Finn begins to suspect life and sanitation duty in the First Order may not be for him in Star Wars: Age of Resistance – Finn #1.
Warning: This article contains plot points for Star Wars: Age of Resistance – Finn #1
Star Wars: Age of Resistance – Finn #1
Story: Tom Taylor | Art: Ramon Rosanas | Color: Guru-eFX | Lettering: VC’s Travis Lanham | Cover Artist: Phil Noto | Assistant Editor: Tom Groneman | Editor: Mark Paniccia
It is well known that Finn began his adventure in the Star Wars saga as stormtrooper FN-2187 in the First Order. After helping Poe Dameron escape from Kylo Ren’s custody, he eventually came around to helping the Resistance with their fight against the First Order. In addition, Finn’s beginnings were even more humbling. His post on Starkiller Base was in sanitation. It was in that post that he first began to suspect that life in the First Order wasn’t for him, and Star Wars: Age of Resistance – Finn #1 tells some of that story.
Order Through Intimidation
Finn #1 begins with FN-2187 and FN-3761 mopping the floors on Starkiller Base. In the middle of their duty, Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma arrive. Unsure what to do with themselves, FN-2817 and FN-3761 stand at attention with their mops over their shoulders. Kylo Ren decides to stop and stare at FN-2187 before continuing on his way. Next, Phasma orders him to report to deck nine to assist with removing a blockage a construction unit encountered.
This encounter is a little odd. Why Kylo Ren would take an interest in stormtroopers engaged in sanitation duty is unclear. It seems rather unlikely he would accompany Captain Phasma just to order a couple of grunts to report for duty else where. This particular scene in Finn #1 seems like it was just included to give the reader a taste of Kylo Ren and how uncomfortable he made his underlings.
An Infestation
Once Finn and FN-3761 report to deck nine, they are ordered to suit up with a squad of stormtroopers. It turns out that the blockage is actually an infestation of some unknown creature. The stormtroopers soon discover a species of bat like creatures that swarm them and nearly kill them all. Some quick thinking by Finn saves the life of an ungrateful squad captain, after which Finn is ordered to stay behind and clean up the mess. It is then that Finn discovers the construction efforts have impacted the lair of these creatures. Finn’s compassionate side emerges, but when he tries to inform his captain, he is reprimanded and punished with guard duty on a garbage transport ship.
A Little Rebellion
Finn #1 continues with Finn reporting for garbage escort duty. He meets the ship’s pilot, Marialew, and they begin their three week voyage. Marialew apparently transports a lot of garbage for the First Order from Starkiller Base. She isn’t very surprised to learn that Finn smuggled out the bat creatures in her ship rather than let the First Order destroy them. Plus, Marialew has seen plenty of these critters in her time.
Despite Finn’s concerns, Marialew tells Finn not to worry about it. She won’t report him. She also notes that a First Order soldier with compassion is not a good mix. It turns out that she isn’t especially good at following orders either though and comforts Finn by telling him that “a little Rebellion is good for you.”
Concluding Thoughts on Age of Resistance – Finn #1
Finn #1 is a tidy story. In fact, it is almost too tidy. Star Wars fans already knew that Finn wasn’t cut out for the First Order. His response to the slaughter of innocents on Jakku at the beginning of The Force Awakens spoke volumes. Therefore, this story didn’t really add anything new to his character. Finn #1 does raise a few questions though.
First, the authority figures in the First Order have an unhealthy infatuation with details and orders. Phasma seems particularly upset that Finn didn’t hold his mop correctly when Kylo Ren was present. Later, Finn’s captain when they went to fight the infestation interpreted everything Finn said later as a complaint and threatened disciplinary action at every opportunity. In some ways, Phasma and the captain seemed like caricatures of the demanding drill sergeant. Finn didn’t seem to be in the middle of basic training though, and the heightened level of discipline seemed unnecessary.
Second, Marialew’s role with the First Order seems unclear. She notes that she isn’t good at following orders. However, she doesn’t seem to be a First Order stormtrooper either. So, one must wonder if she was a contractor of some sort. If she was, then she seemed like a liability. Starkiller Base was a secret project.
Overall, Finn #1 is a fine story. If anything, it seems to suffer from the fact that Finn’s background was established as grounded in sanitation. What kind of grand adventures could he have in that post? Also, unlike the heroes of the Republic and Rebellion ages, there seems to be a reluctance to tell stories of the characters of the Resistance age that might impact their post-The Last Jedi future. In addition, there is virtually no time between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi to tell any stories. Even if there were, Finn spent that time unconscious as he recovered from injuries inflicted by Kylo Ren. Tom Taylor didn’t have too much to work with here. Again, this is a fine story, but it might have benefited from a setting just prior to The Rise of Skywalker.
Dennis Keithly is a graduate of the University of Missouri, North Texas attorney, husband, father of two, and co-host of Starships, Sabers, and Scoundrels. In addition to Star Wars, Dennis is a fan of science fiction, fantasy, and super heroes in general. When not engaged in fictional universes, Dennis is reading a good book or watching the NHL, football, or studying the NFL draft.