SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 19: Greg Grunberg speaks onstage at the “From The Bridge” Panel during Comic-Con International 2018 at San Diego Convention Center on July 19, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Unsung Heroes
Similar to Chewie and Maz, many of our other characters didn’t have much to do in The Last Jedi. Poe had some action at the beginning of the movie with the dreadnaught battle, and Finn and Rose had the mission to Canto Bight.
All three of them saw later action during the Battle of Crait, but otherwise their participation was — while tied in to the main plot — a bit shoehorned in my opinion.
And what about Snap Wexley? He wasn’t even in The Last Jedi. He was part of Poe’s attack squadron in The Force Awakens, and he was a central character in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath series, but he didn’t even get a mention in the movie. How about Admiral Statura? The actors who played these characters (Greg Grunsberg & Ken Leung) are both pretty well known and recognizable, so to see them in Episode 7 but not in Episode 8 was a bit jarring.
The Poe Dameron comic showed Snap and some of the other characters missing from Episode VIII were sent on a mission by Leia Organa, with all the details here. Perhaps they’ll tie into Lando’s return to the saga. That’s my best guess as to how they’ll return in Episode IX.
Regardless, Poe has proven to be an amazing pilot, and Finn and Rose have energy that is infectious. All three are incredible actors who’ve brought these characters to life, proving that Star Wars can be about more than just Jedi, Sith, and Death Stars.
Just like in Episodes III and VI, this trilogy deserves to have an epic space battle somewhere in the movie, and these characters should have major roles to play in it.