The following contains spoilers for the first five episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
In the Star Wars sequel trilogy, while it was a nice idea to have John Boyega's Finn as a Stormtrooper experiencing trauma and regret over how murderous the First Order became, it wasn't well-executed. It felt more like a plot crutch, just to have Finn and Captain Phasma make jokes about it during their battles, as opposed to something nuanced to show the horrors of war. To make it worse, the story didn't even dissect the potential of Finn, Janna and how the past really haunted defectors from the First Order.
Most of this could be chalked up to them just being side players in the bigger mission where Rey's mission against Snoke, Kylo Ren and Palpatine took priority. However, come Obi-Wan Kenobi, this Finn problem was fixed thanks to another redemption arc involving a turncoat and what Ben himself endured.
This revolves around Tala, the Imperial officer who helped Obi-Wan escape Mapuzo. She shocked fans, revealing herself as a spy in the Empire's ranks, which also allowed the Jedi to steal Princess Leia back from the Inquisitors' fortress on Nur. This was more serious, though, and showed the ramifications of the new war, rather than immerse fans in punchlines and quirky, sneaky infiltrations from the past movies.
In fact, when Tala was eventually addressed by Reva, it felt more authentic and dangerous compared to Phasma and Finn. What made Tala's story pop even more, though, came in the latest episode when she admitted to Ben how she couldn't stand to see women and children being killed anymore -- something he also felt he enabled by hiding out after being Palpatine's pawn. Like him, she thought the Republic's movement was about peace and order, but her role in this genocide thereafter made her realize she needed to effect change from within the belly of the beast.
This was so much better than a panicked Finn fleeing and not really being sure of his destiny. Admittedly, if not for Rey's mission, he'd likely have continued to run, leaving the First Order to their devices. However, with Tala, she became an inside woman to help the Path, by smuggling Jedi away after the atrocities of Order 66 and sowing seeds for the rebellion to grow. She even encouraged Ben to accept past mistakes and move on. It's the only way to fix things, which helped Obi-Wan become a leader again.
Lastly, Tala's sacrifice in battle, being killed with her bot, reminded Ben he had to cope with loss. It's something he lived through in the Clone Wars, and here, he was inspired by Tala to be step up again as he fled Jabiim.
This was in stark contrast to Finn, whose trauma always felt like a sub-arc to make him Rey's sidekick rather than his own person. His friends didn't even seem that interested in his own story, and any element he had of that sense of individuality was scrapped, as seen with his relationship with Rose Tico, relegating Finn to a glossed-over point. Ultimately, Tala was the opposite, layered to the point fans wanted to see more of her Imperial betrayal and the rigors she went through to become a selfless hero as opposed to a serious story turned into flippant laughs.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is available on Disney+. New episodes air every Wednesday.