
* ResignationsNotAccepted: The First Order wants to kill him for his desertion. Said desertion involved deciding not to slaughter innocent civilians, freeing the Order's prisoner, and killing other Stormtroopers in self-defence. By the time Finn crashed on Jakku the First Order had a lot more motivation to kill him than just him leaving their ranks.
* RousseauWasRight: Twenty years of the First Order's brainwashing, and indoctrination was ''still'' not enough to destroy the fundamental decency of the little boy who grew up to be Finn.
* SayMyName: Screams Poe's name after their TIE Fighter crashes on Jakku, and does the same with Rey after she is kidnapped by Kylo Ren.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: His entire CharacterArc in a nutshell; whether the "rules" are the First Order or simple self-preservation, Finn finds himself ignoring them when the chips are down.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: He spends a significant part of the movie wanting nothing more than to get as far away from the First Order as possible. Maz eventually calls him out on it.
* ShipTease: With Rey. They develop a close friendship in a short span of time, Finn asks her at one point if she has a boyfriend, Rey is heartbroken when he tries to leave, Finn goes deep into enemy territory to rescue her, they reunite with a long embrace, and she kisses him on the forehead in the end while he's in a coma.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Finn is the catalyst for the destruction of Starkiller Base and the discovery of where Luke is. His decision to defect and rescue Poe sets off a chain of events that puts the base schematics into the hands of the Resistance, it's his knowledge of the base's layout that allows the Resistance to exploit its weakness and destroy it, and it's his collaboration that leads to the Resistance getting the missing piece of the map. If it wasn't for Finn, the First Order almost certainly would have wiped out the Resistance and ran roughshod over the New Republic, and Rey would not have had a chance to discover she could use the Force.
* SupportingProtagonist: Initial advertising set him up to be the lead character of ''The Force Awakens'', but the story is ultimately about Rey.
* ThatManIsDead: He wants to leave his past as the First Order Stormtrooper FN-2187 behind him. In the novelization, he even outright tells himself that "FN-2187" is dead.
* TookALevelInBadass: Finn, the lowly ex-stormtrooper starts the film as a CowardlyLion and remains one for much of it, but when Rey gets kidnapped, and later knocked out by Kylo Ren he finally ''stops running''. The change is complete when he ignites Luke's old lightsaber and duels Kylo Ren; he'd come quite a ways from thinking that running away was the only option.
* TragicKeepsake: Subverted in regards to Poe's jacket--given that Poe is the only friend he's had in his life at this point, and it's the only thing of his that he can find in the crashed TIE, it's set up to be a sad reminder of the apparent sacrifice he made. Then it turns out that Poe's alright after all, and he tries giving the jacket back, though Poe then tells him he can keep it.
* UnexpectedVirgin: Averted. Despite him being the hero, and 23-years-old, John Boyega claims that Finn is a virgin. His upbringing by the First Order probably has something to do with it.
* WhatTheHellHero: Han calls him out for lying to the Resistance and putting people in danger just so he can rescue Rey. Fortunately, he more than makes up for it.
* WhosLaughingNow: Invokes this with Captain Phasma during ''The Force Awakens'' climax when Finn, Han and Chewie ambush her. Han tells him to bring it down a notch.
* WouldNotShootACivilian: In spite of the others having no qualms against killing Jakku villagers, he refuses to fire a single shot. Phasma mistakes this for his blaster being defective.
* YouAreNumberSix: "Finn" is a name only given to him by Poe. All his life, he's gone by his callsign FN-2187.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Poe Dameron]]
!!Commander Poe Dameron (Black Leader)
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dameron_poe.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I can fly ''anything''."'']]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/OscarIsaac
->'''Appears in:''' ''Before the Awakening'' | ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsPoeDameron Poe Dameron]]'' | ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' | [[Film/StarWars8 Episode VIII]]
-->''"...So who talks first, you talk first? I talk first?"''
The son of Rebel Alliance Spec Force soldier Kes Dameron and A-wing pilot Shara Bey, Poe Dameron is an X-wing pilot and commander of the Resistance Starfighter Corps. After uncovering information that the First Order is hunting for Lor San Tekka to locate Luke Skywalker, Poe is sent on a mission by General Leia Organa to find him before the First Order does. He is captured by the First Order, but is rescued by Finn, who needs a pilot to help him desert his post.
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* TheAce: Unlike Rey, he has this personality and reputation to go with his AcePilot status; he's the best at what he does, and everyone knows it. The opening narration calls him "Leia's most daring pilot". Many of his interactions with Finn, especially later on, have Finn gushing over how awesome he is.
* AcePilot: He is the best and most daring pilot in the Resistance, a fact that is known even by Kylo Ren. He amply demonstrates it during the movie, picking up TIE fighter handling very quickly and making his next-gen X-wing ''dance'': in a single, 20-second long shot, he scores 10 kills (enough to make him an actual ace twice over) while strafing stormtroopers for good measure. His page in the ''Star Wars Character Encyclopedia'' has the header "Best Pilot in the Galaxy".
* AffectionateNickname: He calls the then-nameless FN-2187 "Finn" as a sign of friendship. FN-2187 then decides to adopt the moniker for good after he ditches the First Order completely.
* BadassBoast: Poe has no false modesty about his abilities as a pilot.
-->'''Poe:''' I can fly ''anything''.
* BadassInDistress: He was captured by the First Order early in his first film. Finn breaks him out.
* BadLiar: According to supplementary materials.
* BandOfBrothers: With the rest of Black Squadron, all of whom he considers more family than friend.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Poe's warmness to FN-2187 and treatment of him as a human being is why the two became fast friends.
* BullyingADragon: His behavior once brought before Kylo Ren, complete with complaining that the mask makes him hard to understand.
* ChewingTheScenery: No part of his X-wing's cockpit is left un-gnawed during the battle on Takodana.
* CommandingCoolness: Poe's rank in the Resistance is Commander.
* CoolStarship: Pilots a unique black X-wing.
* DangerDeadpan: Unlike previous Rebel squadron commanders Garvin Dreis, Luke Skywalker, and Wedge Antilles, Poe ''averts'' it. It's made ''very'' clear just how much he enjoys flying, and his dialogue in the cockpit is often quite excitable.
* DeadpanSnarker: He snarks at Kylo Ren constantly. The fallen Jedi doesn't appreciate it. A good example of Poe's snark comes after he's been tortured by the First Order to no avail, forcing Ren to take over.
--> '''Kylo Ren''': [[BaddieFlattery I'm impressed]]. No one's been able to get out of you what you did with the map.\\
'''Poe''': You might want to rethink your technique.
* DecoyProtagonist: We're led to believe that he's TheHero of the story from the opening text to having a large chunk of the opening scenes be devoted to him, but he seemingly dies after he and Finn escape from the First Order, leaving Finn to become the protagonist. It turns out that he survived, but he plays a supporting role from then on.
* DefiantToTheEnd: While he isn't killed, Poe refuses to show fear while being interrogated and tortured by Kylo Ren.
-->'''Poe''': The Resistance will not be intimidated by you...
* DisneyDeath: Finn presumes him dead when he can't find him in the wreckage of the TIE and the TIE is swallowed up by sand. It turns out later he's alive and back at the Resistance.
* DistressedDude: He is captured by the First Order, and interrogated and tortured by Kylo Ren, before escaping with Finn's help.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: He's first seen receiving vital information for the Resistance, subsequently managing to send the information away by sacrificing his own safety and then snarking at his captor. It's made very clear to the audience that he's a brave, trustworthy and cunning man who's loyal to the Resistance.
* FireForgedFriends: With Finn. They have a FriendshipMoment in a stolen TIE fighter while escaping.
* GenerationXerox: He is a Resistance soldier and hand-picked agent of General Leia whose parents fought with Han and Leia in the Battle of Endor thirty years ago.
* HellBentForLeather: Starts out the film wearing a leather jacket. After believing that Poe had been killed, Finn takes it for himself, later keeping it with Poe's blessing after they reunite.
* HeroicLineage: His mother was an A-wing pilot who fought at the Battle of Endor, so piloting fighters for the Rebels is literally in his blood. His father was a rebel commando as well, and he's shown to be quite a rifle marksman like his father; the only shot he missed with his rifle was ''frozen in place'' by the Force.
* ImprobablePilotingSkills: Poe is an unbelievably talented fighter pilot. At both Takodana and Starkiller Base he is practically a one-man squadron, taking a massive toll on First Order TIE Fighters and managing to fly ''into'' the weapon so that he can shoot out crucial systems from the inside ''and'' get back out alive!
* IOweYouMyLife: Feels this way for Finn after the latter helps him escape from the First Order.
* LaResistance: He is a major figure in the Resistance, and their foremost pilot.
* LargeHam: Poe is ''very'' enthusiastic, especially while he's flying.
* LikeASonToMe: Leia views him as this. [[spoiler:In any case, he turned out better than her actual son did.]]
* ManHug: Is quite demonstrative. His happiness at seeing that Finn survived their crash and made it off Jakku leads to one of these.
* MauveShirt: A subverted example--he's set up to be important only in the first twenty minutes of ''The Force Awakens'' only to apparently die in the TIE crash. However, it turns out that he was able to escape and meet with the rest of the Resistance forces on Takodana.
* MilitaryBrat: Both of his parents were Rebel Alliance/New Republic military. His mother was an A-wing pilot during the Battle of Endor, and his father was a commando in Han's troop at the ground theater of that battle.
* MessyHair: The Visual Guide explicitly mentions "tousled hair" as a character trait of his.
* MindProbe: He is seen reacting with agony when Kylo Ren's hand is waved over his head. Despite his best efforts, the probe gives up the location of the map to Luke Skywalker.
* MissingMom: His mother died when he was a child. He seems to have adopted Leia as a kind of substitute.
* NervesOfSteel: A requisite to be an AcePilot. Poe's coolness under stress is directly contrasted against Finn's trepidation as the two try to escape the First Order.
--> '''Finn''': Stay calm, stay calm...
--> '''Poe''': I am calm.
--> '''Finn''': I was talking to myself.
* NeverFoundTheBody: After his and Finn's escape, they crash on Jakku. When Finn wakes up, he thinks Poe didn't make it since he can only find his jacket in the flaming wreckage of the TIE. Turns out he fell in a different location and returns during the latter 2/3 of the film.
* NiceGuy: A very warm individual and a loyal friend. This is demonstrated particularly with his interactions with Finn, who was working with his enemy scant hours before defecting--his friendship is genuine and unconditional.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: He survives a TIE fighter crash, finds his way off Jakku, and returns to the Resistance in time to lead a squadron of X-wings in a BigDamnHeroes moment on Takodana. All of this occurs offscreen. Considering how long this takes Finn, Rey and BB-8, it's enough to call him the HeroOfAnotherStory.
* PetTheDog: During the opening skirmish on Jakku, he manages to off several stormtroopers with blaster fire, but stops a moment when he spies a stormtrooper looking dazed and confused after his comrade is killed. Rather than shoot him, Poe chooses to let him live. That same stormtrooper would later help him escape; it's Finn.
* RebelLeader: As Commander of the Resistance Starfighter Corps, Poe is very much someone that the members, especially his pilots, look up to and trust. He basically lays out the plan for the attack on ''Starkiller Base'', with the officers above him in rank assenting. As the leader of their X-wing squadrons, it is made clear that the other pilots, many of whom are less-experienced, draw a lot of confidence from having him in the air with them.
-->"We're with you Poe!"
* ShoutOut: Poe's X-wing colors are Black and Gold and he is the best pilot in the resistance. This is the same as for Skull 1 in the ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' Universe.
* UnexplainedRecovery: It is unclear how Poe Dameron survived the crash and managed to return to the Resistance in such a short amount of time before he is seen leading the X-wing squadron during the Battle of Takodana. Finn [[LampshadeHanging asks that very question]] to Poe, but [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold Poe only gives a few details about where he landed before changing the topic to more important concerns]]. The novelization fills in the gaps: He wanders away from the crash just before Finn comes up to it, concussed and not hearing him. Poe helps a scavenger attacked by some thugs, and the man pays him back by flying him off planet where he can contact the Resistance for backup.
* UniversalDriversLicense: He's never flown a next-generation TIE Fighter before, yet figures its pilot controls ''and'' its gunner controls in less than a minute. In his own words, "I can fly anything".
* WingMan: He flies with several, and quickly talks Finn into being the gunner on the two-man TIE they hijack.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:[=BB-8=]]]
!!BB-8 (Beebee-Ate)
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bb_8.jpg]]
->'''Performed by:''' Brian Herring, Dave Chapman
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/BillHader and Ben Schwartz, through a voice synthesis app
->'''Appears in:''' ''Before the Awakening'' | ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsPoeDameron Poe Dameron]]'' | ''Film/TheForceAwakens''
Poe's astromech droid, BB-8 accompanies his owner and friend on the mission to Jakku.
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* BeTheBall: His body is a sphere.
* BewareTheCuteOnes: BB-8 is a cute little droid but he demonstrates a ruthless streak and has no problem with [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique inflicting pain]].
* BigBrotherWorship: He's "the new R2" and looks up to his predecessor, even insisting to project the final piece of the map himself just to show off to R2.
* CuteMachines: He's ''one of'' the most adorable machines in fiction. RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment invoked as to whether or not he's cuter than his predecessor.
* DeliberatelyCuteChild: Robot variety. In [[http://www.ew.com/article/2015/11/13/bb-8-gender-star-wars this article]], BB-8's designer implies that he knows how cute he is and uses that to manipulate people and accomplish his missions. He invokes this to get Rey to let him stay at her home.
* DoAnythingRobot: BB-8 is a next-generation astromech droid and thus a more advanced successor to the model line that R2-D2 is from. In addition to independent movement, he can maintain an X Wing, communicate, shock someone, and project information in holographic displays.
* GuyInBack: After he and Poe are reunited, BB-8 takes up his rightful place in the socket of Poe's X-wing during the attack on Starkiller Base.
* IntelligibleUnintelligible: Like R2, only talks in beeps, yet Rey understands him.
* KidAppealCharacter: Small, cute, and makes a popular toy.
* MeaningfulName: Abrams says that his name came from the fact that he resembled either two B's back-to-back or the number 8.
* MixAndMatchCritter: Has the head of an R2 droid floating on a rotating sphere.
* MythologyGag: His design is based on an early concept of R2-D2 that was scrapped due to the technological limitations of the time at which the original movie was made.
* NiceGuy: BB-8 is a sweet, demure, and loyal droid who will always be there for his master and his companions.
* OneWheeledWonder: He's essentially a droid head on a giant rolling sphere, and he rolls around on said sphere.
* OrangeBlueContrast: When together with his predecessor and idol R2-D2, who uses the color blue, he provides this.
* PluckyComicRelief: BB-8 is a cute little guy who provides a lot of levity to a fairly dark (by ''Star Wars'' standards) movie.
* PunnyName: A ball-shaped character named "BB", as in BB-gun pellets? And "8", as in the best-known ball in pool?
* PuppyDogEyes: Does a robot version of this to get Rey to let him stay at her home.
* RecurringElement: A small cute unintelligible robot that rolls around like R2-D2.
* RidiculouslyHumanRobots: Much like R2-D2 and C-3PO before him, he is able to show concern for his naturally living companions.
* RobotBuddy: The droid serves as this to the new PowerTrio, especially Poe and Rey.
* ShipperOnDeck:
** Helps Finn as he tries to impress Rey.
** In "[=SaBBotage=]", a short story at the end of ''Poe Dameron'' Issue #1, BB-8 sabotages a Resistance pilot's X-wing to get him to talk to the tech officer he has a crush on.
* ShockAndAwe: Like most astromechs, BB-8 has a taser, which he uses on Finn when he thinks Finn robbed Poe.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Poe. When he sees that Finn is wearing Poe's leather jacket, BB-8 starts tasing him, infuriated at the idea of someone stealing from Poe.
[[/folder]]
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%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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%% Please list all movies by their full titles instead of "Episode #".
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!All spoilers regarding the Prequel Trilogy, the Original Trilogy, and ''The Clone Wars'' are unmarked. Examples relating to Disney's EU and the new movies can be spoiler-tagged if deemed necessary.
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Tropes specifically applying to the characters based on their appearances in the ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' can be found '''[[Characters/StarWarsTheatricalLegends here]]'''.
To return to the Character page for ''Franchise/StarWars'', go '''[[Characters/StarWars here]]'''.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[header:Heroes of the Resistance]]
[[folder:Rey]]
!!Rey
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rey_sw.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I know all about waiting."'']]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/DaisyRidley, Cailey Fleming (young)
->'''Appears in:''' ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' | [[Film/StarWars8 Episode VIII]] | Episode IX
-->''"I think I can handle myself."''
A self-sufficient scavenger on Jakku, who is something of a loner before meeting BB-8 and Finn.
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* TheAce: Expert survivor, gifted mechanic and pilot, and skilled melee fighter. The latter eventually translates into Rey felling (an admittedly heavily wounded) Kylo Ren in a one-on-one lightsaber duel.
* ActionGirl: Rey utilizes her staff as a weapon in a style similar to the real-world martial art of bōjutsu. She is also the best melee fighter of the three new protagonists. Then she's revealed to be Force-sensitive and quickly picks up how to use it, culminating in her using Luke's lightsaber to best Kylo Ren in a desperate duel.
* {{Adorkable}}:
** One of the first things we see her do is eat her dinner while wearing an old Rebel pilot's helmet.
** She displays barely contained childish glee when she tells Han that she bypassed the compressor to fix the ''Falcon''.
* AnywhereButTheirLips: She kisses the comatose Finn on the forehead as a gesture of farewell. In the novel, she is described as kissing him, but it doesn't specify ''where''.
* AscendedFangirl: She's a fan of the main characters from the original trilogy, Luke in particular. To her, they are legends. She gradually meets them in her first appearance. Her most favorite is even implied to be her new mentor. Having Han offer her a job serving on the ''Falcon'' within a day of teaming up with him and Chewie makes her light up.
* BadassAdorable: Cute as a kitten and tough enough to single-handedly take down ''both'' of Unkar Plutt's thugs in close combat, and that's ''before'' her Force potential awakens. And much like Luke, she is an endearingly childlike dork with a kind heart and an insatiable lust for adventure.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Rey is the only main character in ''The Force Awakens'' not to suffer any serious injuries or show visible wounds.
* BeneathTheMask: Rey keeps up a somewhat stoic demeanor and insists that her family is coming back for her, but, as her interactions with Maz Kanata and Kylo Ren reveal, she suffers from terrible loneliness and knows, deep down, that her family is never coming back to Jakku.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Case in point, she leaves a nasty scar on Ren's face after the latter severely injures Finn]].
* BigEater: Finn can only marvel at the amount she eats at Maz Kanata's castle in the novelisation. Not surprising considering she's been used to barely eating all her life.
* BrainyBrunette: Not so much in the manner of books this trope implies, but Rey's quite handy with mechanics. Kinda of required given her means of survival was searching crashed starfighters for vital parts to sell for food.
* BreakoutCharacter: The advertising for ''The Force Awakens'' played up Finn as the hero of the film and the actual film mostly seems to revolve around him, but it's ultimately Rey who turns out to be the true protagonist of the Sequel Trilogy and is becoming an iconic face of the ''Star Wars'' franchise in her own right alongside the ranks of Luke, Han, and Leia themselves. Following the release of ''The Force Awakens'', she's no longer secondary to Finn in the public's eyes, whether it's an advertisement for Star Wars Celebration or the LEGO adaptation of the film.
* BrokenBird:
** Being an abandoned child made her one. Despite her naïve optimism, she clearly has abandonment issues, judging by the look on her face when Finn announces his plan to leave and the vision it triggers.
** Despite being exceptionally proud of having fixed the ''Falcon'', when Han gives her a non-response, her glee turns on a dime to almost abject disappointment.
* CharacterDevelopment: She starts out as a loner intent on waiting for her family to come back, and she maintains this mindset in insisting she has to go back to Jakku once she helps BB-8 complete his mission. Even after Maz Kanata flat-out tells her that whoever left her on Jakku is never coming back and she has to go forward, she refuses to accept it to the point of running away. It takes the discovery of her Force powers to convince her of her destiny and to find Luke, the person she realizes she has to go to.
* ChekhovsSkill: Climbing and scavenging through a crashed Star Destroyer means she knows her way around Imperial / First Order technology / architecture.
* TheChosenOne: Seems to be. Maz Kanata feels a strong force from her when she touches Luke's lightsaber. She is also the one sent to look for Luke himself, presumably to be trained by him, at the end of the first film.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter:
** Unlike the previous female leads Leia and Padme, Rey doesn't have a privileged background, starting out as a poor scavenger on a backwater world.
** Unlike the previous Force-sensitive heroes, Luke and Anakin, Rey doesn't [[JumpedAtTheCall jump at the call]]. In fact, she [[RefusedTheCall rejects it]] until the final act of the movie. Where Luke and Anakin both dreamed of a greater adventure, Rey's greatest hope was for her family to come back for her. She also grew up mostly alone, unlike the two Skywalkers (Luke was raised by his aunt and uncle, and Anakin was brought up by his mother). There's a visual contrast between them as well: Anakin and Luke were both light-haired men, while Rey is a dark haired woman.
* ContraltoOfDanger: Rey has a low-pitched voice and proves herself early on as someone who can take care of herself.
* CoolBike: Her speeder counts as a futuristic variant.
* CoolStarship: [[spoiler:In a sad example, Rey inherits the ''Millennium Falcon'' after Han's death, taking it on her mission to find Luke]].
* CoolSword: She feels the Force calling her towards Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber, and later uses it to fight Kylo Ren.
* CuteBruiser: Don't let her looks fool you. She's more than capable of handling herself in a fight and WILL kick your ass if you mess with her or her friends.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: She was abandoned by her family when she was only a child and has spent her entire life alone, fending for herself.
* DamselOutOfDistress: She uses the JediMindTrick on a stormtrooper in order to free herself from Kylo Ren's clutches. Finn finds out she's one of these when he finds her under attack by a group of thugs on Jakku and rushes in to help her, only for her to soundly beat them all before he can even get there.
* DeadpanSnarker: Not as much as Han Solo, but Rey throws around her fair share of snark. One of her first remarks, in response to BB-8 citing his origins as "classified," is a dry, "Classified, really? Me too. Big secret."
* DisasterScavengers: She lives in a fallen [[WalkingTank AT-AT]] and most of what she owns is scavenged from the wreckage of a great battle between the New Republic and the Empire.
* DistaffCounterpart: To Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy. She starts out as an impoverished orphan on a desert planet, is swept up into the war thanks to an astromech droid she salvages, later discovers her proficiency in the Force, and eventually even ses Luke's old lightsaber and seeks training under a previous-generation Jedi (Luke himself) on a remote planet. By the end of ''Episode VII'', it's clear that she's TheHero of the sequel trilogy, just as Luke was to the original trilogy.
* DudeMagnet: Finn is completely open about his admiration for Rey, and Kylo Ren has a creepy VillainousCrush on her to the point where his master calls him out on it in the novelization.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: She needs rations and could sell BB-8 for a ton of them. She doesn't. Keep in mind, this is a droid she has just met and has no connection to, so the gesture should tell you a lot about [[NiceGirl what kind of person]] she is.
* FallingIntoTheCockpit: Rey proves surprisingly adept at flying the ''Millennium Falcon'' and evading TIE fighters even though by her own admission she has limited piloting experience. She's not quite perfect out of the starting gate though, as she initially has some trouble with handling and tends to scrape the ship along the ground a lot. It is implied that her potential with the Force is part of this, as even she expresses astonishment that she did as well as she did.
* FireForgedFriends: Escaping from stormtroopers in a piece of "garbage" with Finn leads to them becoming quick friends.
* {{Foil}}:
** Rey and Kylo Ren have a number of interesting parallels and contrasts. While he is an infamous enforcer for the First Order who [[spoiler:began as a Jedi student]], she is a seemingly random scavenger who becomes aligned with the Resistance and becomes a Jedi student at the end of ''The Force Awakens''. They both have rather stoic exteriors that give way to strong emotion (glee and sorrow for Rey, rage and angst for Ren), hiding deeper insecurities and fears (Rey has abandonment issues and has lived a very lonely life; Kylo fears never living up to the image of Darth Vader and is tempted by the Light Side). They both [[spoiler:saw Han Solo as a father figure]], but to opposite results: Rey [[spoiler:bonded quickly with Han, and mourned his death]] while Ren [[spoiler:saw Han (his biological father) as a disappointment and, although conflicted before and after the fact, murdered him]]. Ren embraces the Dark Side, while Rey follows the Light, but both struggle with inner Light and Dark. Rey wears white, Ren wears black. They were both [[spoiler:sent away by their families]], are both strong in the Force, and they each [[spoiler:had/will have Luke Skywalker as a teacher in the ways of the Force]]. Even their roles in the story contrast, but are equal in importance; she's TheHero, while he's TheHeavy.
** Taking it to its' almost literal extreme, [[https://player.fm/series/rebel-force-radio-star-wars-podcast/star-wars-oxygen-vol-26-tfa-part-2 The Star Wars Oyxgen podcast]], in their breakdown of the ''The Force Awakens'' soundtrack, noted that when you play the notes in Rey's theme in reverse, you get Kylo's theme.
* FragileSpeedster: She prefers fighting using her agility. She struggles if she's forced to fight using strength. She overcomes this enough in the climax to overpower Kylo Ren in a struggle over their lightsabers.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Much like her two predecessors, she starts ''very'' small, going from an abandoned child, to scavenger to heroine and potential ChosenOne.
* GadgeteerGenius: According to [[AllThereInTheManual supplemental materials]], she built her speeder herself, and deliberately made it top-heavy and difficult to fly so that no one would want to steal it. Plus, she makes a living scavenging ship parts, so she'd naturally have some facility with machines. She even booby-trapped the area surrounding the AT-AT she lives in to keep rival scavengers out.
* GamerGirl: The novelisation of ''The Force Awakens'' claims she spent her free time on Jakku, playing flight simulators on a computer she had salvaged.
* GenderBlenderName: Rey is Spanish for "king" and is a common male name in Spanish speaking countries as well as the United States. Rey sounds like the English male name "Ray", and also coincidentally the Japanese androgynous name "Rei".
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: Inverted. They can adjust, but Rey prefers to fight using her SimpleStaff while Finn prefers to fight using blasters.
* HairstyleInertia: She's shown to have her trademark three buns in a flashback as a child of five.
* HeldGaze: Twice with Kylo Ren. The first time happens when he's forcing himself into her mind and she fights back. The second time happens during their ligthsaber duel, right before Rey taps the Force deliberately.
** Also with Luke Skywalker when she finds him. She holds out his old lightsaber while the two stare into each other's eyes in complete silence, both of them looking on the verge of tears.
* TheHero: After an entire film's worth of [[DecoyProtagonist hero-hopping]], Rey takes up the mantle for real when she awakens her Force powers, takes up the Skywalker [[HeroesPreferSwords family lightsaber,]] and brings down Kylo Ren.
* HeroicBSOD: Understandable, after watching her first real friend "abandon" her, being shown a traumatic Force Vision of loss and death, forced to confront the truth that whoever left her on Jakku is never coming back for her, and encouraged by someone she just met to give herself over to the Force and fight the Dark Side (a frightening thought for someone plagued with doubt, fear, and abandonment issues).
* IAmVeryBritish: Speaks with a Received Pronunciation accent.
* IKnowMortalKombat: According to [[AllThereInTheManual supplemental materials]], most of her pre-movie piloting experience came from a flight simulator she salvaged.
* TheIngenue: She often acts very naïve towards the world around her and can even come across as somewhat childish when interacting with others. It's justified, since she has been more-or-less alone since she was five.
* InstantExpert: She's able to figure out and reverse a MindProbe from Kylo Ren after being exposed to it twice. Subsequently, she's able to manage the JediMindTrick on a Stormtrooper ([[ThirdTimesTheCharm after two failed attempts]]), do a Force pull, and wield a lightsaber with some degree of skill in short order, all without formal training or even time to practice on her own. Even she's shown to be surprised by this, telling Finn after she pulls off the mind trick that he wouldn't believe what she did to escape. [[WordOfGod According to the creators]], the reason she's able to do all of this so quickly is because Kylo Ren's mind probe triggered something inside her brain that gave her a greater understanding of the Force. In the novelization, Kylo Ren is extremely agitated and concerned not only for Rey resisting him, but for the knowledge she had acquired into his mind.
* InternalHomage: Like Anakin and Luke before her, Rey is a major character living a hard-scrabble life on a [[ShiftingSandLand desert]] planet, and has dreams of leaving of her world behind to explore what lies beyond in the galaxy. Like Anakin, she also has a natural talent for technical skills, piloting, and the Force, which makes her something of a GenderFlip.
* JugglingLoadedGuns: Downplayed example, more than once she unthinkingly points a blaster at someone with Han hurriedly pushing the barrel in a non-dangerous direction.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: Rey is astounded when she's told that Luke Skywalker is real, and she's quite bowled over when she realises that the scruffy old man who has captured her ship is legendary smuggler Han Solo, and even more so when she realises that the ship in question is none other than the ''Millennium Falcon''.
* LeParkour: She's very comfortable jumping over large distances and climbing through walls.
* LonerTurnedFriend: Rey's instant connection with Finn is made more poignant by the fact that he might be the first human being to take an active interest in her in nearly a decade.
* MachineEmpathy: She has a feel for the Millenium Falcon's temperamental maintenance needs before she even realizes it's the ''[[LegendaryInTheSequel Falcon]]''. It impresses Han as well, convincing him to give her a job offer as second mate. She also learns the Falcon's flight handling quirks quite quickly after some early mishaps (also caused by a groggy ''Falcon'' that hadn't flown in years).
* {{McNinja}}: In her first appearance, she's mostly dressed like a shinobi and does LeParkour when scavenging.
* MeaningfulName: Rey, as in ray of hope and/or [[LightIsGood light.]]
* MindOverMatter: After Finn is defeated and Kylo Ren tries to claim it for himself, Rey summons Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber to her hand to fight Ren.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: This lean young woman won in a grapple with Kylo Ren in the final moments of their lightsaber duel by forcing her lightsaber into his, destroying it and leaving him defenseless to a rake across the face. In real-life, Daisy Ridley can [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAtNwkhWkfc dead-lift 80 kilos]].
* MysteriousWaif: Rey is a girl abandoned by her parents in a desert planet during her childhood, living in a state of extreme poverty. She also suffers from a serious case of MysteriousPast, where nobody knows about her background and who her parents are. She also displays strong psychic Force powers, unknowingly. In the novelization, Kylo Ren constantly asks who she is, feeling something really odd about Rey and becoming interested in her. Also in the novelization, Also in the novelization, when Kylo Ren tries to MindProbe her deeper, he is unable to progress due to a barrier in her memories.
* MythologyGag: Her home is an AT-AT shell. Player characters in ''VideoGame/StarWarsGalaxies'' could also live in these.
* NeutralFemale: Justified and then subverted. Kylo Ren tosses her into a tree and knocks her out, rendering her unconscious and unable to intervene during his fight with Finn. It's subverted when she gets up after he defeats Finn and takes him on herself.
* NiceGirl: Even as a loner at the beginning, she's kind enough to be willing to rescue a droid she's never met before from a net, keep him rather than sell him for a large profit, and defend him from thieves.
* TheNicknamer: Initially bestows the nickname "Classified" on BB-8 but later starts using his proper name.
* {{Omniglot}}: She knows Droidspeak and at least a few alien languages, a useful skill to have on a ScavengerWorld.
* OnlyOneName: She's only known as "Rey".
* ParentalAbandonment: Rey was left on Jakku by her family when she was five years old, has no idea why, and is still waiting for them to return for her.
-->'''Rey:''' I know all about waiting.\\
'''BB-8:''' [''beeps question'']\\
'''Rey:''' For my family. [''smiles''] They'll be back. One day.
* PossessionImpliesMastery: It only takes her a few shots to become an expert marksman with a pistol she's never used. She's also an instant expert with a lightsaber from the moment she picks it up.
* PowerCopying: Kylo Ren tries to probe her mind, and she blocks him, then reverses it. Then she uses the Jedi Mind Trick. Later in the film, she uses a Force Pull right when Kylo is trying to do the same.
* PsychicBlockDefense: When Kylo Ren probes her mind to find the missing star chart, she manages to block his attempts, and eventually get into ''his'' mind.
* QuestForIdentity: Her lack of family, and her dialogue with Maz suggests this will be her main StoryArc.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Delivers a very curt and devastating one to Kylo Ren in retaliation for his attempt to MindProbe her.
* RecurringElement: Like Anakin and Luke before her, Rey is a Force-sensitive outcast in the desert who joins the heroes in the first film of a trilogy.
* RefusalOfTheCall: It is heavily implied that she's TheChosenOne of the Sequel Trilogy, but she doesn't want to be, preferring to return to Jakku to wait for her family. The horrifying vision she experiences after finding Luke's old lightsaber doesn't help. [[spoiler:It takes seeing Han Solo die at the hands of his own son to finally snap her out of it.]]
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler:Kylo's slaying of Han Solo and severe injuring of Finn]] prompts this--during their fight, Rey is very visibly furious. Then subverted, as she decides to resist the lure of the Dark Side and spare him.
* ScavengerWorld: Rey lives on Jakku, the site of a major battle between the New Republic and the Empire, that left plenty of wreckage for scavengers to live off of.
* SeriesMascot: Following the release of the ''The Force Awakens'' and a well-received role, she's been recognized as the ''true'' protagonist of the Sequel Trilogy and is front and center in most advertisements after the film, which is quite impressive considering the other SeriesMascot is ''Darth Vader himself''.
* SheFu: She prefers using her agility in combat, sometimes incorporating her LeParkour skills.
* ShipTease:
** With Finn. They develop a close friendship in a short span of time, Finn asks her at one point if she has a boyfriend, Rey is heartbroken when he tries to leave, Finn goes deep into enemy territory to rescue her, they reunite with a long embrace, and she kisses him on the forehead in the end while he's in a coma.
** There's also a bit in the novelization with Poe[[note]]They don't actually have any interaction onscreen in the film other than at the end, where Poe gives her a look that could be interpreted as a glare as he and the medics take the unconscious Finn away for treatment[[/note]]:
--->'''Poe:''' Uh, hi. I'm Poe.\\
''She nodded slowly, searching his face and finding she liked it.''\\
'''Rey:''' I recognize the name. So you're Poe. Poe Dameron. The X-wing pilot. I'm Rey.\\
'''Poe:''' I know. Nice to meet you.
* {{Shorttank}}: She appears very tomboyish yet still feminine.
* ShoutOut:
** The character's production name, "Kira", was a nod to Creator/AkiraKurosawa, a major influence on the movies. "Rey" is likewise a nod to the longtime publisher of ''Star Wars'' books, Del Rey. In Sanskrit, Kira (or Kiran) means "beam of light". See MeaningfulName above.
** Rey's introductory scene is very reminiscent of that of fellow ActionGirl Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind.
* ShutUpHannibal: When Kylo Ren is mind probing Rey and starts to read her dreams and feelings aloud, she fights back with ferocity and tells him to get out of her mind. Then she gets into ''his'' head, which shocks him.
-->'''Rey:''' You're afraid... that you will never be as strong as '''Darth Vader!'''
* SimpleStaff: She is proficient in wielding a staff, both for combat and for exploring wrecks of questionable structural integrity.
* SkilledButNaive: A downplayed example as Rey has a broad range of useful skills, is from a rough, backwater place, and has a degree of ignorance of the wider galaxy that this trope usually embodies. However, unlike this trope being played straight, she adapts quickly, doesn't do anything dangerous out of ignorance, doesn't display much social ineptitude, and has some knowledge of outside events (even if they are passed to her as legends/myths).
* SleevesAreForWimps: Her outfit seems to have detached sleeves.
* TheSouthpaw: She can be seen doing many things throughout the film left-handed. She eats with her left hand, she carries her staff in her right hand when not using it, [[note]] Left-handed people tend to carry some objects in their right hand so their left is more easily available. [[/note]] carries a FN-1824's stolen blaster left-handed, holds Luke's lightsaber left-handed when she fights Kylo Ren, and holds Luke's lightsaber out to him with her left hand.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: She is quite used to being alone, but defends BB-8 from getting scrapped for parts. Nor does she sell the droid even when offered an incredible amount of food in return.
* TooHungryToBePolite: Rey eats her food the same way you'd expect any person who spends most of their time eating alone to--chewing with her mouth open, eating with her hands, licking the plate.
* TranquilFury: After she taps into the Force properly in the middle of a duel, her face is eerily calm. Then she uses her newfound power to beat down Kylo Ren.
* TookALevelInBadass: As she uncovers her potential in the Force, she goes from tough scavenger to self-taught beginner Jedi.
* UnskilledButStrong: Literally how Kylo Ren describes her to Snoke after she resists his MindProbe and pushes it all the way back into his mind. Despite being entirely untrained in the use of the Force or lightsaber combat, she not only manages to beat Ren's at his own game, but is also able to use the Jedi mind trick to escape the interrogation room. Finally, she holds her own against Ren (who is admittedly badly wounded) and by the end of the duel knocks him on his ass, with a nasty scar across his face as icing on the cake. She also is able to use the Force Pull.
--->'''Kylo Ren:''' She's strong with the Force, untrained but, stronger than she knows.
* WhenSheSmiles: Every time she geeks out, [[MeaningfulName Rey]] figuratively lights up the room.
* WrenchWench: Her technical skills impress Han Solo, and she gets irritated when Finn has no idea what tool she is looking for.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Finn]]
!!Finn (FN-2187)
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/finn21.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I was ashamed of what I was. But I am done with the First Order. I am never going back."'']]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/JohnBoyega
->'''Appears in:''' ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' | [[Film/StarWars8 Episode VIII]] | Episode IX
-->''"The name's Finn, and I'm in charge now."''
A stormtrooper who wished to turn his life around and leave the First Order. However, a chance encounter with Resistance pilot Poe Damereon and later a scavenger on Jakku named Rey sends him on the path to becoming an UnlikelyHero. His First Order callsign was "FN-2187", which his name "Finn" is derived from.
----
* TheAce: Back in the Stormtrooper Academy, Finn was in the top one percent of the class. He still got assigned to ''sanitation'', for all the good his grades did him. Given that his first battle turned him into a deserter and he seems to only know how to use a blaster, that might say more about the academy, but then again, [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy his skill with blasters is indeed fantastic for a stormtrooper]].
* {{Adorkable}}: He tends to be pretty nervous and uncertain in a very endearing way. How does he answer when Rey asks if he's with the Resistance? Dust himself off and say "Obviously. Yes, I am. I'm with the Resistance, yeah. ''I am with the Resistance.''" Then he asks BB-8 where the base is in hushed tones.
** Later while fighting stormtroopers at Maz's castle he seems more interested in running across the battlefield to watch Poe in his X-wing shoot down tie fighters.
* AerithAndBob: Continues the proud ''Franchise/StarWars'' tradition of mixing real-sounding names with SpaceOpera ones. We've got Rey, Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron, and ''Finn''. In his case, Poe came up with it on the spot based on his callsign.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: FN-2187 never fit in with the rest of his squad. First Order Troopers often nickname each other, and his unit refused to nickname FN-2187 as basically a way of ostracizing him. Just goes to show that bullying is alive and well even in totalitarian space armies. [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe It's also no wonder he becomes attached to Poe Dameron so quickly since Poe nicknames him immediately with his only question being if Finn likes the nickname.]]
* AlmightyJanitor: Literally. Finn admits that "sanitation" was his sole duty on Starkiller Base before his first combat assignment. It's TruthInTelevision--low-ranking soldiers are commonly assigned to menial tasks in order to instill discipline and obedience. In this case, it blows up in the First Order's faces, as Finn's knowledge of the installation is invaluable to the Resistance.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: His ChronicHeroSyndrome is at its greatest if it is Rey who is in danger.
* AmazonChaser: Finn has a look of ''awe'' after he sees Rey take down a couple of thieves by herself.
* TheAtoner: As his caption says, he's trying to start anew after having served the First Order.
* BadassAdorable: A painfully sincere and kind-hearted young man who uses his lifetime of First Order training to fight against their tyranny.
* BadassBoast: To Kylo Ren before the first half of the lightsaber duel: "Come get it!"
* BadassNormal: No (known) Force powers to speak of, but manages to hold his own, if only briefly, in a lightsaber battle with Kylo Ren.
* BadLiar: Finn's Resistance fighter act is so transparent that it doesn't fool Han for a minute. Before that, Poe calls bullshit on his motivation for helping him escape even more quickly. The only person fooled is Rey, and only because she's nearly as naïve as he is.
-->'''Poe:''' Why are you helping me?\\
'''Finn:''' Because it's the right thing to do.\\
''[{{beat}}]''\\
'''Poe:''' You need a pilot.\\
'''Finn:''' I need a pilot.
** Later subverted when he convinces everyone in the Resistance that he can disable the shields of Starkiller Base.
* BecomingTheMask: He initially pretends to be a Resistance member to avoid admitting to being an ex-stormtrooper. He eventually becomes the real thing.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: When Finn and Rey thinks the First Order's caught them and are about to board the Millenium Falcon, Finn gets the idea to re-route the life-support system and poison the Stormtroopers.
* BloodSplatteredInnocents: After getting the BloodyHandprint, he is immediately ordered to kill innocent civilians. His not firing makes other Stormtroopers suspect his gun was jammed (Captain Phasma and Kylo Ren were suspicious, but the slaughter helps along his HeelRealization nonetheless).
* BloodyHandprint: He gets one on his Stormtrooper helmet during the opening battle, and it seems to trigger a HeelRealization.
* CharacterDevelopment: He eventually stops running away from the First Order and decides to fight against them. You can even see his "wants to run" eyes turn into "LetsGetDangerous" eyes when Kylo Ren hurts Rey.
* ChildSoldiers: He was "recruited" at such a young age that he can't remember his family or his name (if he ever had one), and he implies that this is the standard for the First Order. They "recruit" very young children and infants and brainwash them, programming them to be fanatical and violent loyalists.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: He has a knack for risking his life for others regardless of his own well-being.
* ConvenientComa: Falls into one at the end of ''The Force Awakens'' as a result of the savaging he got at the hands of Kylo Ren.
* CoolSword: Through the course of events, the lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker[[note]]The very same one Obi-Wan took from a maimed Darth Vader on Mustafar and gave to Luke, and which was last seen tumbling into the depths of Bespin after Luke's disastrous duel with Vader on Cloud City[[/note]] ends up in his hands and he uses it against Kylo Ren. When he loses the duel, the lightsaber passes to Rey.
* CowardlyLion: Due to his background as a Stormtrooper, he's seen what atrocities the First Order is capable of, and believes they are too powerful to ever defeat. At first, his only goal is to get as far away from them as possible. Only after Rey is captured does he resolve to join the Resistance.
* CripplingOverspecialization: He only received training to be a stormtrooper, which means he only knows how to handle blasters.
* CurbstompCushion: While his duel on Starkiller Base goes pretty terrible, he still manages to stab Kylo Ren in the arm.
* DangerousDeserter: Leaves the First Order and joins the Resistance.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He was taken from his family when he was only a baby and was forced to undergo stormtrooper training.
* DecoyProtagonist: While he's TheHero for most of the movie and a co-lead alongside Rey by the time he crosses blades with Kylo Ren, he gets heavily injured, leaving Rey to take Kylo on and claim her role as the main protagonist. Also notable in the advertising of the movie, which shows Finn with the lightsaber and makes him out to be the new lead character protagonist of the series. He's not. Rey is.
* DefectorFromDecadence: He leaves the First Order after witnessing their massacre of innocent people in the beginning of the film.
* {{Determinator}}: He keeps trying to fight off Kylo Ren after having one of Ren's crossguards slowly burned into his shoulder.
* DoNotCallMePaul: His HeelFaceTurn is cemented by not wanting to be called FN-2187, eventually adopting the name "Finn."
* TheDulcineaEffect: He ran to Rey's defense the moment he saw her and took her by the hand to lead her to safety only minutes later. Rey was ''not'' pleased.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: First seen stopping to help a mortally wounded stormtrooper. This simple act underscores both his humanity and how out of place he is as a stormtrooper, who never grudge casualties or assist the fallen.
* FireForgedFriends: With Rey and Poe. The former bond after their escape from Jakku and the later have their FriendshipMoment in a TIE fighter escaping from the First Order's base.
* FishOutOfWater: Having been raised from childhood to serve the First Order, he is clueless about how a lot of the world works once he leaves.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: He goes from just another faceless [[{{Mook}} stormtrooper]] to a hero fighting the entire First Order.
* GoodCostumeSwitch: After escaping from the First Order, he gradually sheds his stormtrooper armor and completes his HeelFaceTurn by wearing Poe Dameron's jacket.
* GuyInBack: When he and Poe steal a two-man TIE fighter, Poe flies while Finn takes the gunner's chair. Poe gives him a hurried crash course in shooting as they fight off their pursuers. Later, when he and Rey steal the ''Falcon'' to escape Jakku, he takes one of the turrets while Rey pilots.
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: Played with. Initially inverted, as Finn prefers to fight using blasters while Rey prefers to fight using her SimpleStaff. Towards the middle of ''The Force Awakens'', Han gives Rey a blaster, and Maz gives Finn a lightsaber, playing it straight. At the end, Rey takes ownership of the lightsaber when Finn goes down. It's yet to be revealed what his main weapon in the sequel will be.
* HeelFaceTurn: He ditches the First Order early on.
* HeelRealization: He makes it clear that he thinks that working with the First Order made him the "bad guy," even if it was only for a brief period of time and he ditched them after his first combat mission.
* HellBentForLeather: Takes to wearing Poe's leather jacket. Poe thinks it suits him.
* HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic: Stormtroopers have never been shown taking their helmets off (Phasma states that they're forbidden from doing so, at least while in action). So, the instant he takes his off, we see that he is becoming one of our heroes.
* HeroesPreferSwords: Played with: while he prefers blasters as his trained weapon, he takes up the lightsaber in the middle of the film when he decides to stand and fight against the First Order instead of running away. He's also heavily associated with the sword in most of the marketing, though this is a RedHerring, as Rey claims the lightsaber after he gets injured by Kylo Ren.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy Amusingly]], Finn might very well be the most accurate Stormtrooper put to film. During a firefight, he is constantly on the run and fires his blaster while moving, several times with only one hand. Regardless, almost every shot lands dead in the center of his target's chest. Of course, he was top of his class, so his exceptional marksmanship is justified.
* InSeriesNickname:
** His old stormtrooper unit used to call him Eighty-Seven.
** Han takes to calling him "Big Deal" after he tries to make himself out as an important Resistance figure.
* InsistentTerminology: Rather understandably, once he defects from the First Order, he insists on being called "Finn", not "FN-2187".
* IndyPloy: Finn's greatest tactical asset is his ability to improvise. Hell, it's a hastily executed plan on Finn's part that ends up kicking off the entire plot of the movie.
* JackOfAllStats: He's a good marksman, but not on the same league as [[LivingLegend Han and Chewie]]. He can wield a lightsaber, but not as proficiently as Kylo Ren or Rey.
* JumpScare: In the trailer, a still shot of the Jakku desert is interrupted by him popping up in shock. Averted within the film itself.
* LineOfSightName: Poe, not wanting to call him by a serial number, improvises Finn from "FN", the first two letters of his callsign. Finn takes a liking to it.
* MadeOfIron: While it left him comatose, Finn survived a brutal thrashing at the hands of Kylo Ren.
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: He undergoes his HeelFaceTurn after his first mission. Supplementary material notes that he was an excellent team leader whose only fault during training was an odd reluctance to actually kill people.
* {{Mook}}: He starts out as just another stormtrooper before he defects after refusing to slaughter an entire village of innocent people.
* MookFaceTurn: From faceless grunt to runaway to hero.
* MythologyGag: His operating number, 2187, is also the cell number Princess Leia was held in aboard the Death Star in ''Film/ANewHope'', which in turn was a ShoutOut to ''21-87'', an art film that inspired Creator/GeorgeLucas.
* NeutralNoLonger: Initially, after deserting from the First Order, all Finn wants is to get as far away from his former employers as possible. This changes when Rey is kidnapped by Kylo Ren, causing Finn to throw his lot in with the Resistance.
* NeverHurtAnInnocent: Being ordered to kill innocent civilians in his first mission is what triggers his HeelRealization.
* NiceGuy: Astoundingly holding onto his sense of morality in spite of a lifetime of abusive ChildSoldier upbringing, Finn is a kind-hearted and compassionate soul who will ''unfailingly'' leap to the defense of a helpless innocent, no matter how afraid he may actually be.
* OddFriendship: With Han, given how they interact with each other over the course of ''The Force Awakens''. They both snark at each other, but Han makes it clear that he likes Finn and even saves his life when he shoots Nines with Chewie's bowcaster.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Justified, as his "real name" isn't really a name but a serial number/call sign.
* OverlyNervousFlopSweat: Several scenes show him sweating profusely.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: He's a well-trained soldier, but he's not trained in the force or very skilled with a lightsaber, a common staple of the series. This almost gets him killed when he faces a foe with both lightsaber and force training.
* TheParagonAlwaysRebels: According to prequel material, Finn had the best scores of any Stormtrooper recruit and was singled out as officer material by Captain Phasma. His only flaw was his unwillingness and inability to shoot unarmed civilians, which becomes the reason he defects after he is forced to participate in a village massacre.
* PhraseCatcher: After his desertion, he is referred to as "TRAITOR!" by First Order members, including Kylo Ren and FN-2199.
* ProperlyParanoid: Before entering Maz's castle, Finn asks Han if there's any chance there may be First Order sympathizers inside. Sure enough, they're recognized the moment they walk through the door.
* RealityEnsues: While he can use a lightsaber without injuring himself and look cool doing it, Finn isn't trained to use the weapon. As a result, when he uses Anakin's lightsaber against two opponents capable of fighting back against it ([[BossInMooksClothing FN-2199]] and [[TheHeavy Kylo Ren]]), he loses and is nearly killed both times.
* RedemptionPromotion: In the First Order, he was an interchangeable {{Mook}}. On the side of the Resistance, he's becoming a hero.
* ResignationsNotAccepted: The First Order wants to kill him for his desertion. Said desertion involved deciding not to slaughter innocent civilians, freeing the Order's prisoner, and killing other Stormtroopers in self-defence. By the time Finn crashed on Jakku the First Order had a lot more motivation to kill him than just him leaving their ranks.
* RousseauWasRight: Twenty years of the First Order's brainwashing, and indoctrination was ''still'' not enough to destroy the fundamental decency of the little boy who grew up to be Finn.
* SayMyName: Screams Poe's name after their TIE Fighter crashes on Jakku, and does the same with Rey after she is kidnapped by Kylo Ren.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: His entire CharacterArc in a nutshell; whether the "rules" are the First Order or simple self-preservation, Finn finds himself ignoring them when the chips are down.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: He spends a significant part of the movie wanting nothing more than to get as far away from the First Order as possible. Maz eventually calls him out on it.
* ShipTease: With Rey. They develop a close friendship in a short span of time, Finn asks her at one point if she has a boyfriend, Rey is heartbroken when he tries to leave, Finn goes deep into enemy territory to rescue her, they reunite with a long embrace, and she kisses him on the forehead in the end while he's in a coma.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Finn is the catalyst for the destruction of Starkiller Base and the discovery of where Luke is. His decision to defect and rescue Poe sets off a chain of events that puts the base schematics into the hands of the Resistance, it's his knowledge of the base's layout that allows the Resistance to exploit its weakness and destroy it, and it's his collaboration that leads to the Resistance getting the missing piece of the map. If it wasn't for Finn, the First Order almost certainly would have wiped out the Resistance and ran roughshod over the New Republic, and Rey would not have had a chance to discover she could use the Force.
* SupportingProtagonist: Initial advertising set him up to be the lead character of ''The Force Awakens'', but the story is ultimately about Rey.
* ThatManIsDead: He wants to leave his past as the First Order Stormtrooper FN-2187 behind him. In the novelization, he even outright tells himself that "FN-2187" is dead.
* TookALevelInBadass: Finn, the lowly ex-stormtrooper starts the film as a CowardlyLion and remains one for much of it, but when Rey gets kidnapped, and later knocked out by Kylo Ren he finally ''stops running''. The change is complete when he ignites Luke's old lightsaber and duels Kylo Ren; he'd come quite a ways from thinking that running away was the only option.
* TragicKeepsake: Subverted in regards to Poe's jacket--given that Poe is the only friend he's had in his life at this point, and it's the only thing of his that he can find in the crashed TIE, it's set up to be a sad reminder of the apparent sacrifice he made. Then it turns out that Poe's alright after all, and he tries giving the jacket back, though Poe then tells him he can keep it.
* UnexpectedVirgin: Averted. Despite him being the hero, and 23-years-old, John Boyega claims that Finn is a virgin. His upbringing by the First Order probably has something to do with it.
* WhatTheHellHero: Han calls him out for lying to the Resistance and putting people in danger just so he can rescue Rey. Fortunately, he more than makes up for it.
* WhosLaughingNow: Invokes this with Captain Phasma during ''The Force Awakens'' climax when Finn, Han and Chewie ambush her. Han tells him to bring it down a notch.
* WouldNotShootACivilian: In spite of the others having no qualms against killing Jakku villagers, he refuses to fire a single shot. Phasma mistakes this for his blaster being defective.
* YouAreNumberSix: "Finn" is a name only given to him by Poe. All his life, he's gone by his callsign FN-2187.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Poe Dameron]]
!!Commander Poe Dameron (Black Leader)
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dameron_poe.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I can fly ''anything''."'']]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/OscarIsaac
->'''Appears in:''' ''Before the Awakening'' | ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsPoeDameron Poe Dameron]]'' | ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' | [[Film/StarWars8 Episode VIII]]
-->''"...So who talks first, you talk first? I talk first?"''
The son of Rebel Alliance Spec Force soldier Kes Dameron and A-wing pilot Shara Bey, Poe Dameron is an X-wing pilot and commander of the Resistance Starfighter Corps. After uncovering information that the First Order is hunting for Lor San Tekka to locate Luke Skywalker, Poe is sent on a mission by General Leia Organa to find him before the First Order does. He is captured by the First Order, but is rescued by Finn, who needs a pilot to help him desert his post.
----
* TheAce: Unlike Rey, he has this personality and reputation to go with his AcePilot status; he's the best at what he does, and everyone knows it. The opening narration calls him "Leia's most daring pilot". Many of his interactions with Finn, especially later on, have Finn gushing over how awesome he is.
* AcePilot: He is the best and most daring pilot in the Resistance, a fact that is known even by Kylo Ren. He amply demonstrates it during the movie, picking up TIE fighter handling very quickly and making his next-gen X-wing ''dance'': in a single, 20-second long shot, he scores 10 kills (enough to make him an actual ace twice over) while strafing stormtroopers for good measure. His page in the ''Star Wars Character Encyclopedia'' has the header "Best Pilot in the Galaxy".
* AffectionateNickname: He calls the then-nameless FN-2187 "Finn" as a sign of friendship. FN-2187 then decides to adopt the moniker for good after he ditches the First Order completely.
* BadassBoast: Poe has no false modesty about his abilities as a pilot.
-->'''Poe:''' I can fly ''anything''.
* BadassInDistress: He was captured by the First Order early in his first film. Finn breaks him out.
* BadLiar: According to supplementary materials.
* BandOfBrothers: With the rest of Black Squadron, all of whom he considers more family than friend.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Poe's warmness to FN-2187 and treatment of him as a human being is why the two became fast friends.
* BullyingADragon: His behavior once brought before Kylo Ren, complete with complaining that the mask makes him hard to understand.
* ChewingTheScenery: No part of his X-wing's cockpit is left un-gnawed during the battle on Takodana.
* CommandingCoolness: Poe's rank in the Resistance is Commander.
* CoolStarship: Pilots a unique black X-wing.
* DangerDeadpan: Unlike previous Rebel squadron commanders Garvin Dreis, Luke Skywalker, and Wedge Antilles, Poe ''averts'' it. It's made ''very'' clear just how much he enjoys flying, and his dialogue in the cockpit is often quite excitable.
* DeadpanSnarker: He snarks at Kylo Ren constantly. The fallen Jedi doesn't appreciate it. A good example of Poe's snark comes after he's been tortured by the First Order to no avail, forcing Ren to take over.
--> '''Kylo Ren''': [[BaddieFlattery I'm impressed]]. No one's been able to get out of you what you did with the map.\\
'''Poe''': You might want to rethink your technique.
* DecoyProtagonist: We're led to believe that he's TheHero of the story from the opening text to having a large chunk of the opening scenes be devoted to him, but he seemingly dies after he and Finn escape from the First Order, leaving Finn to become the protagonist. It turns out that he survived, but he plays a supporting role from then on.
* DefiantToTheEnd: While he isn't killed, Poe refuses to show fear while being interrogated and tortured by Kylo Ren.
-->'''Poe''': The Resistance will not be intimidated by you...
* DisneyDeath: Finn presumes him dead when he can't find him in the wreckage of the TIE and the TIE is swallowed up by sand. It turns out later he's alive and back at the Resistance.
* DistressedDude: He is captured by the First Order, and interrogated and tortured by Kylo Ren, before escaping with Finn's help.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: He's first seen receiving vital information for the Resistance, subsequently managing to send the information away by sacrificing his own safety and then snarking at his captor. It's made very clear to the audience that he's a brave, trustworthy and cunning man who's loyal to the Resistance.
* FireForgedFriends: With Finn. They have a FriendshipMoment in a stolen TIE fighter while escaping.
* GenerationXerox: He is a Resistance soldier and hand-picked agent of General Leia whose parents fought with Han and Leia in the Battle of Endor thirty years ago.
* HellBentForLeather: Starts out the film wearing a leather jacket. After believing that Poe had been killed, Finn takes it for himself, later keeping it with Poe's blessing after they reunite.
* HeroicLineage: His mother was an A-wing pilot who fought at the Battle of Endor, so piloting fighters for the Rebels is literally in his blood. His father was a rebel commando as well, and he's shown to be quite a rifle marksman like his father; the only shot he missed with his rifle was ''frozen in place'' by the Force.
* ImprobablePilotingSkills: Poe is an unbelievably talented fighter pilot. At both Takodana and Starkiller Base he is practically a one-man squadron, taking a massive toll on First Order TIE Fighters and managing to fly ''into'' the weapon so that he can shoot out crucial systems from the inside ''and'' get back out alive!
* IOweYouMyLife: Feels this way for Finn after the latter helps him escape from the First Order.
* LaResistance: He is a major figure in the Resistance, and their foremost pilot.
* LargeHam: Poe is ''very'' enthusiastic, especially while he's flying.
* LikeASonToMe: Leia views him as this. [[spoiler:In any case, he turned out better than her actual son did.]]
* ManHug: Is quite demonstrative. His happiness at seeing that Finn survived their crash and made it off Jakku leads to one of these.
* MauveShirt: A subverted example--he's set up to be important only in the first twenty minutes of ''The Force Awakens'' only to apparently die in the TIE crash. However, it turns out that he was able to escape and meet with the rest of the Resistance forces on Takodana.
* MilitaryBrat: Both of his parents were Rebel Alliance/New Republic military. His mother was an A-wing pilot during the Battle of Endor, and his father was a commando in Han's troop at the ground theater of that battle.
* MessyHair: The Visual Guide explicitly mentions "tousled hair" as a character trait of his.
* MindProbe: He is seen reacting with agony when Kylo Ren's hand is waved over his head. Despite his best efforts, the probe gives up the location of the map to Luke Skywalker.
* MissingMom: His mother died when he was a child. He seems to have adopted Leia as a kind of substitute.
* NervesOfSteel: A requisite to be an AcePilot. Poe's coolness under stress is directly contrasted against Finn's trepidation as the two try to escape the First Order.
--> '''Finn''': Stay calm, stay calm...
--> '''Poe''': I am calm.
--> '''Finn''': I was talking to myself.
* NeverFoundTheBody: After his and Finn's escape, they crash on Jakku. When Finn wakes up, he thinks Poe didn't make it since he can only find his jacket in the flaming wreckage of the TIE. Turns out he fell in a different location and returns during the latter 2/3 of the film.
* NiceGuy: A very warm individual and a loyal friend. This is demonstrated particularly with his interactions with Finn, who was working with his enemy scant hours before defecting--his friendship is genuine and unconditional.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: He survives a TIE fighter crash, finds his way off Jakku, and returns to the Resistance in time to lead a squadron of X-wings in a BigDamnHeroes moment on Takodana. All of this occurs offscreen. Considering how long this takes Finn, Rey and BB-8, it's enough to call him the HeroOfAnotherStory.
* PetTheDog: During the opening skirmish on Jakku, he manages to off several stormtroopers with blaster fire, but stops a moment when he spies a stormtrooper looking dazed and confused after his comrade is killed. Rather than shoot him, Poe chooses to let him live. That same stormtrooper would later help him escape; it's Finn.
* RebelLeader: As Commander of the Resistance Starfighter Corps, Poe is very much someone that the members, especially his pilots, look up to and trust. He basically lays out the plan for the attack on ''Starkiller Base'', with the officers above him in rank assenting. As the leader of their X-wing squadrons, it is made clear that the other pilots, many of whom are less-experienced, draw a lot of confidence from having him in the air with them.
-->"We're with you Poe!"
* ShoutOut: Poe's X-wing colors are Black and Gold and he is the best pilot in the resistance. This is the same as for Skull 1 in the ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' Universe.
* UnexplainedRecovery: It is unclear how Poe Dameron survived the crash and managed to return to the Resistance in such a short amount of time before he is seen leading the X-wing squadron during the Battle of Takodana. Finn [[LampshadeHanging asks that very question]] to Poe, but [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold Poe only gives a few details about where he landed before changing the topic to more important concerns]]. The novelization fills in the gaps: He wanders away from the crash just before Finn comes up to it, concussed and not hearing him. Poe helps a scavenger attacked by some thugs, and the man pays him back by flying him off planet where he can contact the Resistance for backup.
* UniversalDriversLicense: He's never flown a next-generation TIE Fighter before, yet figures its pilot controls ''and'' its gunner controls in less than a minute. In his own words, "I can fly anything".
* WingMan: He flies with several, and quickly talks Finn into being the gunner on the two-man TIE they hijack.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:[=BB-8=]]]
!!BB-8 (Beebee-Ate)
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bb_8.jpg]]
->'''Performed by:''' Brian Herring, Dave Chapman
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/BillHader and Ben Schwartz, through a voice synthesis app
->'''Appears in:''' ''Before the Awakening'' | ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsPoeDameron Poe Dameron]]'' | ''Film/TheForceAwakens''
Poe's astromech droid, BB-8 accompanies his owner and friend on the mission to Jakku.
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* BeTheBall: His body is a sphere.
* BewareTheCuteOnes: BB-8 is a cute little droid but he demonstrates a ruthless streak and has no problem with [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique inflicting pain]].
* BigBrotherWorship: He's "the new R2" and looks up to his predecessor, even insisting to project the final piece of the map himself just to show off to R2.
* CuteMachines: He's ''one of'' the most adorable machines in fiction. RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment invoked as to whether or not he's cuter than his predecessor.
* DeliberatelyCuteChild: Robot variety. In [[http://www.ew.com/article/2015/11/13/bb-8-gender-star-wars this article]], BB-8's designer implies that he knows how cute he is and uses that to manipulate people and accomplish his missions. He invokes this to get Rey to let him stay at her home.
* DoAnythingRobot: BB-8 is a next-generation astromech droid and thus a more advanced successor to the model line that R2-D2 is from. In addition to independent movement, he can maintain an X Wing, communicate, shock someone, and project information in holographic displays.
* GuyInBack: After he and Poe are reunited, BB-8 takes up his rightful place in the socket of Poe's X-wing during the attack on Starkiller Base.
* IntelligibleUnintelligible: Like R2, only talks in beeps, yet Rey understands him.
* KidAppealCharacter: Small, cute, and makes a popular toy.
* MeaningfulName: Abrams says that his name came from the fact that he resembled either two B's back-to-back or the number 8.
* MixAndMatchCritter: Has the head of an R2 droid floating on a rotating sphere.
* MythologyGag: His design is based on an early concept of R2-D2 that was scrapped due to the technological limitations of the time at which the original movie was made.
* NiceGuy: BB-8 is a sweet, demure, and loyal droid who will always be there for his master and his companions.
* OneWheeledWonder: He's essentially a droid head on a giant rolling sphere, and he rolls around on said sphere.
* OrangeBlueContrast: When together with his predecessor and idol R2-D2, who uses the color blue, he provides this.
* PluckyComicRelief: BB-8 is a cute little guy who provides a lot of levity to a fairly dark (by ''Star Wars'' standards) movie.
* PunnyName: A ball-shaped character named "BB", as in BB-gun pellets? And "8", as in the best-known ball in pool?
* PuppyDogEyes: Does a robot version of this to get Rey to let him stay at her home.
* RecurringElement: A small cute unintelligible robot that rolls around like R2-D2.
* RidiculouslyHumanRobots: Much like R2-D2 and C-3PO before him, he is able to show concern for his naturally living companions.
* RobotBuddy: The droid serves as this to the new PowerTrio, especially Poe and Rey.
* ShipperOnDeck:
** Helps Finn as he tries to impress Rey.
** In "[=SaBBotage=]", a short story at the end of ''Poe Dameron'' Issue #1, BB-8 sabotages a Resistance pilot's X-wing to get him to talk to the tech officer he has a crush on.
* ShockAndAwe: Like most astromechs, BB-8 has a taser, which he uses on Finn when he thinks Finn robbed Poe.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Poe. When he sees that Finn is wearing Poe's leather jacket, BB-8 starts tasing him, infuriated at the idea of someone stealing from Poe.
[[/folder]]
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