J.J. Abrams reveals what Finn was going to tell Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ties just about everything up in a galaxy far, far away. Well, almost everything. One tantalising thread was left hanging: what was Finn going to tell Rey before they sunk into the sands in Pasaana? We now have a potential answer, thanks to The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams.

During a recent Q&A screening, J.J. Abrams offered his interpretation on the scene that had fans guessing and guessing well into the weekend. He said Finn wanted to tell Rey that he was Force-sensitive, but left it open-ended so it "could mean different things to different people." Watch Abrams speaking below.

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So… that’s it. Big mystery solved? Possibly. It still doesn’t quite make sense that Finn would choose then and there to blurt out his big Force secret, but then be all secretive about it in front of Poe and the others later. Yet, it’s still an almost-instant answer from The Rise of Skywalker director, which is perhaps more than we could have hoped for. Just maybe don’t expect it to turn up in any deleted scenes or Quicksand Cuts.

The man who delivered the line, John Boyega, has also taken to Twitter to dispel one fan theory surrounding the moment. He revealed that Finn was never going to tell Rey he loved her.

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Now that has been cleared up, we can get on to the important stuff – like when are we getting a Babu Frik spin-off?

For more spoiler-filled analysis on The Rise of Skywalker check out:
– Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ending explained
– Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker cameos in full
– Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Easter eggs and references

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.