Finnās compassion and tactical brilliance: An analysis of the hangar bay escape
I watched Finn and Poeās escape from the star destroyerās hangar frame-by-frame, and I am now convinced of two things: a) Finn did everything he could to minimize the damage to the Stormtroopers, and b) it is thanks to his tactical judgment, as well as Poeās skill, that they were able to make it out alive.
One of the charges most frequently brought against Finnās character is that he shot at his comrades and friends during his escape with Poe from the First Order and showed no regret for it. This is, of course, just a terrible argument on its face because there is no way that Finn was in the wrong to escape the people who had stolen him from his family and raised him to be a slave soldier, including if necessary by using force against those who stood in his way. I have also disputed the argument that he was unconflicted about his actions.
Just to be sure, though, I went back to watch his escape with Poe and what I discovered surprised me. See, even though Finn was entirely justified in using violence where necessary to escape, he actually used the minimum possible force against the Stormtroopers necessary to escape, arguably far less than he was justified in using. He avoided shooting Stormtroopers directly, and directed his most destructive fire toward the hangar bayās command center where the operators and officer were on duty.
Whatās more, he showed incredible tactical skill in the process. His snap judgments under extreme stress were spot on and impressive, and I really wish this scene had been played up more to show just how brilliant Finn is. As it is, crucial moments establishing his humanity and skill zoomed by in blink-and-you-miss it action without later reinforcement, missing an opportunity to show important information about the character.
(Detailed analysis with pictures under the cut)
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