Originally Posted by
Mr Mystery
Just thinking more about the Finn as Comedy Goof thing, and I've gone off on a bit of a tangent, but not massively tangential as tangents go....
He is this series Luke. Han remains Han, and Rey has taken over as Leia.
Think about it. The only one not really knowing what they were doing in A New Hope was Luke.
Han was the seasoned adventurer - confident in his own abilities, and knows when and how to push his luck. He's got loyalty and muscle in Chewie to boot, and a total awesome space ship.
Leia? So much more 'with it' than Luke. Consider her lines and her actions. She squares up to Vader and Tarkin, almost arrogantly so (this is arguably shown to be a front when they target Alderaan). She gives Luke a hard time when he first enters the cell, seemingly resigned to her fate but determined not to appear scared (she may or may not have been terrified, it's not really covered. She certainly never shows fear for her situation). She gets them out of the Detention Block, rips into Han's ship (you came in that thing? You're braver than I thought) quickly becomes the one taking charge and proves the best shot of the lot of them just before the swing to safety. (oddly I think its these early interactions with Han that sparks the attraction for him. The dude is clearly a rogue, and has just met a not unattractive young lady who is having absolutely none of it because she's far too busy having all the best ideas and saving the lives of the three doofuses who somehow managed not to get killed to that point. Speaking for myself, I find women who aren't having any of my tomfoolery incredibly attractive)
Luke? He's dreamed of adventure his entire life. All he's wanted to do is get away from Tattooine and be a hero for something somewhere. Suddenly gets his wish, finds out everyone is far better at Heroing than he is. (make for a decent character arc as well)
Rey? Much closer to Leia than Luke. She's learned to look out for number one and not just take it if she doesn't have to (see Unkar's thugs getting a righteous kicking, then chasing down and beating up Finn thinking he was a thief. It seems clear the only reason she takes it from Unkar is a total lack of choice. His position isn't necessarily unassailable, but she's not well placed to buck the trend - she's got to eat, after all)
Finn? So far, he's our Luke. So out of his depth it's not even funny, but still incredibly brave, and willing to fight for others even though he has relatively little reason to.
Addendum
For what its worth, I think its a real shame that Leia remained on Yavin IV during the Death Star assault. She went from confident leader to 'well, I'll just stand around with my thumb up my posterior whilst everyone else risks their lives'. I don't think she'd have quite convinced as also an Ace Pilot (other opinions are available and just as valid), but I'd love to have seen her overseeing the evacuation - it would have been a chance to see her leadership skills and position of respect before Empire Strikes Back. But relatively minor quibble.