Warning! MAJOR SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ahead.
In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, it's finally revealed that Finn has the Force. Introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Finn began as the First Order stormtrooper, FN-2187. Early on in the film, he manages to overcome his stormtrooper training and, after meeting Poe Dameron and then Rey, decides to defect to the Resistance. Come The Rise of Skywalker, Finn is one of the Resistance's highest ranking members and Poe's most trusted ally.
The Force Awakens is also Finn's introduction to the very idea of the Force, and at first, he doesn't seem to really understand it. When he travels with Han Solo and Chewbacca to Starkiller Base to rescue Rey, he kind of just assumes the Force will help them, to which Han frustratingly exclaims, "That's not how the Force works!" Since then, however, Finn has been witness to several incredible feats Rey could only pull off thanks to her affinity with the Force. Perhaps it's been these instances - like finding Rey lifting the rocks to clear an escape for the Resistance at the very end of Star Wars: The Last Jedi - that has finally awakened in Finn a true understanding of the Force.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is jam-packed with all sorts of revelations, but it's the reveal that Finn actually is Force sensitive that's been most exciting for fans. Especially when recalling how heavily the marketing for The Force Awakens leaned into the imagery of Finn wielding Luke Skywalker's lightsaber. And though Finn doesn't get to do anything quite as cool as wielding a lightsaber in The Rise of Skywalker, the film does include several moments where's Finn's Force sensitivity is on full display.
Evidence Finn Has The Force In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
There are a few instances throughout Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker that appear to feature Finn tapping into the Force. The first moment comes when Rey, Poe, and Finn are on Pasaana searching for the Jedi hunter's ship. Kylo Ren and the First Order track them there thanks to Kylo's Force bond with Rey, and while she senses it's Kylo who is flying towards them in the TIE Whisper, she doesn't mention it to either Finn or Poe when she wonders off to confront him. Finn, however, doesn't need her to tell him because moments later he reveals that he knows it's Kylo, sensing the Supreme Leader's presence himself. Later, while the Resistance is fighting Palpatine's Final Order fleet on Exogol, Finn exhibits another flurry of Force sensitivity when he's able to immediately discern which of the Star Destroyers has the command tower they need to destroy in order to cripple the fleet's navigation. And finally, when Rey dies from Palpatine's Force drain, Finn senses her death through the Force, not so unlike Obi-Wan Kenobi sensing the destruction of Alderaan in Star Wars: A New Hope.
Of course, the strongest evidence that Finn is Force sensitive is arguably not even really in the movie. Back before they are attacked by the First Order on Pasaana, Rey, Finn, and Poe become trapped in quicksand. Just before they go under, Finn yells to Rey that he something he needs to tell her, but he's drowned out by the sand before he can finish. The strange space quicksand just spits them all into a tunnel below, at which point Rey asks Finn (as does Poe) what he was going to say, but Finn declines to explain. Finn's secret is oddly never brought up again, but many viewers assumed it was something like a love confession given the close nature of Rey and Finn's friendship and the seemingly deadly circumstances of the moment. However, director J.J. Abrams has since revealed Finn was going to tell Rey he's Force sensitive in that scene, which is pretty much all the confirmation needed that all those moments of Finn acting on a "feeling" in The Rise of Skywalker are meant as him using the Force.
Other Non-Jedi With The Force In Star Wars
It should be noted, though, that Finn being Force sensitive isn't the same thing as Finn being a Jedi. In fact, there are plenty of characters in the Star Wars galaxy who present some affinity for the Force but are not traditionally trained Jedi or Sith. There are also degrees to Force sensitivity, which can explain why some individuals are so immensely powerful in the Force while others are not. Additionally, some will have a strong connection with the Force but their powers only awaken once they've encountered another Force user or some object associated with the Force.
As for other non-Jedi characters with Force sensitivity, there's Maz Kanata, who tells Rey in The Force Awakens that she is no Jedi but that she knows the Force. Through the Force, Maz is able to sense changes in fortune as well as someone's presence. Her Force-sensitivity is also partially why Maz has Luke Skywalker's lightsaber - she keeps a collection of objects that have spoken to her through the Force, believing they may again one day be useful. There's also a recently introduced character on Star Wars Rebels, Mika Grey, who claims not to be a Jedi but demonstrates some very Jedi-like agility and strength. She also has a keen understanding of the Force, and even crosses paths with the Rebels characters while hunting for an ancient Sith relic she means to keep out of the First Order's possession. Besides the Jedi and Sith, there are other organized groups of Force users, like the Nightsisters of Dathomir, the Force Priestesses who Yoda encounters in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the Knights of Ren. It could even be argued that Chirrut Îmwe from Rogue One has at least some Force sensitivity given how devoted he is to the Jedi's teachings and appears an especially gifted fighter for a blind man.
Will Finn Be Trained By Rey's New Jedi Order After Star Wars 9?
Finn being Force sensitive is sure to be welcomed news for those fans who always wished Finn would become a Jedi. The marketing for The Force Awakens heavily implied this was the case, but of course, it was all just a ruse to hide the fact that Rey is really the new Jedi of the sequel trilogy. Now that it's been confirmed that Finn is Force sensitive, though, might Finn be trained as a Jedi by Rey?
This is certainly a possibility, though it's unlikely to happen in a feature film. If Rey ends up training Finn in the ways of the Force, it's probably something that will be explored in more ancillary media, like a book or cartoon. There's already some precedent for this with Luke's training of Leia post-Return of the Jedi originally only being shown in the now non-canon Legends books and comics. In The Rise of Skywalker, however, there is a short flashback scene to Luke training Leia some time after Return of the Jedi, confirming Leia's Jedi training in the official Disney Star Wars canon. In which case, were there to be another Star Wars trilogy in a decade or so that checks in with Rey and Finn, there could very well be a similar flashback scene. That is, of course, assuming Rey chooses to reestablish the Jedi Order, something the movie leaves open to interpretation.
Disney's exact plans for the Star Wars galaxy following The Rise of Skywalker are currently unknown. There are a few Star Wars movies in development, but none are expected to be a continuation of the main episodic saga. Still, Disney has expressed interest in returning to its sequel trilogy characters, and that suggests future media will explore what happens to Rey, Finn, and everyone else after the event of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. And in that case, establishing that Rey begins training a new generation of Jedi and that Finn is among them is certainly one avenue they can explore.
