Finn struggles to escape his past. his previous name was just a serial number, FN-2187, and he was trained since birth by the First Order to be a stormtrooper. Despite his great results in the combat simulations, he was not prepared for a real, brutal battlefield. Sent to Jakku, under the leadership of Captain Phasma, he couldn't follow orders to shoot innocent civilians. Dazed and scared, he chose to run away and stop being a cold-blooded soldier. FN-2187 doesn't believe he is a hero, but he can be one: He just needs to find something, or someone, worth fighting for.
A New Name: On Jakku, the First Order slaughters the entire Tuanul village while they try to fight back. In the crossfire, some troopers get hit. Unable to help his comrades, and reluctant to kill the enemies, FN-2187 can only pretend that his blaster is jammed. He later decides to run away, but he needs help: he gets Poe Dameron, a Resistance pilot who was captured on Jakku, out of prison, then steals a TIE Fighter. During their daring escape, Poe gives FN-2187 a new, real name: Finn.
Poe's Droid: Crash-landed in the Sinking Fields of the Goazon Badlands on the planet Jakku, Finn can't find Poe Dameron anymore. Trying to stay out of sight, he takes his armour off and wears Poe's jacket, which he salvaged from the wreckage. When BB-8 sees him, the droid assums he stole it.
Just A Thief? When Finn and Rey meet for the first time, she runs after him and slams him to the ground with her staff, thinking that he's a thief. Finn has no other choice than to lie and tell her that he's with the Resistance.
Not Too Bad: Rey, Finn and BB-8 steal the Millennium Falcon from Unkar Plutt's junkyard to escape two TIE Fighters. Finn takes the gunner seats and, although the cannon gets stuck in forward position, he is able to shoot the fighters down.
