Recently I came across an article from Cineblend siting a long thought to be obvious romantic relationship between Rey and Finn, but small tadbit does not deny this, but rather suggest that things aren't that easy or as they seem. (and lets just set the Fandom Poe and Finn bormance aside, please)
It also has been noted, that all three (Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron will be "tested")
Episode VIII is said to be a lot darker. From both rumors and set photos, it looks like we may being going back to the elements or story points featured in the prequels/clone wars, including some world building! Knowing Abram's was the first to climb aboard this new Star Wars train, he most likley had a lot of input in creating the new characters and drafting out the new story, as he remains an Executive Producer on the next two films. With that being said, and knowing Bad Robot's works pretty well, I have some theories on why this potential romance may hit a dark and bumpy patch in Episode VIII
Almost Human:
One of Bad Robot's most recant shows on FOX following the end of Fringe, Almost Human didn't make it to a second season for a few typical network reasons, but this indirect companion piece to Fringe that also had some serious Blade Runner/Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? homage, has some similarities and potential connections to Star Wars!
Finn (or FN) is a storm trooper in The New Order. Much like how The Clone Wars & Prequels parallel Nazi Germany with a fall of government and a rise of a deadly regime AND a eugenics movement, FN was said to be raised from a young age to become a storm trooper. This is again not unlike Hitler Youth Camp were children were conditioned to help serve The Nazi cause. "FN" has an impersonal feel to it, meaning he doesn't have an official name and implies he is not suppose to have much of an identity or to think on his own.
In Almost Human viewers were introduced to character, an android, named DRN or Dorian, who serves to help a recovering police detective solve crimes in 2048. The series never had the opportunity to become fully serialized to know how to connect it's various mythology and bits of story together, but part of what was introduced was that the DRN's were different than other android models--they had a warm and rather emotional personality/disposition, but something happened in which they all malfunctioned, and they were taken off line or demoted to non-law enforcement jobs, except for the one introduced in the Pilot and paired with disgruntle Detective John Kennix!
However, even this DRN model ended up having "memories", seemingly of a boy playing with a rocket ship, as if this could be him as child, which we know he never was, but many had speculated that this was some kind of implanted virus software or malware that was downloading and could change who Dorian was...
Note: The Clone Wars are also directly mentioned by Kylo Ren in reference to FN in that he prefers the clones to these kinds of soldiers, presuming they can attempt to go "rogue"...
So I propose that one reason this romance could be tough or go south is because perhaps Finn can be turned/altered and/or is a sleeper agent and he will turn against Rey (at least for a time)!!! Abrams also made a point to tell us that he feels these characters are grey--and having complications like this, do make a character grayer IMO.
PS: One other Almost Human connection is that Karl Urban plays Detective John Kennix. Billie Lourd's character in The Force Awakens is named Lieutenant Connix. Both are in law enforcement type roles and the surnames are word play on the "connects" pointing out a theme or concept of connections!
Maybe he loves somebody else?
So if he's not a sleeper agent, then what else could make Finn disloyal to Rey? There was an altercation during TFA were another soldier, presumably a friend, is baffled that Finn betrayed the order--so we get the sense that these people do have friends and/or at least feel like bothers in arms, but what if in some cases there are situations were multiple children of a household were taken and that they were literally re-raised with their biological siblings? Could FN have a blood relation, like a brother in the New Order?
We know Captain Phasma is a female Storm Trooper of sorts, but perhaps she isn't the only one? What if there are also other female Storm Troopers similar in rank to Finn? Could he have a girlfriend (or boyfiend) he left behind?? Some of the new tie-in material, like Star Wars Aftermath and Lost Stars begins to show us relationships between Storm Troopers, but in an era closer to ROTJ, but they could be paving the path to Finn's bigger story...
Rey Turns Dark (Image Credit: PandamuneDeviantart.com)
Another possible aspect given some shades of Anakin (and a potential very spoilerly plot leak also more ardently connecting her to him) is that Rey gets seduced by the dark side or becomes isolated and gets enraged.
One way that could work could be if Rey does in fact have a mother or a mother figure and her mother would already work for Snoke. In fact I could see the tables turn where, despite the death of Han Solo, should that hold true, perhaps Kylo Ren and The Knights of Ren are not what viewers think, but rather they are secret covert group meant to protect something or someone, and ultimately Kylo Ren has been undercover, and Rey falls due to wanting a relationship with her mother, especially of Luke lied or betrayed her trust in some way, despite good intentions.
One other minor possible connection reflecting the Rey and Finn relationship may be in JJ Abrams Felicity...
The only other character named Finn in Bad Robot's vast assortment of characters is a guy named Finn introduced in the third season of Felicity. Elana, is main character who was in love and wanted to marry a guy named Tracey, but ultimatley their wedding is ruined and they go separate ways. Trying to move on, she meets Ben's lab partner, Finn, who she feels is fun, but not very intelligent. Finn and Elana's brief romance highlighted a bi racial couple and how opposites could attract.
EDIT UPDATE:
However with some rumors abundant, we may also want to consider something else. Without revealing the full nature of one of these possible major spoilers, let's just say that Rey isn't a Skywalker and the rumor about Kelly Marie Tran being Finn's potential love interest, is true.
Then we have to consider, because this is still a Skywalker family Saga, that Kylo Ren's story is something that has to come more into the forefront and Episode VIII has to make some kind of compelling case for us wanting to save Ben Skywalker.
Liea might be one angle to do that. After all, the prequels story was very much about a boy who feared losing his mother, and ultimately did so, but also lost the love of his life, whom, in some ways was also motherly to him. It would be great to see a juxtaposition to that and also tell a mother and son story, as opposed to the OT's Father and Son story.
Rey then may also serve as a love interest to Ben. The thought also crossed my mind that perhaps the two of them were about to become childhood friends before Ben joins the Knights of Ren and turns his back on his Uncle Luke.
I had thought there were times when Ben seemed intrigued with Rey and her abilities and I wasn't sure if Rey beat him solely because she became very strong, if not also Kylo couldn't bring himself to finish her off or really hurt her...
